The following is Scott Fais' weekly blog detailing discoveries made while traveling through Florida and along the road of life.

You could say this story is centuries in the making.

The Spanish ended construction on Fort Matanzas in 1742. In the years following, the little military post on the Matanzas River played a big role in shaping Florida's history. Although the scenery in this part of St. Johns County is beautiful, the name “Matanzas” isn't pretty. It means “slaughter,” and that is exactly what happened along the banks of the Matanzas River.

Built to protect St. Augustine’s southern entry via water, the fort was to prevent an attack from the French and English in the new world.

Fort Matanzas is a smaller partner to the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine. Both share the same coquina rock building blocks and architecture. Unlike the larger Castillo, you'll need to use a boat to reach Fort Matanzas (while you could swim, the National Park Service would surely frown upon it).

Enhanced Programming Producer Heather Bailey and I traveled to Crescent Beach on a beautiful spring morning. The homes dotting Florida's famed A1A leading to the Fort Matanzas National Memorial are spectacular. Upon turning into the parking lot of the fort, modern buildings and sounds give way to large trees home to an owl family.

By the time you read this, the owls will have flown the coup, but for park rangers like Linda Chandler, watching the baby's hatch and grow is an attraction within itself. On the day of our visit, the national park rangers had set up telescopes so visitors could get a “bird's eye view” of the mother, father and baby owls (yes, pun intended. I am wise one).

You could feel Chandler's excitement for the young birds and her job. Linda beamed with excitement while sharing the lengthy story of Fort Matanzas.

Your story will need to begin in the park office. Find it located in the breezeway of the welcome building, that looks more like a house transplanted from the northeast United States. Visitors wishing to visit the Fort will need a ferry boat ticket. The tickets are free, but stamped with a boarding time. During busy periods, you may need to wait before crossing the Matanzas Inlet to the Fort.

Once at the Fort, look around quick. When the ferry boat departs for the mainland (traditionally within 30 minutes) the same amount of passengers that rode over on the boat, need to return to the mainland.

Hit the main attraction first! Head up to the second level and find the wooden ladder leading to the rooftop lookout post. Today, you can scale the ladder just like Spanish solders did. Be ready. It's steep, narrow and the passageway is made from solid coquina rock. Bump your head and you'll know it. The ladder can also be a source of stress.

When completing an on-camera portion of our story that required me to scale the ladder on camera, waiting visitors below started to get very verbal and display their tempers. Apparently, those :45 seconds I was using to climb out of the hole on the roof took too long. That part of our adventure did not end up on television.

Why the rush? Maybe he thought lunch was being served on the roof? A chance to get Juan Ponce de León's autograph? A pot of Spanish gold coins waiting in the corner?

The “gentleman” who offered some stern and choice phrases suddenly became very quiet when he emerged onto the roof only to see Heather with a TV camera and tripod 3 feet way. Yeah, we were making television.

The act of getting Heather up the ladder was an undertaking in itself. She's quick to tell you that heights are not her thing. Those afraid of heights may struggle. Back in the 1700s, the Spanish soldier was shorter in stature. And therefore, the railing running around the roof is short. Use caution when approaching the edge.

Heather was a pro. With the ferry boat running back to the mainland every 30 minutes, we shot this story pretty quickly. Once you disembark the boat, don't waste any time checking out all the sights inside this living window to the past.

Until Next Week, Safe Travels.
-SCOTT

To read Scott's story from Fort Matanzas as it appeared on television, click here.