March 12 – 14, 2015   There are two camping areas within ST. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Shady Palms (aka the jungle) and Gulf Breeze, one step closer to the entrance/exit.  Today we moved from one to the other.  We had high hopes that the “no see ums”  and after the rain last night, mosquitos,  were going to stay at Shady Palms.  No Way!  I can’t figure out for the life of me why Mother Nature would keep these two species around.  They would be history if I had any say.

We have resigned ourselves to the fact that this is the least desirable area for  camping  where we have ever camped, the only reason being the “biters”.   It is not the least desirable area to visit and enjoy.  Today was a beach/kayaking  day.  Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!!

How’s this for making a chore fun.  We have laundry to do and Scallop Cove has a laundramat.  You’re going to love this!   The Laundramat has two washers and two dryers.    Across the street from Scallop Cove are two of their rental units.  While you do your laundry you have beach access.  We take E T to the pet friendly beach where she plays with several other dogs.    David said this is the most fun he has ever had doing laundry.  I have to agree and I’m sure E T would too if she had any idea about  doing laundry.

After us,  two 60 plus year olds, tire  out our 10 month old puppy,  we leave her napping in the RV and go kayaking on the Bay.   Again, beautiful. beautiful, beautiful!

I asked David,   “After almost two months on the road,  how are you feeling?”   His answer was simply  “happy”.   If it wasn’t for missing my family and friends my answer would have been the same.   We are enjoying the adventure. 

March 13, 2015      We bugged out on our gnat nemesis today.   I’m just about beached, hiked and biked out.   I’m craving civilization.   We left “the jungle” and head into the “big city” of Port St. Joe.   This is exciting,  they have a Piggly Wiggly there!

If you’re looking for Pet Friendly,  Port ST Joe actually advertises their dog friendliness.   First stop was the Welcome Center where all “three” of us were welcome inside and out on a fabulous deck.   It was within walking distance to everything we wanted to do and offered free parking.

We walked E T on two fabulous,  yet very different trails.  The Baywalk Trail is a 0.7 mile trail that goes from Frank Pate Park past the Port ST. Joe Marina to Jetty Park.  The entire walk you have water views.

Then we headed over to the Port City Trail.  This is a 4 1/2 mile paved multi use trail.  The trail is a 10 ft wide.  We started on a portion called Sandpiper Run. I couldn’t figure out why,  it was mostly residential on one side and a canal on the other.  I didn’t see any sandpipers but there were beautiful flowers.

Then we enter Forrest Park.  This is an awesome neighborhood park.  The ball fields are manicured. The playscapes, benches, pavilions, etc …  are spotless.  AAAhhhhaaa!  What do I see up ahead???   A corrections officer,  in full uniform including his gun, and eight prisoners.   Guess who does the park and field maintenance???   I wondered what the officer would have done if one of the prisoners tried to escape.  Then I thought why would a prisoner want to escape.  It was a beautiful day in the park.

David points out one of the fields to me.  It is a t-ball field, to scale.   Everything from the dugouts to the distances between home plate and the bases.  It was adorable.   I couldn’t get up high enough to take a photo that showed the size.   I bet the kids love playing there.

The trail heads out of the park and over a few bridges to the Cormorant Loop and “Buck” Griffin Lake.  Now mind you the entire trail is in the center of town in a residential area.  What do you think I see?   A Warning!  Beware of the ALLIGATORS sign!  Enough is enough with the alligators!

We head over to the Dockside Seafood and Raw Bar Restaurant at the Port ST. Joe Marina for a late lunch early dinner.  We sit out on the deck in the Pet Friendly section overlooking the marina.  Everyday from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m.  they have all you can eat Fried Chicken and Pop Corn Shrimp for $9.99.   Delicious!!!

Other than my left foot and right ankle being swollen and itchy,  from gnat bites I got when we got back to the “jungle”,  it was another fun day.

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March 12, 2015    T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park,  Port  St. Joe, Florida … How’s that for a name?  We have heard nothing but rave reviews about this park.  Like most other Florida State Parks it’s difficult to get reservations unless your on your game and  booking 11 months to the day in advance.  David makes all the reservations for our trips and he works some magic.  It gets complicated and takes a lot of effort,  but we usually  can get a site.  At St. George Island we stayed for three nights and had to change sites 3 times.   It’s a pain,  but it’s not bad when you’re traveling in an RV.  I would not want to do it if I was tent camping.   We are staying 4 nights at St Joseph Peninsula  and only have to change sites 3 times.  Hooray!

