Backward to Jacksonville

Day 205

This is a pretty abnormal situation for us. Usually we only move forwards, never backwards to see stuff. Once it's gone through the rear view mirror we typically say goodbye to whatever trails us into the distance. An exception will be made for Jacksonville. Crooked River State Park is about 45 minutes from the downtown and we have a day to kill. We set about the morning routine and get on the road by a bright and early 11 am. The weather is chilly and the wind is blowing hard.

Jacksonville does't have a whole lot of stuff for us to see. There is almost nothing that is free. A couple of museums and other local viewing points all require people to fork over some cash. No thank you. Another thing we have been taking into consideration is the news. For the last week we have been watching the local Jacksonville stations and the outlook is grim. Everyday is headlined with either a murder, assault, or robbery. That means we'll be sticking to populated areas where tourists would regularly travel. No weirdo side trips today.

At the heart of downtown is a river-walk. A welcome sight that always makes a place look a bit nicer. The downtown is quiet and there aren't many people wandering around. It does look nice though. The streets are clean and the pavement looks fresh. A few tall buildings on each side of the river make for a nice photo backdrop. We stroll along the river walk in the the wind for an hour before calling it quits. Neither of us found anything worth visiting so we call it a day and head back to the park. 

We straddle Eli with a leash and set off for an afternoon walk in the woods. About a 1/2 mile from the RV is a trail head that goes into the wilderness. This 3/4 mile loop takes us through the backwoods of eastern Georgia. Things were going normal until Eli started to slow down. I gave him a pat on the back and he let out a yelp like I had kicked him in the ribs. His tail dropped and he struggled to walk. Oh great. Our old dog is now injured and we are almost 3/4 of a mile from the RV. Katie stays behind and I walk back for the Jeep. Eli gets picked up and brought back home. He can barely walk and I have to pick up all 85 pounds to get him up the steps and inside. My poor old man. I hope he gets better.