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Published: January 19th 2013
One of the perks of living in Florida is that occasionally you can get really nice weather outside of tourist season. We were lucky enough to have the stars align like this last weekend when we spent a long weekend on Amelia Island. Chris had to give a briefing at the Jacksonville airport, so we turned his two hour meeting into an excuse for a weekend away.
Amelia Island is about 45 minutes from downtown Jacksonville, and just below the Georgia state line. Its claim to fame is that it's the only place in the US that has been under eight different flags. We had to google the flags because we didn't recognize several, like the North American Patriots one or the Latin American Patriots' Green Cross of Florida.
Well, it turns out that tourists don't typically hit the beaches in January, so we had no problem finding a hotel just across the street from the beach. Oh, and did I mention we got the Ocean View King Suite with a jacuzzi and private balcony for next to nothing?
I was hoping to squeeze in lots of outdoor activities (like kayaking to see dolphins!) but apparently Floridians are
weak and think that their January is legitimately winter, so many of the tours don't start until April. It was about 80 degrees, though, so we spent time on the beach with only a handful of people. We also didn't have to fight for a parking spot in downtown Fernandina Beach or wait to get a table at a restaurant.
The one downside? The drive out to Jacksonville. I complained a lot about the drive on I-70 and 71 going from Cleveland to Dayton...but Route 10 in North Florida puts that to shame. We spent 180 miles on this road, and there are not many exits along the way. The exits that do occasionally pop up have almost nothing to offer in the way of food, so Chris experienced his first ever Waffle House meal. Oh, and I forgot to mention the nearly two hours of country backroads to get to the interstate in the first place. Yes, that's how far out in the sticks we now live.
Sadly, a cold front came through a couple days ago, and our temperatures are back down to the mid-50s. *whine* Yoga on the beach will be rather chilly this weekend.
😊
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MOM
non-member comment
Not feeling your pain!
I love following your blogs BUT you didn't pull at my heart strings this time. I'm having a great deal of difficulty feeling sympathy for you getting sunburned in January. As far as being on a beach in January, as Robin would say, "YOU SUCK". Enough said! (LOVE YOU!)