It was hot and humid when we arrived.  First thing we did was turn on the air conditioning.  Next we took E T for a walk on this awesome 1/2 mile boardwalk that parallels the beach.  Then David and I headed out for a walk on the beach (Florida State Park, No Dogs Allowed on the Beach).   Did I say the beaches at St George Island were beautiful?  The beach at St Joe is like what I imagine a beach in heaven would look like.    Miles and miles (9 1/2) of aqua blue water,  sparkling clean white sand and how about this one … When was the last time you were at a beach that didn’t have any sea weed?   The waves are huge and frothy.   No jellyfish, Portugese Man O War or sea creatures in the water or on the shore.  There aren’t even many sea shells,  just enough to make looking fun.   This is one of the “purest” beaches I’ve ever been to.

Hold onto your hat for this one … There are LOTS of birds here too  🙂

Back at the campsite,  as evening began to roll in,  so did the fog.  Then as we were just about to enjoy “happy hour” sitting out by the fire pit.   We are swarmed by these little black bugs that bite.  David calls them “no see ums”.    I saw them,  felt them bite and called them bad words.

All night long I woke on and off,  thinking I heard rain.  In the morning the fog was so dense that moisture made it seem like it was raining.  Dew drops the size of dimes were falling from the trees.   David says the weather here reminds him of Vietnam.

We wake early for a Bird Watching walk with a visiting expert (Tom Flagg),  at 8:30 a.m.  Despite the fog,  no see ums and humidity …   WE are there!   Nobody else is …hmmmmm!   Us, RETIRED people don’t always know what day it is, the walk was yesterday.  We are also totally screwed up, because of the time change from Eastern to Central.   We had rode our bikes to the Bird Watching meeting place,  about a mile.  We were now soaked with dew and perspiration.   As we meandered back in the fog,  we did a quick switch from bird watching to deer watching 🙂  This was fun.   Unfortunately, I had taken my glasses off, because the were steaming up and put them in my pocket.  They somehow fell out of my pocket and I ran them over.  This wasn’t fun.

David commented that the weather and bugs here remind him of Vietnam.       More than half the campers here are Tent Camping.  I feel sooo bad for them.  They have no air conditioning and these nasty little bugs know how to sneak through screens.

When we were trying to figure out why no one was showing up for bird watching a Ranger had stopped. That’s how we found out what day and time it was.   As we were standing talking to him and I was swatting these nasty little bugs off my hat, he assured me that the “Sand Gnats”  would go away when the fog burned off.

It was almost noon by the time we got back to the campsite and the “sand gnats were still waiting.  Our plan for the afternoon was to “bug out” and check out the kayak launch and pet friendly beach in town.  Funny,  but just down the road a few miles the beach is nice, but not as spectacular as at St. Joe.   There were a few awesome “friendly dogs”  that scored a few points for the beach.   We met a very nice, very elderly gentleman and his elderly (12 year old) dog.    The gentleman seemed VERY happy to meet us.  He kept smiling at me.  As we walked away I noticed that several buttons on my very old,  long sleeve,  denim shirt had come undone.  I was flashing the very nice, elderly gentleman the whole time we were talking.  Good thing I hadn’t done any laundry in awhile and was wearing one of my “special occasion” bras 🙂

So today, I was eaten alive by sand gnats,  saw some awesome deer,  birds, dogs  and beach,   ran over my eye glasses and flashed an elderly gentleman.  I’ll leave it up to you if I had a good day or not 🙂

March 11, 2015     I did not want to leave St George Island.  The past couple of days were beautiful.   We did not get to do everything we wanted to do.   This is an awesome place for biking and we didn’t get to do much at all.   This morning David and I opted for a stroll on the beach before packing up.  Today is another travel day.  We are off to St Joseph Peninsula State Park  in Port St Joe,  Florida.

Of course, my buddy The Great Blue Heron is on the beach bidding us a fond farewell, until next time.   He was actually watching some fisherman hoping for a handout, but he took time out to pose for me  🙂

This is such a peaceful place.  The sound of the waves is mesmerizing.   Suddenly, David says “Look! Out about 11:00!”  For the next 30 – 40 minutes we are entertained by a pod of dolphin.   I swear they were body surfing off the waves.  I tried to get a decent photo,  but I needed a much bigger lens.  My photos  make them  look more like shark fins sticking out of the water.  There must have been a dozen of them.  They were rolling and diving.  It seemed like they were staying in pairs.  It was just so delightful to watch.

