Wednesday morning we left Foley, Alabama and headed to Gulf Shores. Pam wanted to find the Post Office and mail a few postcards from Gulf Shores (she liked the postmark). A sign off the main road pointed us in the right direction and we found the PO without any problem and mailed the cards.
This was going to be another “driving” day as we entered the Florida panhandle and worked our way south to St. George Island. St. George was recommended to us as having a good place to stay on the beach, the Buccaneer Hotel. On the way we stopped at Ft. Walton Beach, another high point of the trip along the Florida panhandle. Ft. Walton became our most favorite panhandle beach stop, having a gorgeous beach, a near-by restaurant, and a few shops. Here are the photos:
Pam on Ft. Walton Beach
Great expanse of white sand beach and ocean was delightful to see
Jerry with his camera gear
After quite some time spent walking, eating, and observing the beach scene we reluctantly left and began heading toward our evening destination, St. George Island. One thing we had not factored in was the slower speed limit along the coastal highway(s). Much of the Florida panhandle is posted at 25 mph, and rarely did the limit get up to 55. This caused us to under-estimate the amount of time it takes to get anywhere. After a day of driving, which included crossing many bridges, we realized we would not get to St. George Island in daylight. To make matters more interesting we passed into the Eastern Time Zone and lost an hour of daylight/time. We crossed the long bridge over to the island in the dark, found the hotel and got a room, then picked up a couple of sandwiches for dinner.
Buccaneer Hotel is right on the beach
In the morning we located a local grocery store and got stuff to have breakfast on the beach. (Wow, the island grocery prices were amazingly high.) We drove up to the east end of the island and entered the state park there. Finding a parking spot we took our food and spread out on a picnic table where we could watch the beach activity. After eating we did some beach walking, keeping on our shoes and light coats as the morning breeze was cool. This stretch of the beach was more interesting than some — instead of just sand and water there were grasses, sea shells, sand dunes, and birds we hadn’t seen before.
Breakfast on St. George Island
Pam’s favorite beach shot from St. George Island
Thursday morning was off to a great start — we spent some time walking both the gulf side and bay side of St. George Island before we had to get going toward Orlando. Note: The bay side has more trees and grassland marshes making for a very interesting ecosystem. We were surprised at how a few hundred yards over the top of the island could make such a big difference on each side.
We had stopped at a few other beaches but one can take only so many beach pictures. (A few more will be displayed in the Key West post.) I had to get in a photo of the little Sandpipers that feed at the beaches as I like to watch their antics.
Sandpipers are fun to watch
Next time: Mary and Jeff plus Epcot Center.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Two Cents Worth:
The beaches of the Florida panhandle. Nice. Just about perfect in October. I miss the beach.
Happy Trails.
ahh, these posts are making me long for the beach! something about sand and water together that is just magical!