The Mountain Lioness: The Niña, The Pinta, and the San Marcos de Apalache

The Niña, The Pinta, and the San Marcos de Apalache

FL State Parks Quest:

Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail [25/175]

San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park [26/175]

Tallahassee, FL & St. Marks, FL

17 March 2018

Part I - The New Mountain Bike!

After my previous mountain bike was stolen in mid-January, I finally got myself a new ride! Say hello to my new GHOST DREAMR 4 27.5 Women's Bike from REI. It is currently listed out of stock, but I was able to grab a 50% deal plus using my 2017 REI dividend resulting in an incredible steal. It is a big upgrade due to a full suspension and a dropper seatpost. Unfortunately due to recent injuries, I will be riding on less technical trails for the next few weeks if not longer. I also decided on riding clipless, and it will be my first time riding with my feet attached to the pedals. Today's ride will be strictly on pavement.

Be prepared for pictures of my bike leaning against things.

Part II - Tallahassee - St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail

Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail - Capital Circle Trailhead

Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail - Wakulla Station

I am no stranger to what we usually call the St. Marks Trail. As an endurance athlete, there's sometimes nothing better than a shaded, flat, paved trail with limited interaction with motor vehicles. I didn't want to write about the trail until I completed riding from the "main trailhead" to St. Marks, FL and back.

One way on the trail is 20.5 miles. This includes the segment that starts in the middle of Tallahassee. The trailhead at Capital Circle and Woodville Hwy is the main entrance, which is 16 miles from the southern terminus in St. Marks. This is where I began. I have been on the other 4ish miles when I ran/hobbled/walked the Tallahassee Marathon February 2018, but it is next to more traffic than I desire.

Also at Capital Circle trailhead is the trailhead for the Munson Hills Mountain Bike trails - a favorite for local mountain bikers and some trail runners. It consists of rolling hills through the beautiful Apalachicola National Forest.

Today's ride was organized by Tallahassee Social Ride Group (TSRG). The purpose of the ride was to ride the beloved trail and then take a group tour on the Niña and the Pinta. We were getting a reduced rate due to being a large group. Some of us started at the main trailhead of the St. Marks Trail at 08:00, while more people met at the Wakulla Station Trailhead at 09:00. Wakulla Station is 9 miles away from the town of St. Marks. We took a group photo before our departure.

Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail - St. Marks, southern terminus

Park Profile

Park Name: Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail
Region: North Central
Physical Address: 1358 Old Woodville Road Crawfordville, FL 32327 [Capital Circle Trailhead]
Fees: None required, but there is a donation box at the Capital Circle Trailhead
Hours: 08:00 - Sundown, Daily
FL State Parks Website
FL State Parks Brochure
FT Ranger on Duty: No
Passport Stamp Location: San Marcos de Apalache

Part III - Touring the Niña and the Pinta in St. Marks, FL

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

In 2018, replicas of two of his ships are sailing around as floating museums!

The Columbus Foundation's replica ships - The Niña and the Pinta - have arrived in St. Marks, FL, and they will be docked here from March 16-25, open 09:00-18:00 daily.

Bike Parking!

Admission is $8.50/adult for boarding the ships and taking a self-guided tour. We had a group rate of $5.00/adult which included a tour from one of the ship's crew.

These two ships are called Caravels, which were used for exploration during the Age of Discovery. The boats have official names, usually religious, however they almost always have nicknames derived from the owner's name or the home port. For instance, the Niña was owned by Juan Nino of Moguer, and was officially named the Santa Clara.

Once we are on board we meet our tour guide who shares my name - Kat. Kat is actually a local but has been working aboard the Niña for 3 years and is now the first mate.

Above to the right is the heavy anchor and below to the left is the windlass. "The windlass provides the mechanical advantage needed to handle the heavy anchors a caravel carries. It can also be used to kedge the ship out of shallow water or up to a wharf. The wooden handles provide leverage and are moved as the drum turns."

Since the steering wheel was not created until the early 1700s, they used the tiller. The tiller has enough extension to easily be managed by one person.