It was hard to leave,  but over the bridge we go!   We have never been to St Joseph Peninsula before.  Another new adventure 🙂

March 10, 2015   It was another  “windows open” day, here on St George Island.    A bit warmer than yesterday, but it was the perfect day for kayaking.  There was a slight breeze and overcast skies.

From the boat launch we have two choices,   Apalachicola Bay or Rattlesnake Cove.  The bay side is  a maze of oyster beds.   We have been warned by the Rangers,  if you disrupt the oyster beds you will be naming your next born,  Pearl.   We do an awesome job of zig zagging back forth through the oyster beds until we start focusing on the fish jumping in front of the kayak.  Some fish are jumping 4 – 5 inches out of the water 3 or 4 times in a row.  It’s like instead of watching skipping rocks you’re watching skipping fish.   We find this very entertaining,  until we are sitting in our inflatable kayak on the edge of an oyster bed.  Oh Man!   We very gently back out and are on our way.     Phew!

When we tired of dodging oyster beds we paddled on to Rattlesnake Cove.   It is a lot deeper and gives us views of the marshes and boardwalk overlooks from the water vs the hiking trails.

I’m going to be fickle here and switch favorite birds.   The Great Blue Heron is now my favorite.  It fascinates me the way they can change their appearance depending on their stance.   It seemed everywhere we went today we saw one.

After kayaking,  I ask David if he minded if I walked back to the campsite along the beach.   Boy was I in for some surprises!  It was over a  four mile walk,  it was high tide and a very thick fog had rolled in.   At high tide there is practically no beach,  the water is almost up to the dunes.  There was “nobody” on the beach.  If we were in Silver Springs I would have been afraid,  “The Creature from the Black Lagoon”,   was going to pop out of the fog  at any moment.  It was spooky, but fun.   I was joined on my walk by several of my favorite Great Blue Heron friends  and a few other pretty cool birds.

It was a Bird-acious Day!

March 9, 2015    I know,  you all want me to skip to the chase and tell you about the POOP,  but your going to have to read the story.   The grandchildren, who I know skip the words and go straight to the photos are now yelling  “Hey Mom, Gramma sent photos of POOP!”

Today is the nicest day that we have had since leaving the north.  We have either lived in air conditioning or had the heat on.  Today we opened the windows. Ahhhhh fresh air!   Last year when we were here it was so cold that we wore hats, coats and gloves the whole time.

I woke up early this morning and headed right out to the beach.    The State Park alone,  has nine miles of pure white sandy beach and sand dunes.  I challenge anyone to come here and find a cigarette butt or piece of trash anywhere on the entire nine miles.  Last year I got some great photos of a Great Blue Heron,  strutting his stuff,  wearing his full winter regalia.  I had hopes of seeing him this morning.

I not only saw him, but I saw so much more that I lost track of time and how far I had walked.  I was in my glory collecting the biggest shells I’ve ever seen.  Last year we rode our bikes to the most northern beach in the park and I named it “Teeny Tiny Sea Shell Beach”.  I gathered hundreds of those shells.  Of course I had no bag so I filled all my pockets.  This time I was juggling a dozen jumbo shells when I looked down at my camera strap and notice one of E T’s poop pick up bags tied to the strap.  Don’t be disappointed this is not the POOP reference.  Keep reading 🙂

I saw several dozen of the strangest Jelly Fish on the beach.  They were crystal clear and this one in particular seemed to have picked up a hitchhiker.   Very interesting.  Then I spotted these curious creatures that I studied for the longest time and then started photographing them.  All of a sudden I burst out laughing.  They looked like POOP!  Oh my!  Was I fascinated by POOP? Did I just take a dozen plus photos of POOP?  No, they have to be some kind of sea creatures.  Tomorrow I’ll take my camera up to the Ranger Station (four miles away) and see if they know what they are.  Until then, I guess I might have posted some POOP photos  🙂  To be continued …

There are fabulous hiking trails here with lots of boardwalks.  Some take you over the marsh areas and others out to lookouts over the bay. Dogs are allowed on all the trails. but must be on a maximum 6 ft leash.  Some of the boardwalks are fully screened.  They are great for letting E T get some exercise.

Dogs are not allowed on any of the State Park beaches.  Yesterday we found out that there is an Island beach where dogs are welcome. We took a ride into town and let E T play in the waves.  She loves the water.

Oh, I can’t forget the little green tree frog David found living in our electric box.  How the heck did he get all the way up there?  It’s at least 3 ft off the ground!

