No more cruising!

Have you ever wondered what happens to those large cruise ships when they can no longer sail?

A cruise ship burial ground

I hadn’t, but would have guessed that they end up mostly as scrap iron. However, on the trip to Green Cove Springs, I learnt that some end up as artificial reefs on the floor of the St. Johns River.

That's useful!

Green Cove Springs is a tiny city near Camp Chowenwah where we camped recently. Then our local 'guide’/fellow camper, Stephanie, took us on a tour there.

From the pier, we could see an old Carnival Cruise ship which was going to be sunk to create a reef, but it was missing the funnel as it had been torn off as it sailed beneath the bridge which joins the area to St. Augustine.

Bridge to St. Augustine in background

The pier draws a lot of visitors whether to fish, hang out or just enjoy the view.

The aquifer is 28 feet deep 

This small city is the County seat of Clay County, Florida. The area was first inhabited over 7,000 years ago by Native Americans. 

It is developed around a warm hydrological mineral spring locally known as the "Original Fountain of Youth." 

The sulfur-smelling spring feeds an adjacent public swimming pool and a number of attractions were built around the area for recreational purposes.

The area has a number of historic buildings but perhaps the best known is St Mary’s Episcopal church. 

It was built in 1878 and has sets of stained-glass windows which are said to be among the first to be used  in the United States. 

Below these windows, you see other openings which serve as fire escapes.

St. Mary's

As we walked around the city admiring the architecture, I noticed that Senator Marco Rubio has his campaign headquarters there. 

What amused me was seeing that he had a washed-out tattered ‘Trump 24’ flag in front ofthe building. While I suspect he was displaying it to impress Trump’s base, I couldn’t help wondering if he deliberately allowed the flag to become decrepit, as Trump had so often insulted him publicly and christened him Little Marco.😅

Anyway, that’s an aside, for this small city is really pleasant and attractive.

Links.

1) Joan, my views: Glamping (joan-myviews.blogspot.com

 2) Joan, my views: Anti immigrant crap (joan-myviews.blogspot.com)

MEMORIES

A tattered Trump flag outside Rubio's office