Day Four

Day four we toured the Whetstone Chocolate Factory – our trip is supposed to be oriented toward exploration, outdoor activities, hiking, and education.  Although use of the word “factory” seems to be stretching it a little, it was an interesting setup and facility.  We were allowed to test a few samples of chocolate during the tour (quite a hardship, as you can imagine). 

The only time I thought we were going to have a meltdown was when we were all handed hairnets and told we had to wear them inside the actual production facility.  Sam NEVER wore hats and NEVER liked them.  We managed to push through it, though.  Whew!  At the end of the tour, of course, is the candy store.  Who can resist?  Not us!  J

That afternoon we drove up the coast a few mile to Ponte Vedra Beach and visited Bird Island Park – a small park next to the public library that has a couple of boardwalks along a lake and a small island that serves as a bird rookery.  Bird Island Park was a cute, relaxing visit, but the bird rookery would probably be more interesting during nesting season, as there was no activity during our visit.  We enjoyed the drive up A1A, though.  Good exercise for us all, and we definitely burned some calories in the heat!

That night we went on a Ghost Tour (walking tour) of old St. Augustine, and it was a blast!  Our guide, Nicolette, was awesome and very informative.  Sam was all eyes and ears, and diligently watched for ghosts and ghost lights at each location!  We snapped several photos at both cemetery stops for later analysis of any ghostly images that we may spot.  We’ll update you here if we find anything interesting to report!  J  A cold beer at the haunted Irish Pub rounded off the night for us.  Sam watched the beer steins behind the bar to see if they moved while we were there.