Saying Hasta to the Hostel

My weekend at the Hostel in the Forest was an amazing, liberating, relaxing, beautiful, and delicious time. It was certainly an experience I had never had before, and it is now one that I look forward to having again and again. It was so hard to say goodbye to the beautiful trees and beautiful faces of this place!

So we said "see ya later!" to the hostel and made the bumpy drive down that long dirt path, back out onto the Interstate. Before K & B pressed onward and upward, we stopped at a Starbucks in Brunswick to fuel up for our drives. I spotted some Two Moms in the Raw rawnola, which I've read about in the blogosphere, but never tried before, so I snatched up a package.

This was great! Crunchy, seedy, lightly sweetened to perfection.

After a good hour of sippin' and crunchin' and conversatin', it was time to part ways: K & B to the North, me back to the South. I was excited to get back on the road and make some detours. My first stop was in St. Mary's, Georgia, because the sign that read "National Seashore" along I-95 caught my eye. Turns out, that "National Seashore" is a part of Cumberland Island, which requires a ferry to reach. I didn't have enough time to stick around and catch the next one and spend a couple of hours exploring, so I had to pass this time. Instead, I strolled along a park by the water, sat at the end of a fishing pier, lounged in one of the many bench swings along the boat docks, and enjoyed the sweltering, sultry heat, my ears picking up snippets of perfect Southern accents.

Y'all better watch your dirty damn mouth when you're in Georgia!

After a couple of hours in St. Mary's, I was back in the car and over the border. I already decided on my next stop: Jacksonville Beach. Traffic in Jacksonville was excruciating, but it ended up being worthwhile. I had an amazing time romping on the beach.

Oh, dear Ocean, I am IN LOVE with you!

I am in love with your salt that soaks into my lips
I am in love with your seaweed that slithers around my legs
I am in love with your thunderous waves that knock me off my feet

I love the way you rush in and gently push me

I love the way you rush out and almost pull me in with you

I played in the waves for an hour, then laid on the sand and read for another hour. I didn't ever want to leave, but I knew I had to. Real life was waiting for me. The rest of the drive that day was fairly smooth. I made a quick stop in Orlando to grab a late dinner at Whole Foods, and didn't hit a drop of rain the entire weekend until I rolled into O-town. I came home deliciously tired and dreamy with my heart extra-full of love for everything. Best weekend ever.

I found sand in my car and my bags for the rest of the week.