Take me to the River @St Marks, FL

When I feel like the "world is too much with (me)," to borrow from Wordsworth, I take myself to St. Mark's.

The capacity for unloading one's mental wastebin and drifting instead with the ebb and flow of the St Mark's river is so deep and expansive that I often give way to the pull toward this place. It's located just far enough away from Tallahassee to feel like I'm getting out of town without committing to a long drive, and for cyclists, there is the magnificent and well-known bike trail going all the way there from its trailhead off of Capital Circle.

On my most recent trip down, I stopped at "The Shack," an inviting coffee shop with many options for cooling off, perking up, and feeling better through the nourishment of freshly-made treats. Just next door to this oasis is a wonderful antique shoppe for beach-themed decor, "The Beach Trader."

The restorative experience begins when I hit the Woodville Road from Cap Circle and know I'm getting closer and closer to the woods, the sinkholes, and the wildlife refuge all part of this unspeakably green area. Once I roll into St. Mark's town I like to go to the small park on the river and stretch, maybe doing a little bit of yoga, and mostly just watching the river do her thing. She is enough.

And that was my major take-away on this recent trip...St Mark's is enough, and so much. And I haven't even begun to talk about the refuge. That is for another time.

Peace, peace, peace.

  At The Shack, hydrating, munching - I had the most delicious veggie wrap here that I've ever had.