Blogs from Panama City, Florida, United States, North America

Geo: 30.1598, -85.6603I begin this journey with hesitation and trepidation. When Steve suggested taking a cross-country road trip, I knew what we were in for. I had taken one years ago. And before we left, I joked with friends that we would be back in a month or so…if we didn't kill each other. But the day has come and here we are. And in reflection, I have set my mind on a few goals to achieve and a few prayers to pray.1. I pray that we have a safe trip and return alive, healthy, strong and together mentally and physically.2. I pray that our journey provides new experiences to have and enjoy.3. I pray that I keep my complaints to myself, my temper in check, and that my body holds up so that Steve can ... read more

Hunkered down with electric, heat and cable, we didn’t mind that the temperature was dropping (Florida is as cold at NY). We were comfortable. After moving from Panama City Marina to St. Andrews we enjoyed dinner at Uncle Ernie’s, quite famous. With a leisurely awakening (Rog first to take Buddy ashore), we ventured to the Coffee House for breakfast. Neat place, very layed back with casual seats, lots of books and a great breakfast. We, next headed to CVS to gather some misc supplies (like nail polish and remover). About 1/3 of the way there, Rog decided it was too far. The marina map was deceiving, only showing major roads (so what looked like 2 blocks away actually was miles). Mary was determined, so she continued and Rog returned to the boat. Mary assured him that ... read more

Kerry and I slept a little later than normal this morning and woke to the sound of Sara's engine starting. I think they wanted to get a head start to Panama City Marina and showers. The water in Choctawhatchee Bay and through the canal (though the guidebooks call it the Grand Canyon ??!!) to West Bay was smooth. There must have been a favorable current, though, because Sara called to say they were making 7 mph and we got up to 9 mph. Once we got into West Bay, the wind picked up and we didn't travel quite as fast. We did see a few dolphins, and one even jumped along side us like he was trying to get a look at us. Once under the Hathaway Bridge we were in view of the Panama City ... read more

9-26-10 Raining as we got up this am, and left the Walmart parking lot. Decided we’d spring for an rv park stay today, so we could stay in and watch football. Turns out it stopped raining around 11am, but we watched football, walked on their little strip of beach and sat in their loungers on the beach and read for a while. Pretty low key day, but nice not to travel today. We were right on the bay at Navarro Beach, Fl. 9-27-10 Left for Fort Walton Beach today. We stopped at a park right on the bay...as we’ve noticed so far, the bays aren’t as pretty as the sandy beach, so drove over to Okaloosa Island...WOW!!! They call it the Emerald Coast, and it’s beautiful white sandy beach and gorgeous blue-green ocean. Saw dolphins swimming ... read more

Geo: 30.1598, -85.6603A couple last evening suggested we visit Steinhatchee which was off our route but worth the trip. Although there is some development of recreational properties, the village seems to have more history. It is interesting to note how the houses are built on stilts and some are advertised as hurricane proof. From there we headed back North and along the Gulf Coast. Lots of development of recreational properties. Apalachicola was another older settlement. Much of the revenue in the area seems to be from the abundant fishing and shellfish industry. It is amazing the way people build houses in areas which are likely to be hit with hurricanes. We saw a sign which said hurricane season was only 43 days away. We passed by a very large air force base which straddled the road ... read more