I’m back! It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve posted, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been out exploring. I caught a mild case of tendonitis in my foot a couple weeks back and stayed off of it for a while as a result. It happens from time to time–the consequences of being a bigger dude who’s trying to run himself into a smaller dude. So I took some time off the trails and instead went kayaking again. This time, I took a guided trip with the folks from Ripple Effect. I spotted them at Guana River a few weeks ago and thought I’d give them a try.

I took a full moon tour of Guana River. Ripple Effect typically sends folks out in tandem kayaks, which can be a bit of a crap shoot if you’re showing up as a single since it’s really up to them who you go out with. My partner turned out okay, and the trip itself was a blast. It was a little harder paddle this time around because we were going against the (slow-moving) current of the Guana River for the first half of the trip. But, I did get to see a bald eagle and a beautiful sunset, and I got to paddle half the trip by moonlight. Didn’t bring a camera along though, so no pictures. Guess you’ll just have to experience it for yourself. 🙂

All in all, it was a pretty awesome experience. I guess one of these days I’m going to actually have to buy a kayak. Not quite yet though. Here are the GPS details of the paddle.

This past weekend we took a day trip to Fernandina Beach. We’ve been a few times already and have really enjoyed ourselves, and we found out that the Nina and Pinta were in town, which we thought might be cool to see. Rain was in the forecast but we got lucky and it turned out to be a beautiful day. The Nina and Pinta were a bit small and crowded, so we opted for the distant view rather than the full tour, but it was still pretty cool to see. It amazed me how small these ships actually were. Hard to believe they went all the way across the Atlantic.

We also got to see the Batmobile! Just randomly on the sidewalk no less. It was really awesome. I used to watch the old television show from time to time, so it was neat to take a trip down memory lane. I found out that the original version last sold for $4.2 million dollars. Seriously doubt this was it, but still cool nonetheless.

After some beach time on Little Talbot Island, I sent the wife and daughter on their way home and I stuck around to explore. I’d heard about Black Rock Beach before and decided the short hike might be a perfect way for me to ease back onto my feet.

Location:

The trailhead is just off A1A on Big Talbot Island. It’s just a parking lot with a sign, and it’s a bit easy to miss if you’re blowing through there at 60 miles an hour. So, take your time, enjoy the scenery, and then you won’t miss it. 🙂

Here’s the Google Map. The parking area is the white spot on the side of the road in the middle of the map.

The parking lot is also adjacent to the paved trail on the Talbot islands that is supposed to eventually run from Amelia Island to points far south. There’s construction going right now on a boardwalk section of the trial just off A1A that will be pretty awesome to run or bike on once it’s finished.

The Trail:

But enough about that–what about the trail I came to see? Well, the trail is short, but really walkable. My GPS showed that it was only maybe .45/mile down to the beach. Hard packed sand and dirt the whole way, and it’s pretty heavily traveled, so no complaints there.

And the beach itself is nothing short of amazing. It’s one of the coolest places I’ve ever been. Tons of aged trees, root systems and all, washed up on the eroded beach. It was really a great place to take pictures and just hang out, which I did for a good 45 minutes or so. I’ll just leave the description at that (with the assistance of a few pictures). It’s completely worth going to see for yourself.

Fair warning: it’s really pretty treacherous getting down to the beach itself. There was a stick and a pole there for assistance the day I took my trip, but I can’t guarantee they’ll be there next time. Do not attempt if you’re prone to falling or just don’t feel comfortable navigating down a 10 foot drop.

Trail Ratings:

I thought I’d try to rate these trails as I review them. So far, categories I’ve come up with are surface, setting, and extras. Ratings range from 1 to 10 stars.

Surface – 9 stars

There’s really nothing bad I can say about the surface of the trail itself. It was pretty perfect to walk or take a short run on. In fact, I’m only giving it a 9 because I wish it was actually a little longer. A two mile out and back would be pretty awesome. But then again that’s just personal preference.

Setting – 8 stars

So, I’m only rating the setting of the trail itself here, which was quite awesome but didn’t have the variety of Guana or some of the other places I’ve visited. Again, though, it’s short, so that has a little to do with it I’m sure.

Extras – 10 stars

Really, the only real reason to take Black Rock Beach trail is to get to the beach, and the beach is nothing short of amazing. It’s one of the coolest and most unique places I’ve been. Again though, I have to warn you that it’s quite treacherous getting down to the beach and then back up. If you think you can handle it, it’s a absolute must to add to your list of places to see.

Check out this video for some highlights of the beach, including places I didn’t make it to.

Finally, I took my DSLR down to the beach and took a bunch of artistic-type shots. Here are a few of my faves:

Overall, Black Rock Beach was awesome, and I highly recommend it to everyone. If you’d like to see how slow I really am (especially so since this time I was mostly walking), then check out the GPS details of my run. I’d love to hear your comments and suggestions for new trails to explore. Please let me know what you think!