Blowing Rocks and February Fun Month

February Fun Month was exhausting and so much fun. The end of the month came with the reunion of my first year's Jekyll staff. We have dispersed across the country but somehow we end up scheduling reunions whenever possible. This year we had a nice 6 person reunion in Florida. It was a whirlwind of 4 days but I know that everyone enjoyed it, especially the Mid-westerners. Who can complain about life when you're swimming in February and the sun is out?

While in town I decided to show them the area beaches. One of my favorite places to explore is Blowing Rocks Preserve. Located on Jupiter Island, this Nature Conservancy property has the largest Anastasia limestone outcropping on the east coast. Most Florida beaches are covered with fine white sand or dredge-filled rough shells but this place blows them all away (literally). At extreme high tides and during storms, plumes of saltwater will spray 50 feet into the air. We timed our visit to correspond with high tide but we barely even got a splash.

The Nature Conservancy also has a rotating art gallery across the street with a short mangrove hiking trail. This is home to the southern tip of the Indian River Lagoon. The Indian River Lagoon may be the most biologically diverse estuarine system in the continental United States, supporting more than 3,000 species of animals and plants. If you want to see some natural Florida landscape before venturing down into concrete jungles of Palm Beach and Miami, I highly recommend stopping by for a visit.

After a full four days of sun and ocean time we ended the weekend with all smiles. The only thing I like better than reunions is having them in tropical locations with great weather.