St. George and St Joseph State Parks in the Florida Panhandle

       

June 1, 2015

We set out for the panhandle of Florida today.  We have reservations at St. George SP for 3 nights and 3 nights at St Joseph SP.  Both of these parks on located on the beach, St George on an island, St Joseph on a peninsula.  

This will be our longest trip since buying the travel trailer.  Towing is a whole new ballgame from driving and parking a motor home.  It has taken some practice but we are able to hook up quickly now and my backing ability has improved greatly.  Thanks so some YouTube videos, I was able to get some good tips and visual instruction.  YouTube is my first go to with anything RV related.  Many have gone ahead and shared so we can all learn.

Our car and trailer handle beautifully with our new Hensley hitch.  The ride and feel is comparable to a motor home.  Our Reese dual cam anti-sway just didn't do the job for us.  Every vehicle that passed us caused much unnerving motion.  The Hensley is expensive but the price of safety and peace of mind can never be too high.

We got off the interstate at Ocala to gas up.  I chose a gas station I could easily pull in and out of, however I had to make a tight turn to pull away from the pump.  With the Hensley very tight turns are not a problem.

Shortly after leaving the station I approached a red light at the bottom of an incline.  I applied the brakes to stop.  The car suddenly shot to the right.  It was a very scary experience.  Fortunately, I was able to maintain control and got stopped.  

I pulled off the road to check the car.  I thought a brake caliper had frozen up.  I checked all the wheels and they were cool.  I walked back to the hitch area.  All looked well.  I was puzzled.

I checked the wheels on the trailer.  They too were cool with no apparant reason for the violent stop.

When I installed the new hitch I had to add an extension to the trailer plug wire.  Upon examining this cable I discovered the plug was pulled apart just the slightest bit.  It must have pulled loose when I made that tight turn.  I pushed it back and made sure it was locked tightly in place.  Problem solved.

The trailer brakes did not engage when I applied the brakes for the light due to the loose plug.   The weight of the trailer pushed my car to the right.  I tested it a few times at slow speed.  All was well.  Lesson learned though.  I will check those things more closely from now on.

We stopped for the night at Rocky's Campground, just west of Perry, Fl, on Rt 98.

Rocky's is the complete RV stop.  He has easy to access fuel pumps, both gas and diesel, a very well stocked convenience store and a very neat, park like campground.

June 2, 2015

Our ride along Rt. 98 was very relaxing.  Traffic was light and the road is straight for miles.  Most of the trip from Perry to Carabelle was through deep thick forest.  In places it was like driving through a tree canyon with tall trees bordering each side of the highway.

The highway winds its way along the coast from Carabelle west.  This day was overcast and very still.  The Gulf of Mexico was shiney slick and glassy like a farm pond.  Off in the distance dark veils of showers were moving along the coast.  This was not the weather we had been hoping for.

As we approached the causeway and bridge that crosses Apalachacola Bay to St. George Island, the sky brightened though showers were still lingering in the area.  Apalachacola Bay is known for it seafood and oysters.  Apalachacola is one of the few old fishing communities left in Florida.  

St George SP is located at the far eastern end of the island.  It is comprised of 1900 acres of beautiful beaches, sand dunes and pine forest.  The campsites in the campground were set within a heavily wooded area.  Our site was large and private, being bordered by trees and shrubs.  A squirrel and a black bird immediately introduced themselves.  One perched on the picnic table.  The other crept close looking to see what tasty delights we may have.  Clearly, these critters know the routine.

We don't feed the animals at campsites though.  It is tempting but not a good practice.

June 3, 2015
Today we headed into Apalachacola.  We wanted to find the Hole In The Wall, a small restaurant my brother recommended for a great bowl of seafood gumbo.

After asking several locals where the Hole In The Wall was located we finally found it on a side street across from the Post Office.  It is small, so it is easy to miss.  We sat at the bar where a man was shucking oysters.  He popped one open and set it on the bar in front of me and asked, "Eatum raw?"
"Sure do", I answered as I slipped the plump juicy oyster in my mouth.  Delicious.

