Walking Wednesday - Black Rock Trail, Big Talbot Island State Park, Florida

A stretch of beach in the Big Talbot Island State Park is supposed to be littered with unusual black rocks. Not really rocks but compressed sand and decaying vegetation shaped by the waves to mimic rocks.

Where else to find black rocks than at Black Rock Trail? We parked at trail and headed towards the beach. We could hear the roar of the ocean as we approached and I was looking forward to a nice long stroll by the water.

Unfortunately it was high tide but not only that the trail abruptly ended at a small cliff. Straight down about 5 - 6 feet to the shore. Not a long ways down but far enough.  Getting down wouldn't have been too bad but getting back up would have proven to be difficult. Even if we could have figured out how to shimmy up and down there was no beach to walk on. High tide, made even higher by the full moon the night before.

The shore was eroded away. Only way to the beach was to jump down. 

The water and the waves were powerful and the trees that were laying over in the waves were

strangely beautiful. All due to the ugly face of erosion that is effecting much of the coast line. 

You can really understand the power of the ocean when you see these mighty trees bobbing in the waves. 

Even though we didn't see the black rocks or get to walk along the ocean it was a fun walk. I never get tired of looking at the ocean.


We're experimenting with video and this is our first try. Check it out and let me know what you think!

That was just a quick look at one of the favorite places I walked this week.

Travel Tuesday

Girl's Retreat to Jekyll Island, Georgia

John and I went our separate ways this week but that's not a bad thing.

He went to the Florida Keys for the annual Winter Star Party and I went on a girls retreat to Jekyll Island, Georgia. While John was looking at the stars in the night sky with fellow astronomers I was walking the beach and having some girl time with my friends Trina and Renee. 

We stayed at the Villas by the Sea on Jekyll Island.The three bedroom villa was situated by the ocean and surrounded by a stand of  trees.  Beautiful surroundings, sandy beach, clean, uncluttered rooms, and the only person I had to worry about feeding was me! Perfect get away.

Walking and Eating 

Two of My Favorite Pastimes!

Our villa was near Driftwood Beach. A beautiful beach with a stand of trees that have been turned into driftwood graveyard by the incoming tides. It's actually rated one of the most romantic beaches and many people get married here. Unfortunately the romance is short lived when you realize that the stand of trees has been killed off due to erosion. The Jekyll Authority is doing what it can to stem the erosion by adding rocks to the beach to keep the existing live tree line in tact. Even though Villas by the Sea is 50 feet from the beach it isn't consider ocean view because of the natural trees that form a barrier between the buildings and the beach. 

That's OK. I don't need to sit on my balcony and see the ocean. I'd rather be walking the beach and get an up close view.

Views of Driftwood Beach

A view from the north end of the island. We're heading towards that small bridge on this walk.

Walk to Eat, Eat to Walk!

I'm not ashamed to admit that I love to eat! I guess it's a good thing I also love to walk.

While staying at the Villas by the Sea we ate every night at the Driftwood Bistro.( I think this is the first time I've eaten out that I didn't take a picture of my food!) So no pictures to show but you can check out the link below and see the menu. 

Trina, Renee and I all had different entrees and we didn't have one thing that wasn't perfectly cooked and super tasty. 

I enjoyed the Yankee Pot Roast, Grill Chicken Tenderloin, and the Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin. My favorite side was the collard greens but the squash casserole, sweet potato casserole and the green beans were mighty tasty. The veggies tasted fresh not like anything came out of a can or frozen. 

Renee had the fried green tomatoes and after she raved about them I almost placed an order. But I didn't so I know we'll be making another trip to eat here soon. I'm glad it's only an hours drive from my house.

And should I mention the dessert? Of course! The Georgia Bourbon Peach Cobbler was superb. Just the right ratio of peaches to crust. I had mine Ala-mode. I love it when you can see the specks of vanilla bean in the ice cream  and oh yea - the whipped cream was real whipped cream. Not that fake stuff! I'd go back just for the dessert...

Villas by the Sea - Driftwood Bistro

Grab a a couple of friends and take a walk on the beach!

The Great Florida Birding Trail at Ft Clinch State Park

On the way home from Tallahassee I saw several signs for the Florida Birding Trail. Had they always been there and I just never noticed? A quick search on the Internet when we got home and I had all the info I needed. 

"The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail (GFBWT) is a program of the Florida Fish and Wildlife conservation Commission. AT its core is a network of 515 sites throughout Florida selected for their excellent birdwatching, wildlife viewing or educational opportunities." From the  Great Florida Birding Trail website.

I just knew that one of these 515 sites would have to become our next walk. Since we are very close to Fernandina we decided to check out the trail at Ft. Clinch State Park. 

The trail begins at the parking lot for the fishing pier. A neat little kiosk provided plenty of information about Florida birds and the birding trail. 

It's a half mile walk from the parking lot to the end of the fishing pier. We were there pretty early so we decided to get walking before the noon day sun started bearing down. There were lots of people fishing from the pier. Even one guy who had a good size shark on his line. It made me glad I was walking on the pier and not swimming. You never know what might be swimming right by your ankles...Yikes!

Under the pier

On the pier

Above the pier

The walk on the fishing pier was pleasant. There was a nice cool breeze coming off the water. Several flocks of birds flew overhead while we were on the pier. I believe these are pelicans. OK I've lived in Florida my whole life with the exception of two long years in Texas. I'm ashamed to say I don't really know much about Florida birds...


 The rest of our walk wasn't quite as enjoyable. After a nice lunch in the picnic area by the fort we took the walking trail through the woods.  Not a breath of air was stirring. It was HOT! Even the birds and squirrels were smart and stayed quite in the shade. 

But that's summer in Florida...

For more information on the Great Florida Birding Trail check out their website.

The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail

Lace up and learn something new about your area.

Beach Walk at Jekyll Island, Georgia

Jekyll Island is a Georgia State Park that boasts over 8 miles of beautiful, white sandy beaches. The island has many places to walk including the historic Millionaire Village once a vacation home to America's wealthiest families including the Vanderbilts, Rockefeller, Goodyear, and Pulitzer to name a few.

We started the day off at the Georgia Sea Turtle Museum where we joined an educational tour about alligators on Jekyll. This included a ride over the south beach and a walk to locate an alligator that had a tracking device. We were able to track this gator to a sewer pipe in the parking lot of a hotel. You never know what's right under your feet!

The highlight of the day was the long walk on the beach. There's nothing nicer than cooling your feet off in the ocean...

Take a walk and get your feet wet!