FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH EXPEDITION!

This stone archway (built to accommodate much smaller modes of transportation than we have today!) marks the land entrance to the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park ( fountainofyouthflorida.com ).  With guest books dating back to 1868, Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park is the oldest tourist attraction in Florida!

The park is made up of 15 waterfront acres, dotted with numerous fascinating exhibits, throughout its manicured gardens, oaks, magnolias, and cedars. 

The grounds are also home to dozens of free-roaming peacocks, that love to "strut their stuff" for you!

There is the reconstructed 1587 Mission Church, which is a reminder that this is the site of the FIRST Mission Church of Nombre de Dios.  Since I am of the Christian faith, it was very significant to me that I was able to stand on the ground, where the very first Christian church was built in the continental United States!

The center of the park is the site of the Ponce de Leon Memorial, because it was Ponce de Leon that first explored the area in 1513.

Our very knowledgeable tour guide/historical re-enactor taught us that about 50 years after the area was explored by Ponce de Leon, it was settled by Pedro Menendez de Aviles, in 1565.  As a reminder, that is 55 years BEFORE the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, and 42 years BEFORE Jamestown was colonized.  Even the FIRST documented Thanksgiving feast between Europeans and Native Americans occurred here!

The park has a boathouse and shipbuilding exhibit, where the visitor can see a historically correct 16th century chalupa workboat. 

Our guide also told our Road Scholar group about how the native American people that lived here would make the dugout canoes that used to navigate the waterways that surrounded them.  It has been my experience, that the Road Scholar ( www.RoadScholar.org ) travel programs consistently provide the best tour guides an area has to offer.  This trip to learn about St. Augustine was no different, because the familiarity of our tour guide's face and voice, were a result of his being a contributor to PBS network educational programs about South Florida!

The historical marker and statue of a Spanish Conquistador is located near the entrance of the park, and close to the Five Flags Cafe---a delightful outdoor site for picnics, as well as cafe meals. 

I will have to admit that before this trip, I did not know much about the history of St. Augustine, other than it was the home of the Fountain of Youth, and a place I wanted very much to visit!

After our group had been thoroughly briefed on the history and  archaeology of the park, we lined up inside a stone building to have our opportunity to actually see the spring, let it fill our empty cup, and then wait to be overwhelmed by a feeling of youthfulness!  It must have worked, because just days after my friend Diane (shown in this photo) drank from the Fountain of Youth, she went on  multi-day hiking trips out West in the National Parks, and rafted the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon!

This photo shows me drawing some water from the original "Fountain of Youth" site.  I am using it as a visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com ) memory verses that says, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."  I believe that God answers my prayers for the youth-like strength I need to do his will on this earth, and getting to have some actual water from the legendary Fountain of Youth, was just an extra blessing God gave me as "icing on the cake"!  Believing and living with this in mind, gives me "MILES OF SMILES"!   Tricia

2015 WHITE RIVER MARATHON FOR KENYA!

This was my 12th straight year to compete in the 5K Division, of the White River Marathon for Kenya!  That means I have been blessed to participate in the event each year since it started!

The crowd starts showing up at the Cotter, Arkansas, High School long before daybreak, and around dawn, the group heads outside to the starting line.

The temperature in the Ozarks in late November is almost always cold, but a misting rain added to the "chill factor", for the 2015 start-up. 

In spite of the dreary skies, the race had very few "no shows" on the morning of the event.  Even the "no-shows" do not have to feel too guilty about their choice, as part of the entry fee goes to fund programs in Kenya operated by the well-known humanitarian organization, World Vision .  (See previous blogs I published, for information on World Vision.  Archived dates are October 7, 2009; November 21, 2009; October 4, 2012; November 24, 2013). 

My friend, Diane, was all smiles as she completed the finish line!  If you want to have those same feelings of accomplishment, go to the website www.whiterivermarathon.com and sign up for the 2016 event!  The race filled up in 2015, and some folks had to be turned away, so do not procrastinate!

I was absolutely DELIGHTED to get a First Place medal for my age category in the 2015 race!  It has been my observation, since this was race #12 for me, that it is not so much that I have gotten faster since I did my first race, where I did not win any kind of medal; rather, it is just the fact that I have persevered, and been promoted into progressively older race categories, where there are fewer participants!  

The unique aspect about all the folks in this photo, showing off their prize medals, is that they are all members of the North Central Chapter of the Arkansas Master Naturalists ( wordpress.arkansasmasternaturalists.org ) !  Could it be that learning about the natural world makes you more appreciative of the miracle of the human body??!!  So appreciative, in fact, that you make efforts to stay active??!! 

One way the married couple in this photo keeps active, is by being a part of the devoted Master Naturalist Trail Patrol volunteers, who do some hard physical labor, to keep our area hiking trails "maintained".  In the process, they are also "maintaining" the physical health of their own bodies!

A big motivator for me to keep striving for optimum health, is a program called First Place 4 Health.  It is a Christ-centered healthy living program, that is available nationwide.  You can check for classes in your area by going to their website, www.FirstPlace4Health.com and typing in your zip code.  One aspect of the program is memorizing a Bible verse each week, and I use visual aids from my photography to help me remember the words.  One of my verses for the current "Healthy Boundaries" study is from Galatians 5:7 and says, "You were running a good race.  Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?"  Naturally, I thought of these photos I had taken at the various races I have participated in, although, fortunately,  I do not have a photo of someone who kept me from finishing!  Since I want to continue running a good race in life, I am going to keep an eye out for those things that that DO "cut in" to my obedience to the truth!  This includes things that would keep me from participating in the 2016 White River Marathon, scheduled for Saturday, November 19.  Being able to complete another 5K will give me "3.2 MILES OF SMILES"!   Tricia