Just some pix fro Little and Big Talbot Islands

We had a great weekend hiking and biking on Talbot Island near Jacksonville Florida.  This place is a gem.  Just remember to bring the bug spray.  On Saturday we hiked.  The wooded dunes we beautiful, but the Mosquitos were a buzzin.  The beach was beautiful and the water was clear and cool.

The deadwood is spectacular.  

Someone had even created a hut using the deadwood.

We saw starfish and many stunning shells.

There were broken sand dollars every where.

Pretty!

We found many like this.

This section of the beach was unpopulated.  It was a bit of a hike for sun seekers.

The next day we biked to Boneyard Beach.

Most of the path is paved.

You turn off the paved path to a natural surface path and Boneyard is less than half a mile down.

Be careful if you're biking.  The trail drops off quick.

Our bikes on the drop off.

Dead trees are everywhere.

They are bleached and weathered.

There are loads of great shots.

It is a quite place. There were a few other groups of people there at the same time as us.

Every tree is a little different and interesting.

There is even an old rusty dingy.

I have lived in Jacksonville for over ten years and this was my first visit.

My husband and I will definitely go back.  We still need to bike and hike a couple more trails.  And we can't forget all the kayaking and paddle boarding opportunities!  I highly recommend this park.

The Search for Sunshine

This week is Spring Break.  Woohoo!  Not really woohoo, more like wahwah.  It has been cloudy, cold and grey in Jacksonville, Florida.  Sunday was the last time I saw even a sliver of blue sky.  So today I decided to hop in my car and drive south until I saw sunshine and blue skies.  100 miles!  Let me say that again.  100 MILES!  I dove  down state road 17 and finally found what I was looking for 100 miles from Jville.  On a whim I took a turn for DeLeon Springs Park.  I had not heard of it before, but boy am I glad I discovered it.  

It's a beautiful little park with a sweet spring head.  It's a great place for swimming, and many people were doing just that.

 It had a spectacular restaurant on site with delicious home cooked meals, or you can choose to eat from the take away window which is what I did.  The tuna sandwich was huge.  Apparently they bake their own bread, and the bread was baked big.  

I took an hour long boat tour.  I saw bunches of wildlife.  There were gators, herons, turtles, fish jumping, and even a manatee, but most important there was sunshine and blue skies.  It was a fantastic day.  

On the way back to Jville I stopped at an interesting shop selling yard art.  

I also had the opportunity to stop at the fern fields.  I have always wanted to take pictures of these places.  They are so serene and peaceful.  

I finally arrived back in Jville and grey skies :(. Oh well. The sun'll come out tomorrow.