March 8 – 10, 2015     All right!  I’m about to complain.  We left Chehaw County Park,  Albany, Georgia where all I had to worry about were  Armadillos, Flying Squirrels, Otters and White Tail Deer.  We arrive at St George Island, Florida and here come the Alligators, again.   Maybe I shouldn’t complain.  I’ve been telling David for awhile now if he wants to “officially retire” down south my vote is for Jekyll Island,  Georgia.  Maybe,  I can use these Alligators in my defense.   Not that we actually saw one,  but I’ve come to learn that any water source that has a coating of lime green slime and spooky looking trees with vines and Spanish Moss hanging,  an alligator can hang his “shingle”.

I really shouldn’t complain, we’ve been here before and it is just as beautiful as last time.

Here I go again …  This is another place where Mother Nature rules.   We received the Ranger lecture, on check in,  about protecting the oyster beds.        E T  is not allowed on the beaches or the bay,  in the State Park.  We can take her to the bay boat launch for kayaking.  She must be on no more than a 6 ft leash and go directly from the car to the kayak.  The Ranger,  made sure to state this was for E T’s protection, as well as,  the birds nesting in the oyster beds.  E T could also cut one of her paws on an oyster shell.   I was a little put out.  She never mentioned I could cut one of my tootsies.  Who was the comedian that always complained about getting no respect?

There is a beach in town (4 miles from the State Park) where E T is welcome on the beach. It is right behind the Light House,  as you come over the five mile bridge,  to the island.

Driving here through Tallahassee was a traffic nightmare,  but once we got onto the Big Bend Scenic Highway it was an adventure in itself.   If you are an avid lover of water views this is a not to miss ride.  If the water views don’t blow you away the stilt houses will.

March 7, 2015    Up at 5:00 a.m. and I couldn’t be happier.  We have my son Richie with us and were taking him to the Albany, Georgia Marathon and 1/2 Marathon.  He’s running the Marathon (26.2 miles) and we’re specrators  🙂   Richie has a goal of running a Marathon in each State.  I’m losing count, but I’m thinking this is his 18th State.

For those of you reading this,  that have children you know the pride I am feeling.  Richie’s an awesome athlete,  but an even more awesome son,  husband, father and person.   It’s not often that I get to spend time with him without “distractions”.  This is special.

It’s cool out at 5;30, but it’s great running weather.  The spectators are wearing hats, gloves and winter coats … to start the race.  We finish in sweatshirts.  Great start even better finish.  Richie is very glad there’s no snow!

There is not a whole lot of attractions in Albany.  For a big city it’s kind of country.  Downtown Albany is exceptionally quiet on this Sat morning.  In following Richie at several  spots along the route we get to enjoy a little of the “flavor” of Albany.  It seems pretty “artsy” to me.  I loved Ray Charles Plaza.  The Riverwalk was very pretty, but a good portion was under construction.    Art Park on Pine is a unique way for aspiring artists to present their work.   On Sunday afternoons it is an open venue.  If you’d like to perform poetry, a skit or paint on the  building walls  it’s your medium.  There are “Painted Turtles” scattered all over town which add a nice touch to the area.  I have seen Moose like this in Toronto, Canada. They are pretty neat.

Richie finished with an excellent time of three hours and 28 minutes.  Phew!  It made me tired 🙂

The afternoon was spent at the U.S. 19 Dragway.  Richie had never seen live drag racing and it was a treat.   It was VERY amature for David and I.  We are used to National events,  but it’s such an outrageous sport that any venue can be fun.  The people watching out shined the racing.

David cooked out for dinner and it was very nice eating out on the picnic table.  I think Richie is ready for spring back home.

It was a WONDERFUL day!

