FORT CLINCH: Fort Clinch State Park

Fort Clinch State Park offers spectacular north Florida ocean views and a Civil War era fort. Page 2.

Now that Fort Clinch has uncovered the boy in me, I'm in the perfect frame of mind for exploring the beach at the Fort Clinch State Park.

The predominant feature of this beach is a long rock jetty that extends far out in to the ocean. The jetty protects the Cumberland Sound inlet where the St. Mary's River meets the Atlantic Ocean. You can see splashing plumes of spray all the way out as the ocean slaps in to the jetty, complaining about the rocky intrusion.

Luckily for us, the jetty has a partner, a long concrete pier that runs parallel to the jetty for a healthy walk out in to the middle the ocean.

I must admit a passionate, child-like fascination with piers.

I grew up on a surfboard in the waters off of Ormond Beach, a few hours south of Fort Clinch, and was blessed with a love of the ocean at an early age.

Although my surfing ability is in serious decline, the aesthetic experience of being out on the ocean has really stuck with me over the years. Piers offer the most convenient way to return to this perspective on the ocean, especially on days when the air and water temperatures are both in the 50's, as they were on the day of our visit to Fort Clinch.

The pier is of course a good platform for fishing, and we encountered a few hearty walkers doing determined laps up and down the pier in spite of the windy cold.

This dance between the beach, jetty and pier created a target rich environment for our cameras. I hope the photos you find here deliver some sense of what a fun place this is.