Jan 30 at St Andrews

 We are finally experiencing warm temps...mid 70s today with an expected low of 60 and blue skies although more rain is expected overnight. Gus and I took a long walk including a splash or two for him in the water. He is not allowed on the beaches so this has to do for now. 

This afternoon I rode my bike down to the beach next to the inlet and along the Gulf Shore. The fog started to roll in so it became harder to see very far out. There were several surfers out in the water and several swimmers in the water as well even though the red flag was flying.  There have been huge warnings of rip tides for the last week. 

We decided to eat out tonight at a restaurant recommended by friends...Granny's Cantrell Southern Cooking...a disappointment! The fried chicken was good but the sides not so much...most things were not even hot...oh well! We will not go there again. 

January 28

 We have had 3 days of sunshine with cool temperatures...upper 50s to low 60s. Yesterday we drove into Destin for lunch with Mike and Joanne at Donut Hole. They offer breakfast all day, huge salads and big sandwiches with sides for under $16 each.  I brought half of my salad home to enjoy today. Before we left we bought a dozen assorted donuts from red velvet to Bavarian cream to Apple filled to Peanut Butter to ???  Half are gone as of this afternoon.  

Jim spent some time today working on the outdoor grill. It hasn't been getting enough gas from the connection with the rv. Gus and I took 2 long walks, one including a romp in the water (for Gus- not me). Jim and I both took our bikes out for a spin. The forecast is for rain all day tomorrow so we are making the most of the fresh air while we can. 

Hanging Out at St Andrews SP

 The weather has been on the cool side here and we have had our share of clouds and rain. Today it is sunny but only going up to the upper 50s. We have gotten in lots of walks with and without Gus. We've been shopping for food and clothing (Jim's shorts were falling down so we got him shorts in a smaller size) and have enjoyed just relaxing and reading. We have RV friends visiting this afternoon and tomorrow we will meet Mike & Joanne for lunch in Destin. 

New location - Panama City Beach

 We arrived at St. Andrews State Park this afternoon after a 5 hr drive. Our site is a gravel pull-thru site, #151...much more room than last year's site. 

We are here for 12 days and hoping the forecast isn't as grim as it currently looks. We are expecting rain for much of the next week from a big front moving through beginning tomorrow. It is cooler here as well with highs in the 60s and Los in the 40s. We just came from 70's and 50s ...oh well! We will make the best of it. 

The new section of the campground is done and packed with campers...no sites available for walk-ins. We made our reservation last February. 

The view from our "living room"...

Visiting State Parks in the Area

 We took a drive to visit Fanning Springs State Park which has cabins but no rv camping. The park has a large swimming area at the head of the springs and easy access to the Suwannee River. Across the river is a free boat/kayak launch. We will keep that in mind should we come here again. 

From Fanning Springs we drove south about 15 minutes to Manatee Springs State Park.  We stayed there in the RV a few years ago. The sites are OK but it is very shady and there is no cell signal. There is wifi down by the Springs as long as not too many are using it at once.  This is a good place for kayaking out to the main river and up/down river a short distance. Sometimes you can see Manatee in the area around the springs but not this time. The springs here also have a swimming/snorkeling area which two people were doing today. Elsewhere in the park are water "holes" where licensed scuba divers can go under to explore caves. 

2023 Adventures begin - Week 1

Last Wednesday we left home in the RV headed south...later than usual but worth delaying for a Caribbean Cruise. Our first stop was in South Carolina, off I85 so we could have a quick visit with college friends, Jeff & Judy Koyza. From. We stayed at a Walmart overnight with no issues and then continued south last Thursday, bypassing Atlanta to the east. Our 2nd stop was a Loves RV Stop, next to a Loves Truck Stop in Cordele, GA just off I75. It is very new and very clean...great for an overnight stop. From there we drove to our current location in Bell, FL, HART SPRINGS CAMPGROUND. It is a county park north of Chiefland with full hookup and a great price at about $200 for the entire week. We are here until Friday when we head to Panama City and St Andrew State Park.

The weather started out quite cold with highs in the 50s and lows in the 20s but we are now at highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s...much improvement. It has been quite sunny but rains is forecast for Thursday.

Yesterday I took Gus for a long trail walk...he thought he knew the way so he led. He actually didn't do bad...just had to be corrected once on direction. Later Jim and I ventured out on our ebikes, riding over to the springs and then taking a country road out toward the river and a group of homes along the banks of the Suwannee River. It was a good ride. Today I drove down to Dunnellon to Swampy's Restaurant to meet Maryann, a friend I have known for about 50 years but have not seen in 3 years. It was wonderful catching up! Hope we can get together again next year.