Heading home

Heading home with mixed emotions. On one hand I'm going to my home and for Blue, the big house means room to run and high places to hangout. It's time to enjoy family, the lake and my yard. But then, the bitter sweet, we are no longer traveling to new places, no more camping and the hikes are just not the same without the gators, snakes and with any luck, no more scorpions in the car.

Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park, our last Florida park this winter

It always such a pleasure to find new parks in areas we have traveled through but did not stay in the last time we came this way. Especially when they have all the things we love, like great large sites removed from each other, hiking trails, water near the park and a short drive to services like grocery stores and entertainment, and to top it off, a low cost to stay. This park has it all and at this time of year, it also has nice weather! Rocky Bayou sets across the Choctawhatchee Bay from Destin and Henderson Beach, our last campground, near the Elgin Air Force Base but far enough removed so the occasional explosion of ordinance does not shake the rig. The campground is otherwise peaceful and the bay full of birds including a reminder from home, loons. If it weren't for the sign reminding us that alligators can be found in these waters, you would think you were on a lake in MN.

The forest floor

Henderson Beach State Park

Our campground is in the heart of busy Destin along the pristine beaches of this stretch of the Florida panhandle. Two sites down from ours sits a rig with three dogs. We know this from our walk by which stirred the pot and had all three barking at us. Except for the occasional flyby from the local air force base, the park makes you feel you are in the old Florida of years gone by. The RV sites are set back from the beach to protect the beach and dunes, the park has a board walk for you to get to the beach without eroding the delicate sand dunes.

Oysters at the Boat House

Before and after, within minutes of each other!

After our walk through Harbor Village we stopped for lunch at this funky little oyster house named The Boat House. It was the size of a boat house and the inside was lined with dollar bills, signed by patrons of the epicurean experience. The Boat House is known for their fresh shucked oyster from the Apalachicola served many different ways. It took us no time to polish off a plate of these beauties.

Destin

A short ride up the beach from Henderson beach State Park sits the town of Destin. Along the harbor is a boardwalk with the fishing charter docks and many restaurants for pedestrians like us to enjoy. Gary had fun watching the charter crews clean the days catch of Amber Jack, Sheeps Head and other assorted salt water fish.

Surfs up!

Grayton Beach State Park

Grayton Beach consistently ranks among the most beautiful and pristine beaches in the United States. The beach provides an idyllic setting for swimming, sunbathing and surf fishing and is the backdrop for golden sunrises and silver moonlit evenings. A short walk up the beach and you'll find yourself in the beautiful communities of Seaside, Water Color and SeaGrove, planned communities that have changed the way planners layout communities. SEASIDE, is located between Panama City Beach and Destin. Acclaimed world-wide as one of the iconic examples of New Urbanism, SEASIDE offers a thriving town center with shopping and dining, all within walkable distance to homes, cottages and offices. Consisting of more than 300 homes, many of them vacation rentals, the community offers more than 12 restaurants and eateries, and 41 shops and galleries. Hard to believe they call this part of Florida the redneck riviera when you drive by the multi million dollar homes.

St. Andrews State Park

St. Andrews State Park sits on the peninsulas end of Panama City Beach with the Gulf of Mexico on one side and the Grand Lagoon on the other. Love this park with a great location close to the city, a sheltered marina, great birding, some of the nicest beaches you've ever seen and over 130 sites with many on the water, it has everything! We have walked the beaches in the park, crawled over the jetty to watch the extensive boating and fishing activities and oh yeah, we're here at spring break so no shortage of stupid human tricks happening along the main drag in town, even small aircraft toting Trojan signs along the beach. But the campground is quite and those young adults that have chosen this as their home base seem to be a bit above average. Some even making snow men with the beautiful white sand on the beach. I guess they must be homesick already!

After enjoying the campground for a few days, we drove into the old part of Panama City and historic St. Andrews to experience the old florida, worth the drive with no crowds and many great places to shop, eat and buy fresh seafood. Shrimp are on the menu again and that's OK with us.

Be careful what you pick up at the beach!

Earlier this week Gary and I took a walk along the bay side of St Joseph Island and we noticed some different shells (small conch like shells) along a cut feeding the lagoon behind the campground. So I stopped and picked up 5 shells and bagged them for the walk back to our site. Once we got back, I took out the old tooth brush and started cleaning my new treasures, set them out to dry in the sun on our picnic table and went in the rig to make some lunch. After lunch I went out to give my new shells a turn to dry the other side and noticed that they were all gone. Wondering what had happened to my shells I noticed one near the table and a few on the ground in various stages of retreating towards the lagoon were they originated. Because they were still inhabited I walked through the site and collected all 5 shells, bagged them and walked to the area were they came from, and turned them back to the sea, with their freshly cleaned shells. Lesson learned, don't just pick up every shell unless you are sure they are empty.

Beach Sunset

Beach without a sunset, I don't think so!

White sands of St Joseph Peninsula

Just west from St. George is our new home for 5 days, St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. Both locations share some of the best beaches in the US, St. Joseph with over 9 miles of Snow White sand lapped by clear, aqua-blue waters. And both have a very large parks with well planned campsites and plenty of amenities for visitors. The park sits just west of Apalachicola and just south of Port St. Joe with the Gulf of Mexico on one side and St Joseph Bay on the other. The area is well known for the plentiful oyster beds and weather permitting, some good surf fishing. Unfortunately for us, the day we came to the park was stormy and the fishing has been poor. Not to worry, we purchased some fresh shrimp and are enjoying a shrimp bisque for dinner tonight.