Beach Camping Between Hurricanes

We were lucky when so many others were not.  You see, we booked a week’s stay at St. Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach, Florida during the “iffy” hurricane month of October.  We managed to book this back in the spring, something that is nearly impossible to do, and were looking forward to our annual beach vacation at our favorite spot.  Even though we just returned from a wonderful family cruise in the Caribbean, without any tropical storms, there were storms developing – the first was Hurricane Helene.  Here at home we had only rain (7”) so packing the motorhome and getting the Jeep ready was no more difficult than usual.

Off we went, with Binx (cat) and Kodi (dog), towing the Jeep and ready for beach fun.  We usually break up the 7 hour trip by stopping halfway at Lakepoint Resort State Park in Eufaula, Alabama, but we were making such good time that Jackie got on the phone to look for options closer to PCB.  As she was searching the Florida state parks it occurred to both of us that we were traveling just 2 days after St. Andrews reopened from the hurricane closure and maybe there would be availability.  Well, in fact our reserved site was empty and we were told to “come on down” before 5 and check in.  So we kind of got a bonus day, arriving by 4 and setting up camp.  

And of course the first day was gorgeous.  Calm waters, a slight breeze, even yellow flags for swimming.  You never know what to expect at the beach here, but recent renourishment has left a wide beach on the Gulf side and on the lagoon side along the inlet.  Nice.  And the water, though brackish and tea colored, was the perfect temperature.  So what did we do?  Enjoyed our time at the beach and beach bars of course.  Here are highlights, with lots of pictures. 

• Bobbed and floated in the flat, calm Gulf of Mexico
• Tried snorkeling, but it was just a bit too murky along the jetty
• Grilled some delicious meals
• Ate fried grouper and hush puppies at Schooners
• Stayed for the awesome sunset and cannon burst (ok, it’s a small cannon) 
• Took our “refill” mugs to dinner at Sharky’s and had frozen daiquiris with our meal of Mahi tuna tacos
• Avoided a few jellyfish on the first few days
• Wondered where all the dragonflies were coming from, they were everywhere
• Rode our ebikes around the park several times

• Saw a bald eagle twice
• Swatted away small biting flies at the beach
• Watched the dolphins feed just beyond the waves
• Saw lots of mullet and other small fish
• Watched osprey and pelicans circling and diving for fish
• Caught several more beautiful sunsets
• Noticed the upgrades to the roadways in the park
• Went shopping at Pier Park on one cloudy day
• Found a new winery and stopped for a glass
• Sunsets, sunsets, sunsets

As our final day approached, we watched the weather reports for the growing storm in the Gulf.  As you know it quickly developed into category 3, then 5 Hurricane Milton.  Reports of evacuees driving north out of central Florida, gas availability and traffic jams had us a bit concerned, but we were north and west of the path so we stayed to the end of our reservation.  That put us leaving just two days ahead of landfall.  But our trip north was no problem – light traffic, easy gas fill-up. 

Again, we wanted to break up the trip home so we booked a night at Roosevelt State Park near Callaway Gardens north of Columbus, Georgia.  Great pull-through spot in a quiet wooded park that was quite nice.  Next morning we finished the trip with a 2 hour drive home, that only got nasty when we hit the interstate around Atlanta.  A couple of wrecks had things backed up, so we dodged around them on back roads.

So we now find ourselves unpacking, cleaning the motorhome, doing laundry, grocery shopping and all the usual stuff when you come back from vacation.  We are also quite thankful that Hurricane Milton missed us and did not cause damage for any of our extended family in Florida and South Carolina.

What’s next?  Mostly some home time with family and friends.  Just after Thanksgiving we have yet another cruise set aboard the third largest ship in the world: Wonder of the Seas.  Sounds crazy, but this one is a points redemption cruise from our Royal Caribbean credit card – and it is just the two of us.  We feel extremely fortunate to be able to enjoy this active, retired lifestyle – it makes the years of hard work worth it.

And I would sure appreciate it if you checked out the many videos posted online of my “Adventures in Glass” series.  I’m deep into this hobby of garden sculptures, fountains and birdbaths and filming the process.  View, subscribe and enjoy: youtube.com/@adventureswithDougandJackie