Back to the Palm Coast We Go!

Off to my happy place. Well, really, it's one of my 3 favorite spots that include sand and water. The list is long but I would say Washington Oaks Garden State Park is easily in the top 3 along with Lover's Key and Blowing Rock.... and.... and...and... Okay, I'll stop there. The list of favorites is long.

But look at this! How could you not love it?!?!?

Doesn't even look like Florida, right?

Shadowy self-portrait.

Panoramic view of the rocks and the ocean.

 Nice little archway letting some light in.

 Rocky view.

I imagine the rocks in Sedona looking a bit like this.

Rocks as far as you can see.

Playing with the light.

I always seem to find my way into this little spot with this same view.

And if you go across the street to the gardens you'll see ponds, the rose garden and the beautiful view of the bay. 

I won't bore you with tons of details since I've reviewed this one before but pack a lunch. Check it out. Check the tides before you go. Seeing the tide in is just as cool as seeing it out. Getting to see BOTH is worth it!

Oh, and on the way back stop in and eat at The Funky Pelican in Flagler Beach. Yum!!! I had some delicious shrimp and grits. 

ABJ Road Trip - Day 5 - Hobe Sound & Jupiter Inlet

Sadly it is time to depart the Keys and head up the East Coast of Florida. I really, really wanted to go to the Blue Heron Bridge at Phil Foster Park but that is truly something to be done when the tides time out in your favor and that just wasn't going to happen today. Another time. Another time for sure! 

Instead we will go straight to Blowing Rocks Preserve in Hobe Sound which has been on the destination list for a while. This part of the coast has rock formations of limestone and some of the best shelling on the East Coast. It was absolutely beautiful. 

This is another location that you want to check the tides on before you go. The parking lot is only open until 4:30 so know that as well. If you want to explore under the rocks and into the shore line you need to aim for low tide. If you want to see the water splashing and blowing up you will need to aim for high tide. Makes sense, doesn't it? I wanted to see both but the timing didn't allow with the lot closing. 

If you go down just a little ways past the rocks the water is pristine and clear for swimming. In four feet of water you could still see your toes. It was refreshing and beautiful. Oh, and it looks so crowded, right? Nope, not at all. There were a few families out there and was so pleasant and absolutely enjoyable.

Even the walkway to and from the beach is beautiful lined with tunnels of trees. 

However, we did see the saddest of all things on the walk back... There was a sea turtle nest high up from the shore and some of the little ones didn't make it. I'm not sure if they were attacked, confused, too far or what but seeing these babies on the sand was absolutely sad. The only positive I can take away from that is usually there are 100 in a nest so I'm hoping the 90ish we didn't see are swimming happily in the ocean. This is one of the eggs some of the babies hatched from. 

We also explored the area a bit more and saw the lighthouse and drove down Beach Rd. This is where the stars vacation as we passed Tiger Wood's and Celine Dion's beach homes. Seriously huge homes with main entrances and separate service entrances. The road is beautiful as well and has a section that is canopied by beautiful ficus trees. 

Another long and beautiful day of our road trip has come to an end. Tomorrow we depart for home with tons of memories and pictures from the road trip. All in all it was a great trip. 

Time to get an oil change. 

And sleep.

St. George Island Trip

While this certainly isn't an AbJ trip it is a fun one. Some dear friends have a family beach house on the island and we were fortunate enough to come out and join them for the week. St. George is one of those beautiful, natural places that you just can't easily find anymore. The sand is like powder and the beaches are pristine. Ahhh, St. George.

I should just let the pictures do the explaining for me...

The sky changes often giving you beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

The walk down to the Gulf.

The St. George Lighthouse has some interesting history. Oddly enough I was able to see it in the original location before the collapse.  

We made an early morning trip down to the state park and it was amazing. We did a few Geocaches while we were there too and spotted tons of ghost crabs.

Oyster City Brewing is not too far away in Apalachicola and that makes for a fun day trip as well. Who can resist a nice flight of beers by the bay? Not us! There are plenty of things for everyone as well... shops, ice cream, t-shirts, book store, sponges and more. Even great places to eat! Yum. 

Once upon a time when the kids were younger we would come to St. George as well. This made a great chance to recreate the photos from 12 years ago!

And more than amazing have been the sightings of dolphins every single day that we have been here. Did I mention EVERY SINGLE DAY?????  Several of us have chased the dolphins out there and been successful this week. The girls had dolphins in between the kayak and the paddle board. They jumped right in front of them as well. I was out there and had one dance right by me a paddle length away. Absolutely amazing! I'll take that view any day! 

Well enough for the update for now. I'm going back to vacation. Stay tuned.