We got the band back together from Spring Break 2022, except that Karyn couldn't make it. She's here in spirit, though. This year, we're destined for St. Simons, Georgia.
Shannon came to our house at the crack of dawn, and then we were all out the door at 7 AM to go pick up Christie. We made great time to the Philadelphia airport, because almost nobody else is on the turnpike that early on a Saturday.
The flight to Jacksonville is not even 2 hours, once the plane gets off the ground. It was notable for three small reasons:
- The captain announced something like "the fancy gadgetry at the front says we’ll be landing on time”.
- One flight attendant announced that it was the other’s birthday, and led the whole plane in singing happy birthday.
- Upon landing, we couldn’t get to the jetway because a Southwest luggage cart had lost a wheel and was blocking the way.
Other than that, the flight was fine. And JAX seemed fine. Getting the rental car took about an hour, however. I don't know if this is typical of JAX car rental; if it is, note to future self: fly into Savannah, next time.
It wasn't all bad news, though; they had a surfeit of minivans, and were trying to convince everyone to upgrade. I was happy to oblige, so we ride in style this week, in what at least one person has called "the Cadillac of minivans":
Wanting to minimize our time in the state of Florida as much as possible, we waited until we crossed the border into Georgia to stop for a late lunch, at a above-average Mexican restaurant, just off I-95.
It's just over an hour from JAX to St. Simons Island, and with the delays/eating it was some time around 4 PM when we arrived at the Airbnb.
After a brief, self-guided walkthrough and some unloading/unpacking, we walked over to the beach to investigate the conditions.
When we booked this trip back in early January, we expected the weather to be like Spring, here. Perhaps... mid 70s Fahrenheit. Instead, they've been experiencing record-setting warm temperatures; it was in the mid 80s today, and is expected to remain so for the next week or so.
The beach had hundreds of patrons today, even as the sun was about to set and the air was cooling down. The water temp hasn't caught up to the air, though, and the internet suggests it's 62F. We saw maybe 20 people in the water, total, as we walked almost 2 miles up the beach.
After about an hour of wandering, we left the beach via the access at East Beach Station, which is now a WWII museum.
As the sun was going down, we walked back towards... downtown, I suppose one might generously label it. Along the way, we took a shortcut through the drive-through liquor store, and then stopped at Barrier Island Brewing for some food and drinks.
After our light dinner (lunch was at 2:30, after all), we walked the rest of the way to downtown, returned to the house, and then made a quick trip to the grocery store (Winn-Dixie) for some breakfast and such.
The next few days might include some active leisure, such as kayaking or bicycle renting. Or maybe just lounging on the beach, reading. It wasn't necessarily intended to be a beach vacation, but who are we to argue with climate change?
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