Next we walked on over to the Pinta. While the Niña is true to actual size, the Pinta's re-creation was slightly bigger than it's original.

Below is a sign that displayed the traded items in The Columbian Exchange.

First Mate Kat

While it has only been suggested but not proven, there may have been red crosses on the sails. The symbol is potentially from the Knights Templar which had a lot of devoted members in maritime activity.

There were also two flags. One for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, the other is the Coat of Arms of Castile y León.

Check out the really tiny cannon! Despite its size, it is very loud and its sound can travel across multiple miles.

I got a picture with the Niña's first mate, Kat, since we have the same name.

First Mate Kat and Plain Ol' Kat

Part IV - San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park

San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park is the main site of the coastal town of St. Marks, FL. It lies where the Wakulla and St. Mark's rivers join. The park consists of an indoor museum and some outdoor sites. You can also hike down to Tucker's Point, but I did not make the time for that. A brief timeline of the area's history --

1528

Panfilo de Narvaez traveled by land from Tampa to this site with 300 by men. Due to the confluence of both the Wakulla and St. Mark's Rivers, they built ships that ended up being the first ships made and launched by white men in the New World.

1539
Hernando de Soto brought 600 men along the same route as Narvaez

1679
The Spanish Governor of Florida started to construct the first fort, which stood for three years beofre getting looted and burned by pirates.

1718
The second wooden fort's construction began with the arrival of Captain Jose Primo.

1739
They finally decided to use stone instead of wood as the main material for fort construction.

1763
English gained control of the half complete fort

1787
Spain took the fort back

1800
A new challenge for the fort by William Augustus Bowles, who was a former British officer. He unified and led 400 people from the Creek nation against the Spanish in order to capture San Marcos.

1821
Florida was ceded to the United States, which took over the fort's occupation

1824
The U.S. abandoned the fort and gave it to the Territory of Florida

1839
The fort was returned to the United States government where they eventually constructed a federal marine hospital.

1861
The Confederates took over the fort during the American Civil War and renamed it to Fort Ward.

TBD
Opened as a state park

Park Profile

Park Name: San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park
Region: North Central
Physical Address: 148 Old Fort Rd St. Marks, FL 32355
Fees: No entrance fee, but the museum is $2.00
Hours: 09:00 - 17:00, Thursday - Monday [Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Year's Day]
FL State Parks Website
FL State Parks Brochure
FT Ranger on Duty: Yes
Passport Stamp Location: San Marcos de Apalache [Here!]
Year of Becoming a State Park: ????

The museum had an entry way where you paid your $2 admission fee. The museum fee is excluded from the Annual Pass. They also had a plethora of the passport stamps, so I got stamping away. I finally got my stamp for Econfina River State Park, which I visited last June. Then we proceeded to the main room where there were several displays. They also have a movie that the museum ranger could turn on for you.

It's important to recognize that the Europeans were not the first ones in the United States. Native Americans arrived in Florida at least 12,000 years ago. The Apalachee were settled in this area, and they had a powerful and organized chiefdom with sophisticated farming practices.

In Spain's hey day of New World exploration, they had vast control over Florida and the Caribbean. Also, South America. Think of how much of the world speaks Spanish.

Spanish conquistadors came to Florida in search of riches. Juan Ponce de León sailed to Florida from Puerto Rico in 1513, where he claimed the land 'La Florida' in the name of Spain. You can read more about Spanish activities in Puerto Rico from when I went to Old San Juan National Historic Site earlier this year. In 1528, Pánfilo de Narváez led an expedition through Florida from Tampa Bay. They were hoping to find gold in the Florida panhandle but instead they came across the Apalachee tribe, particularly the archers. After getting attacked, they arrived at this river junction where they desparately worked to survive.

Florida becomes a U.S. Territory in 1821. A few years later, they begin building a railroad from St. Marks to Tallahassee. Sound familiar?

The Seminoles, known as 'The Unconquered', refused to leave the area when the state ordered them to, which resulted in the Second Seminole War (1835-1842). Three years later in 1845, Florida joined the union as a slave state. History always seems to disappoint.