BBQ Beach Bound

We woke up yesterday with nothing specific to do, and my brother floated the idea of going to the beach. The younger niece leaped around excitedly, and the older niece shrugged with apparent indifference -- typical reactions from both of them. We first considered Fernandina Beach, north of Jacksonville, but eventually settled instead on Anastasia Island near St. Augustine. We all piled into my brother's truck and headed south.We drove down A1A, the coastal highway, because my brother (and all of us, really) prefers a scenic road to a characterless interstate. 

Anastasia Island and Crescent Beach are huge, wide expanses of hard-packed sand. Once again, people can take their cars onto the beach, although in this case the cars stay on a narrow strip up beyond the tideline -- unlike Huguenot Park, where drivers can motor right down to the waterline and get themselves submerged if they're not careful.

And of course, the minute we got there it poured rain, but only for a few minutes.

None of us like to lie out in the sun, or even sit under a sunshade, though it was fun to see the colorful umbrellas and beach tents that others brought to keep themselves protected.

We headed to lunch first, a favorite place called South Beach Grill that turned out to be closed. Curses! (From the recent reviews, it sounds like the place was struggling a bit and there was some drama over paying employees, so it's probably just as well.)

We drove south, off the island, and found a place at Bing's Landing in Palm Coast called Captain's BBQ that hit the spot. We ate on a screened porch overlooking the Matanzas River, and then wandered around an old historic home site called Mala Compra ("bad bargain" in Spanish). There's not much there now beyond foundations, but it was interesting.

Then we headed back to the beach and while the kids played in the water with their mom and my brother dozed in a beach chair, I took walks up and down the beach.

I saw these guys land windsurfing, aka terrasailing. The wide, mostly empty beach looks like a perfect spot for that activity.

By the time I got back, everyone was ready to go, and we were homeward bound. We spent most of the day in the car but I didn't mind. I love a good road trip!