We each ordered a bowl of gumbo,  a basket of fried oysters and hush puppies.  The man behind the bar shucked our oysters and sent them to the kitchen.  You can't get them fresher than that.

The people here reminded me of Pine Island, Fl. where we raised our kids years ago.  It was a fishing community much like Apalachacola.  My boys and I would go out fishing in Charlotte Harbor.  When we got hungry we would pull up to an oyster bed and gather a few oysters and eat them raw out of the shell.  I wouldn't dare do that today with all the development in that area.  The water quality isn't what it used to be.

Our gumbo was made fresh with a dark roux.  It wasn't as hot as I like it but the flavor was excellent. A few dashes of Slap You Mama hot pepper sauce was all it needed to make me happy.  Darlie liked it just as it came out from the kitchen.  We enjoyed conversation with the people who run the place.  It reminded us of those days long ago chatting with the fishermen.

Apalachacola has preserved many of their historical buildings.  A guide map is available at most businesses for a self guided tour.  Though the oyster beds and oystermen have been in decline, the rich history of Apalachacola's fishing and oyster business is proudly on display.  The small town is worthy of exploration.

Muffie, our traveling companion

Back at the campground we took a nap in the heat of the day.  As the sun got lower in the sky, we went down to the beach to enjoy the sound of the waves and the cool evening breeze.  It doesn't get any better than that.

June 5, 2015
We moved from St. George over to St. Joseph Peninsula SP.  It was a 30 or 40 mile ride.  St. Joseph is more wooded than St. George.  There are deer running all over the place.  There are miles of beach to walk and trails to hike.  The campsites are very small.  I didn't see many large rigs in here.  Most sites are only 15 feet wide.  We were camped in Shady Pines Campground.  The Gulf Breeze campground had several sites that could accomodate a large motor home.  Most were small though and quite crowded.

Our neighbors are from Eufaula, Alabama.  We sat at the picnic table with coffee and great conversation.  They come here often for vacation.  Most in the park are from Alabama, Georgia and Florida.  School is out so it is family time with the kids.  The sounds of kids running and playing gave the place a cheerful happy tone.

It was a short walk from our campsite to the beach.  The sand here is very white and the consistency of talcum powder.  It was voted the best beach in the country several years ago.  Once a beach wins that honor it is taken off the eligibility list.  St. George beaches finished in 3rd place this year.

We spent the late morning on the beach enjoying the sun and all the families who shared the beach with us.  The water is warm and clear.  Many swam.  Others fished.  All were friendly.  What a wonderful place.

What kind of critter lives in here, I wonder?

We discovered that the park provides a free wifi hotspot at the Bayside Picnic Area Pavillion.  It is a Hughsnet system.  It was a bit slow but did the job, especially for the price.

June 7, 2015
Our air conditioner in the car quit.  It is very hot during the day.  Driving home without air will be very uncomfortable unless I can find a repair shop.  I drove into the small village of Port St. Joe.  There was only one repair shop in town.  They would open at 8:00am Monday morning.  We are supposed to check out Monday.

I stopped at the park gate to ask if there were any empty sites we could take for an extra day or two.  I wasn't too hopeful because this place is booked solid all the time.  The attendant said I was in luck.  A site in Gulf Breeze campground was available for 3 nights.  I took it.

We moved over to the new site and got settled.  I was up early in the morning and off to BJ's Auto Repair in Port St. Joe.  BJ's was swamped with business.  But they were very cordial and said they would work me in.  They found the compressor was shot and ordered a new one for me.  I would go back in the morning, Tuesday and have it installed.

Enjoying the cool breeze off the Gulf

We got the air fixed and prepared to leave early Wednesday morning.  Strong thunderstorms were forecast for the day so we wanted to try to get out before they struck.  We awoke at 6:00 am to loud cracks of thunder.  Rain poured down so hard on the roof we couldn't hear each other talk inside the camper.  We got around and braved the storm.  We hooked up, visited the dump station, changed into dry clothes and headed for home.  It was a great trip.  Now we look forward to heading to Canada later this summer.  We will keep you posted.