March 5 – 8,  2015.   Once again we leave another fabulous park (Silver River) without seeing and doing everything we wanted to.  We have a “date” this weekend that we have to keep.  My son, Richie is flying into Albany, Georgia on Friday to run the Albany Marathon and 1/2 during the Rock and Roll Festival. I am excited.  I love Rock and Roll and I love my son even more 🙂
We are staying at The Park at Chehaw in Albany.   We arrived late in the afternoon.  The park is a “Diamond in the Rough”.  This is a County Park, nothing spectacular, but very nice.  There is a Zoo, but I’m not much of an animals in captivity fan. I’ll check it out in the morning, but unless it’s injured animals that can no longer make it in the wild on there own,  I’ll pass on doing the tourist thing.
Drats!!! We are here before catfish season officially begins, April 1.  There is a lake here that is suppose to be well stocked.   Maybe next time 🙂
E T is HAPPY! The temperature here is a cool high 60’s low 70’s.   She has her “friskiness” back.   We have walked/run her miles around the park.   It’s amazing how good the “cool” air feels.
There are three things on my list of to do’s here. David has one. I want to go to Riverfront Park and walk the three mile Riverwalk.   I want to see the revolving Ray Charles Statue at Ray Charles Plaza (also at the Riverfront Park) and I’d like to go to Providence Canyon State Park “The Home of the Little Grand Canyon” in Lumpkin, Georgia.   David wants to go to the U.S. 19 Dragway.    He (we’re) hoping they have an event going on Sat night.   In between all this, Richie has to run 26.2 miles and we have to have a “cookout”.   I asked Richie, on the phone tonight, “when was the last time you had hot dogs and hamburgs on the grill”? His answer “it’s been awhile”.   I hope he doesn’t bring any snow with him tomorrow 🙁

March 4, 2015    Correction:  In a previous post, I stated that the movies The Creature from the Black Lagoon and African Queen (add to them some Tarzan movies,  Ester Williams movies, Sea Hunt … the list goes on and on)  were filmed on the Ocklawaha River.  It was the Silver River not the Ocklawaha.  The Silver River water is crystal, crystal clear at the springs.   Where it reaches the Ocklawaha the water can be murky. The very first underwater camera was made in the area and the clean, clear water conditions here are ideal for underwater filming.  There are areas where you look into the water and can see down 50 feet or more and see the bottom.

Now that I’ve said that … Put this tour on your bucket list.  But do it soon, Captain Tom has been doing this for thirty one years.  The business is up for sale.

Captain  Tom’s Custom Charters …  Tours of All Kinds  … 352-236-0872

We got the Deal of the Day!  It was Captain Tom, David, E T and I on his pontoon boat that holds six passengers (Coast Guard regulations).  He generally gets $120 a trip.  He had a full boat for the afternoon and said he had to be there anyway, so he’d take David and I for $24 each.  He wouldn’t charge for E T because he likes dogs better than people.  They got along fabulously.

The only boat E T has been on is our inflatable kayak.  We had no idea how  she would do.  She jumped on the boat ahead of David and I.  We boarded at 9:30 a.m.  The earlier you get out on any river the better chance you have of seeing wildlife.  Did we see WILDLIFE!!!

When I tell you that we got lucky when we met the nice gentleman that recommended Captain Tom I am not exaggerating!  We had a ball. Captain Tom is a character.  He was VERY informative and funny.   He would stop the boat or maneuver it around to get me in for some great close ups.  He got me in a little closer than I wanted to be for the snake photo.

My favorite part of the trip were the MONKEYS!!!  They were so entertaining and photogenic.  They chased each other,  wrestled,   jumped from branch to branch, even scratched each others backs.   They were hysterical to watch.   I was clapping my hands and laughing out loud.   What great fun!

I’ve included two photos of my favorite bird, the Anhinga.  I was very disappointed  this year that we were not able to make it to Everglades National Park and walk my favorite trail there, The Anhinga Trail.   Our stop was cancelled when the RV broke down.  This tour was ten times better.  There were so many sightings and my favorite of all was two trees loaded with nests and nesting Anhingas.

After awhile I stopped taking photos.  There was no way that any photo was going to capture the beauty of the river.  I didn’t want to miss a thing looking through a camera lens.  It was not only fun but very relaxing.  Leave the driving to the Captain.  Had we kayaked ourselves we would never have seen half of what we saw, or known what a lot of what we were looking at was.  This was the best three hours on the water I’ve spent in a very, very long time.

I’ve included a photo of the glass bottom boats that the park offers tours on.  Captain Tom recommended going on one of them as well.  He said they offer a different “view”. They have been in service over 50 years and still have some of the original Captains.   We’ve put them on our list for “next time”.  Three hours on the water was a lot in this heat. It is VERY hot here.  We went out for a nice relaxing “air conditioned” lunch and then took E T for a walk.  We haven’t stopped talking about the great time we had on the river.

The only negative to the whole trip was seeing chemical spraying, that was going on out on the river.   I couldn’t believe that a State Park would condone this  action.  I mention it,  because it bothered me so much to see it.   Hasn’t the government learned enough about the negative effects that chemicals have had and are having on every living organism on our planet?   It was a sad awareness.