Going for the Gold…and the Beach

“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” —Susan Sontag

Oh man, I am so sorry. Truly. I’ve been absent, and it’s solely because we’ve settled into a routine. Work. Sleep. Sometimes Eat. Repeat. It’s been awful. Add in some medical issues and for a moment it looked like this was going to be our train stop forever. Then we talked about it.

I hate being stuck in routines. I crave unexpected adventure. It’s just a quirk I ended up with after a childhood of moving around. I want to be on the go. Alex is much more of a homebody than I am. While he has a travel bug, he’s more than okay with staying home and doing nothing. And yes, a lazy weekend is wonderful if you’ve been at a fast pace, but travel is my calm. SO, we decided to hit all the stops our North American bucket lists. With our move to Houston on hold until further notice, we’ve decided it’s not going to stop us from exploring what this giant land mass has to offer. Hopefully, once we’re done here, we’ll move on on to the South American bucket list (I have a bucket list for everywhere, no one should be surprised).

Our first stop is St. Augustine in August. Yes, I might have decided on that because Augustine…August. Moving on. I have wanted to go there since I was a kid watching “Ghost Hunters” explore the St. Augustine Lighthouse. The architecture and history caught my attention. Throw in a really cool looking Airbnb and I am thrilled. Who knows where we’ll end up after that?

Thankfully this past weekend offered a much needed break in the daily routine and I ended up somewhere new. Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach. Yup, the I Dream of Jeannie Cocoa Beach. Even though it was filmed in California, it was still pretty neat seeing the “I Dream of Jeannie” road sign heading into Lori Wilson Park. The sign I didn’t snag a photo of. But to be fair, it was 7:30 in the morning on a Sunday.

I arrived on Friday evening after a seven and a half hour drive and checked in at the Hilton Oceanfront at Cocoa Beach. The hotel is gorgeous. They do have a full restaurant and tiki bar, buuuuut I was exhausted. So I grabbed my wine to go from the bar (hallelujah) and ordered in some room service. Thanks to the rain, the skies were spectacular as the sunset.

Saturday morning, my mom and I headed to the Holiday Inn Vacations Club Resort in Cape Canaveral. I was super impressed. The lobby is absolutely stunning, and Rose at their on site bar and grill, makes a mean mandarin mimosa. And by mean, I mean I was tipsy as hell when we left.

We stumbled upon a little restaurant and rum bar called Junkanoo. Judging by the “Now Open” signs on it, I’m guessing it hasn’t been open very long. That being said, the drinks there were wonderful. We started with mango mojitos (solid 10/10) and ended with a Good Vibes (a really delicious Mai Tai that my mother stole from me) and a Painkiller. I’ll be honest, I don’t remember what was in the Painkiller, but it was creamy and delicious.

As for food, we both settled on their “Pork-etta” Cuban Sandwich. There’s only one way to make a good Cuban, and they hit it right out of the park. If we hadn’t been wanting to try their Key Lime Pie, I would have finished it. Come to think of it…I forgot my leftovers with my mom….

After grabbing some groceries, we headed to the condo and then to the beach. After being swept under when I was younger and almost drowning, I have a healthy fear of rip tides so if the surf’s even a little rough…I sit it out. Unfortunately, due to storms it was a little rough all weekend, but I still got my feet wet. It was also cool seeing the sea turtle nests all over the place.

I have to say, with everything we did…my favorite bit was my mom and I looking at each other and simultaneously saying we should pull out the sleeper sofa as we settled in to watch “Ghost Adventures.” Yes, I am that person. Don’t judge when you’re probably out there binging watching the husband who’s a professional juggler and the wife that sharpens pencils for a living while they shop for the 1.2 million dollar home at the ripe ages of 20 and 22. You know what show I’m talking about. Cause I watch it too.

So, while I may be absent every once in a while, the adventures are going to kick up and the food will be eaten. As usual, travel well and travel often!

Have any suggestions for what we should do in St. Augustine? Tell us in the comments!