The last leg of my 12-day trip brought me to Jacksonville, where I stayed with my Grandparents for three nights.
I woke up and drove to the beach every morning to photograph the sunrise, then drove around the area to visit various state parks. My last full day there, I visited the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, the first zoo I had visited in over seven years. Before I left, I caught up with a dear friend I hadn't seen in nearly two years.
It was a very pleasant and fulfilling way to wrap up my relatively impromptu journey, and while I didn't get to do everything I planned on doing, it was still the best trip I've taken since my departure from Yellowstone in October 2018.
Enjoy the photos. There's some especially beautiful ones of the Sahara dust-influenced sunrise Friday morning in here.
Gorgeous, Sahara dust-influenced sunrise over Jax Beach.
Sahara Dust Sunrise, Jacksonville Beach, FL
Soft, muted hues appear as the sun breaks over the horizon.
Jacksonville Beach, FL
Trying to capture the sun's reflection in a tidepool.
Jacksonville Beach, FL
One of my favorites from the trip. In this case, a person in the shot adds an extra dimension to the scene.
Jacksonville Beach, FL
A rookery of native wood storks at the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens.
Near-grown juvenile wood storks at the Jax Zoo.
They seem to object to my photography...
One of the Jacksonville Zoo's elephants, sitting pretty.
Thursday morning's sunrise.
Jacksonville Beach, FL
Sunlight on the sea and sand.
Jacksonville Beach, FL
A more muted and blue-hued sunrise on the final day of the trip.
Jacksonville Beach, FL
An impressive array of coastal oaks.
Big Talbot Island State Park, FL
One of the most well-preserved collections of natural driftwood in Florida can be found here at Big Talbot Island's Boneyard Beach.
As the area is part of a state park, visitors are legally prohibited from collecting driftwood from Boneyard Beach.
As sea levels continue to rise, more driftwood is likely to find its way to this portion of the Atlantic Coast.
Fort Clinch in the background, one of a few forts in the South that managed to stay in Union hands throughout the Civil War.
Fort Clinch State Park, FL
Just across Cumberland Sound to the left, visitors can see Cumberland Island National Seashore, part of the chain of Sea Islands that extend from North Florida to South Carolina, and the first one of the Sea Island in Georgia.
Fort Clinch State Park, FL
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