The Search for the Giant Alligator
A Motorcycle Ride through Florida

A Motorcycle Trip in Florida: Day Nine

We left St. Augustine late in the morning on the last day of our pilgrimage. We detour south out of town on State Road 207, pick up SR 13 and ride north on this scenic, twisting road along the eastern shore of the St. Johns River, crossing at Green Cove Springs.

We continue west on Route 16 to Camp Blanding, home of the Florida National Guard, where we visited the WWII museum there. Camp Blanding was also a huge training center for the Army during the war.

Our last stop on this search for the ghosts of tourism past is in Lake City. We stop for lunch but before we leave, we pause for a photo opportunity beneath the sign at the Fu King Chinese Restaurant. Enough said.

We have pretty much run out of alligators, time and money, so we run straight back home to Tallahassee on US 90.

Final Thoughts...

So what did I learn on this Pilgrimage? What did nine days on the road and over 1800 miles teach me?

I learned that the giant alligator of my youth is still alive. If you want to see the giant alligator, you still can. The paint isn't quite as fresh and the parking lots are never full, but it's still there.

You won't find the giant alligator next to Disney and Seaworld, but it's still around. You won't see the giant alligator advertised in Chamber of Commerce brochures, but it still stands. You won't find the giant alligator in the look-alike fast food restaurants that line the highways, but he still survives.

The giant alligator lives. It's harder to find and it gets smaller every year, but it's there. See it before it's gone forever.

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