A few years ago, while on one of our disc golf vacations, we stopped in Jacksonville, Florida, to play at New World Disc Golf. We only had time to play one of their four courses. It was a fantastic course and a lot of fun, so we decided to return to play again.

We were not the only people who decided to travel the day after Christmas. The GPS rerouted us several times during the three-and-a-half-hour trip. As we neared Randeez Nutz Express, our lunch destination, we passed by a disc golf course that looked familiar. When I looked it up, I realized that it was indeed a course we played on one of our previous journeys.

After a lovely lunch, we arrived at New World. It was later in the day than we had planned, so we decided to play with a golf cart in the interest of time. The championship course was fantastic. While it was not our best score, we had a great time. Unfortunately, the setting sun caught up with us, and we could not play the eighteenth hole.

A Change in Dinner Plans

After the game, we were hungry. We headed to Atlantic Beach, excited to eat at a seafood restaurant we found on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Alas, when we pulled into the parking lot, we realized that they were closed for the holiday.

When I had researched where to eat, there were two DDD restaurants in the area, so we headed to Culhane’s Irish Pub for dinner instead. Our campsite was across the St. Johns River from Atlantic Beach. As we drove to the seafood restaurant, we discovered a ferry that crossed the river. It would put us near the Huguenot Campground, where we planned to spend the night. I looked up the ferry schedule at dinner to realize that we had just missed the last run of the night. The alternative route to the ferry took us back into Jacksonville to a bridge crossing the river. It was a 45-minute drive around.

I enjoyed the drive to the campground. As we made our way across several islands, we could see numerous boats on the river. The houses along the way were beautiful as well. We found our site quickly after arriving at the campground in Huguenot Memorial Park. The only thing between us and the river was a small beach. The lights across the water were lovely. It had been a long day, and we were tired, so we decided against a campfire.

A Foggy Morning

We awoke early in the morning, just after sunrise. We walked to the bathhouse nearby. It was so foggy we could barely see the river.

As we walked, we noticed a van with a map. We were amused to see that the only states they have not been to yet were the southwestern states, where we spent last winter. As we returned to the truck, we talked to the gentleman in the van. We learned that he was a recently retired teacher enjoying the van life and planned to round his map out in the fall.

It was early, so we slept a while longer. When we packed up, the sun began to burn off the fog surrounding us. With the daylight, we were better able to enjoy the beauty of our campsite. The sun breaking through the mist shined brightly on the river. Behind us was a wild area. In the distance, I spotted an osprey sitting in the scrub. As I watched, another landed next to him.

Before leaving the park, we ventured further down the road, which turned into a sand road as it stretched down the beach. We chose not to drive onto the sand. The white dunes rose above a small lagoon, where I was delighted to see several pelicans standing in the shallow water.

Upon researching places for breakfast, I quickly realized that there were not many options in the area. Plenty of restaurants lay across the river in Atlantic Beach, but we didn’t want to venture away from our plans for the day.

I found a promising spot with good reviews on the food. There seemed to be some concern in the reviews regarding the public display of the owner’s political viewpoints, but we were willing to overlook that if the food was good. We had a fantastic breakfast at Terry’s Grill and were relieved to see little political propaganda in the restaurant.

Boneyard Beach

Our next stop, and the primary purpose for choosing Jacksonville, was Boneyard Beach in Big Talbot Island State Park. It is a gorgeous, wild beach known for the driftwood giants covering the shoreline.

The parking lot is on a bluff above the beach. I enjoyed my first glimpse of the bleached skeletons of the former trees from the top. The scene was impressive as it overlooked the beautiful blue water of the Atlantic.  We followed the short trail leading to the beach, passing several overlooks along the way. When we reached the beach, it was spectacular.

The multitude of standing and fallen tree corpses did indeed give the beach the appearance of a graveyard covered in bones. We walked north toward the causeway bridge, enjoying the scenery and the birds playing in the surf. We came upon a crab and more than a few jellyfish bodies in the sand.

It was a gorgeous, warm day, and we enjoyed our walk, even fording a trench of water. When we returned to the path, we realized we weren’t the only people who thought it was a good day to explore the beach. The beach had become crowded, so we were content to continue to our next destination.

Castaway Island Preserve

While researching things to see in Jacksonville, we came across Castaway Island Preserve, a small park on the Intracoastal Waterway. The park is in a residential neighborhood. There is a one-mile nature trail over the salt marsh. We chose to walk out on the short boardwalk at the end of the road instead. It was a lovely view, and I enjoyed watching the sailboats drift by.

Chris decided to throw a few lines in the water. He didn’t get any bites, but as the sun changed position in the sky, the salt marsh changed before my eyes. I was happy that we stayed the extra few minutes to witness nature at its best.

A Hit and Run

It was time to head home and, after filling up with gas, we were on our way. As we drove down the highway, Chris noticed the car in front of us weaving back and forth across the centerline. He immediately slowed down, flashing our lights to attempt to get the driver’s attention. I looked up just in time to see the car change lanes, directly into another car.

Luckily, the driver of that car was able to maintain control of his vehicle. He quickly pulled to the side of the road and stopped. However, the other vehicle sped up rapidly and kept going. We were shocked by what we saw. Immediately, I looked at Chris and said, “Go after him!” Chris was surprised and excited by my reaction. He later commented that he would never have guessed I would want to go after the guy.

The car was already down the road, rapidly pulling away from us, but we were able to keep him in view as we sped up to follow him. Finally, he was slowed down enough by traffic for us to catch him as he veered off onto the exit. When we got behind him at the traffic light, I took a picture of his license plate. We followed him into a neighborhood, where he stopped to survey the damage to his car.

I called the police to report what we had seen and where the offender was. I was annoyed that the dispatcher did not seem at all interested in sending an officer to catch the guy while he was in the neighborhood.
She kept asking me where the accident had occurred, which I did not know. I explained that we were not from the area, so we did not know what road we had been on. When I gave her the intersection where the at-fault driver was, she stated that she didn’t know where that was. She mentioned that the other driver was on the phone with another dispatcher. Unfortunately, we didn’t think to take his picture with our good camera until later.

The chase was invigorating, and it took a while for us to come back to reality. We did get a call from the police department later in the evening asking for my statement. Finally, after some significant traffic slowdowns, we made it home. We pulled the card from our dash camera, but it said it needed formatting. I was disappointed that we could not provide the police with footage of the accident. While I did receive a call later from the insurance company, I am not sure how it will come out. Nevertheless, I am happy that we could give the innocent driver a chance at justice.

It was an exciting end to our otherwise peaceful weekend.

Cost for the trip – gas $76, disc golf with cart $41.93, camping $22.70, and parking $3.