Time in the Panhandle (of Florida)

Grayton Beach, FL
Grayton Beach State Park

Happy New Year!!

 

The 100 mile or so area of coast from Pensacola to Panama City is known as the Emerald Coast.  The sand is powdery white and the water is a beautiful turquoise blue-green.  The area is known for seafood restaurants, fish markets, deep sea fishing and vacation spots. 

 

 

At Grayton Beach, where we were camped, there were lakes to kayak on, a gorgeous beach and great biking to the nearby community of Seaside.  The campground was great.  There are two loops, an older one with just water & electric which is more set up for tents and small rigs because of low branches and the newer loop that also has sewer hookups.  It's a much better set up for larger RVs.  The sites are small gravel, nicely spaced and good size. There is a laundry room on-site and reliable internet.

  

We arrived on New Years Eve.  Once we were set up, we headed down to the beach with a bottle of bubbly to watch the fireworks over the ocean.  The larger towns on both sides had great firework displays.  It was pretty cold out, but what beautiful fireworks we enjoyed (along with one other brave couple) on the beach.  Our first New Years on the road!

The lakes that surround the campground are only separated from the beach by some dunes.  They are fairly shallow, but are great for kayaking, paddling and rowing.

 

 

 

The tall stand of trees just to the right of center, are a popular medium for painters and artwork in the area.

 

The last hurricane to come through the area was Opal in 1995 which caused Western Lake to overflow and brought 3 feet of water into the towns homes.

The beaches just go on and on and you can find plenty of private sand if you walk far enough.  There were folks out fishing, swimming, flying kites and just hanging out.

 

Another day we took the bikes out on the 33A bike trail.  Right out of the campground we rode past the lakes and towards Seaside.  It's a cute little vacation community with a hub of shopping, restaurants and a weekly Farmers Market. There is the popular Airstream food trucks with lots of great things to eat.  We parked the bikes and walked around looking for a nice place to get some grub. I really wanted a Satay Chicken stick, but by time we wandered back by they were closed :-(

  

I think this is probably the cutest Post Office ever!

 

Fresh oysters and Bloody Mary's it is.  On the beach!

Ok, the above picture is for Diana & Jim of ExploRVistas.  They are wintering in Michigan this year.  They wanted us to think of them when we got to Florida and I promised a nice picture.  I didn't want to rub in all those gorgeous palm trees and 80 degree sunny days in the Keys, so I waited for our last spot in Florida so I wouldn't be rubbing it in so bad.  Guys, it's barely in the low 70s.  Check out their blog to see how to winterize your 5th wheel for really cold, snowy winters!

 

Really cute shops and nice places to walk around.

 

The Red Bar in Grayton is a quirky, funky place with lots of atmosphere, great drinks, entertainment and pretty good food.  The Seafood Gumbo was very tasty.

 

 

 

While we were first investigating this lifestyle, one of the biggest concerns was how Steve was going to do his job on the road.  Reliable, fast internet and cell is very important for him.  It just so happened that one of the blogs I was following was Jason & Nikki Wynn of Gone with the Wynns.  They have been fulltiming for a while and work on the road as well.  They were going to be passing through the Gold Country very near where we lived in CA.  I invited them to come to Placerville so we could pick their brains and we would show them around our great, historic, goldrush town.  They are a wealth of information.  Plus, they make the greatest videos.  When I found out they'd once again be where we were, this time in Florida,  I asked if they would like to get together again for a cocktail.  This time as fellow Full-Timers.  They did.  And, in the same campground as us was Jennifer & Deas, another couple whos blog I follow.  They also have a great blog called NealysOnWheels.  We all went over to their site for cocktails, snacks and a great campfire.  We had a wonderful time with all of them.

This is the best picture I could get in the dark.  L to R: Jennifer, Deas, Nikki & Jason.

During our last night, a cold front moved in and we had our first thunderstorm in about 6 weeks.  Knowing it would be cold and miserable the next day,  we packed up the night before and hitched up.  All we had to do in the morning was drive off without getting soaked!

A little cold weather wasn't stopping these fishermen!

 Off to the Gulf Shores of Alabama and hopefully sunnier weather!