Posts Tagged With: beach

Beach Tales 2

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Doug and Jackie

Good beach read

Heck, who doesn’t like a good sequel, right? Well this is the rest of the story of our camping adventure along the Emerald Coast of Florida.

Sandy feet to remember later

It continued to be great weather for us: hot, sunny and bright with water temps reaching the mid 80’s. While most folks probably think that is a great temperature for swimming and bobbing in the waves, it turns out that summer water temperatures have a dark side. What the travel brochures don’t tell you is that warm water usually means more marine life.

Marine life warning

I recall spending summers at the Jersey Shore and late August usually meant warmer water and jellyfish. And if you stayed at the beach during the hot summer, you probably know this. Just the same here in the Gulf of Mexico – the purple warning flags went up and we spotted more and more moon jellies and felt bits and pieces of them zapping us once in a while. That tapered off after a few days, but what also appeared in the beautiful, clear water was Junegrass (that is the local name for a green algae bloom).

Good day at the beach

This band of green hugged the shoreline most days and we found ourselves moving along the beach to find a relatively clear spot of water to splash around in. It was really more a nuisance really, and maybe it would not bother you if you didn’t mind swimming in a soupy broth, but it did put a damper on the experience. Chatting with locals we learned that it is something that stays all summer once the water gets warmer. Sun + nutrients + warm water = algae bloom. Just something to keep in mind.

Nice lunch at World of Beer

Our last day in Topsail Hill Preserve State Park was not a good beach day, so we drove to Destin Commons and had lunch at World of Beer. While it looks like we sample a lot of beer these days, the important word here is sample. Then of course I have to do it for my readers, you understand. Love their flatbreads paired with some beer from Apalaciacola’s Oyster City Brewing (loved First Light of Day blonde summer ale) and Atlanta’s SweetWater (Jackie likes their Bourbon barrel aged Imperial stout – Cork N’ Cage series).

World of Beer, Destin

Not All Who Wander Are Lost – our new mantra.

While the beaches we visited were great, getting there can be a good bit of exercise. We are almost thinking of them in terms of beer calories now. “That was at least a two-beer trek.” This campground is said to be a half-mile to the beach access, but by our estimates it must be twice that. You can take the tram, but that means waiting for the twice-hourly pickup and that’s not always what you want at the end of the day.

Tram to the beach

Option 2 is walking the paved road with chairs, towels, umbrella, cooler and beach toys (not recommended for families) or Option 3 is riding your bike. We managed to hitch up the trusty Tommy Bahama beach cart to Doug’s bike and rode our way to the beach access — which worked out fine. Oh, but you aren’t toes-in-the-water yet. You still have the long boardwalk to traverse and then the soft sandy dunes to drag your cart across. Set up umbrella and chairs, relax, swim and then repeat the trip back across the sand and back to camp. So yeah, probably worked off at least a beer or two there…

The long walk across the dunes

Last night in camp we were prepared for thunderstorms and were not disappointed. We had packed up everything, so it didn’t cause us any problems, but I couldn’t help but think about those folks in tents and tent-campers who would be watching the canvas all night for drips and leaks. Our only leak came on the road, as a crack in the upper part of the windshield appeared and started leaking when we hit some intense rain in Alabama. Another call to GEICO for windshield repair when we get home. I think this might have been from one of the stone pings we got while on the fall trip out West that eluded the crack repair in the fall.

Heading home at last!

So off we go, back home for now to enjoy the 4th of July and hopefully some time with the grandchildren. Not sure about the next summer camping adventure just yet, so stay tuned.

Be sure to check the updates in the Mews, Places and Foodie pages.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: beach, camping, craft beer, craft breweries, Emerald Coast, Florida, motorhome, RV camping, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, World of Beer | Leave a comment

Beach Tales

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Doug and Jackie

A month in Florida is hard to beat: a perfect mix of sunny weather, sparkling clear water, a white sandy beach and plenty of little fish to chase around the water. That’s been our June so far, with a few stories to share. We don’t have wifi here in St. Andrews State Park so it has been a convenient excuse to postpone updating the blog and just enjoy the sand and surf. But a trip to Starbucks will give me time to share what’s been happening:

We love Panama City Beach and St. Andrews State Park. For us it is a very casual, friendly and laid-back vacation spot. Can’t beat the campsite, with a view of the Lower Lagoon, a nice breeze and lots of kids on bikes and golf carts zipping around. We arrived just as the rain stopped from tropical storm Colin and many of the sites were underwater. A high tide surge added a little more waterfront to many sites, too.

Nice (?) waterfront site

High and dry at St. Andrews

The storm cut into the dunes along the Gulf beach, creating a cliff of sand. You know how kids always want to get buried in the sand at the beach? It usually means someone gets totally covered in sand and has to rinse off. Well, sadly, a teenager who had been digging tunnels and caves in this particular sand wall was trapped when the sand collapsed on him. We were watching the boys dig the tunnels, but minutes after we left the beach emergency crews arrived to dig him out and administer CPR. Unfortunately he died the next day. Kind of a rough start to the week.

Ready for the beach

Jackie’s sister Judy and family came down to PC Beach mid-week and we spent time at the beach together, snorkeling along the rock jetty and splashing around in the surf. Just had to snap a shot of us all getting slathered with sunscreen! We joked about the long trek to the water with all the gear and laughed about the big deck umbrella they brought along. One afternoon a dark line of thunderstorms moved along the coast as we watched and debated when to pack up. That decision was made quickly when the wind rack kicked up and umbrellas started to go inside-out. Jackie grabbed and shut ours down just as we watched Judy’s umbrella go airborne in a slow-motion tumble that pierced itself on a pole, then lifted and tumbled further over the dune. Ok, time to go.

Tut, tut looks like rain!

Back at camp we got a phone call that our niece lost her glasses in the scramble. Could we come help look for them? Tracing our steps back from the parking lot, down the long boardwalk, up and over the sand dunes and down the beach to the scene of the crime, we looked earnestly for the purple frames. Not much luck, but I brought a small fan rake and began to skim the area where we were sitting. Probably useless, but just maybe … wait, what’s that? Something popped up out of the sand as I scraped along and Presto! there were the glasses. Great save.

Another vacation goal was to seek out local craft breweries and compare the samplings. We found Nivol Brewery in a strip shopping center and were pleasantly surprised by their operation. Had some samples of wheat, porter and red ales – they have only been open a month, but have a good selection of local beers on tap. With their full license pending, we had to buy a souvenir pint glass but could then have a fill of our choice of beer. We chatted up the brewmaster, who already knew about and carried Burnt Hickory brand and had been visited by Dry County (they have the same tank system), but of course we talked up Southern Sky Brewing, too.

Maybe the strangest craft beer sampling came the next day. An internet search listed “Screw and Brew” locally, so I just HAD to see what that was all about. A definite pint glass purchase, I figured. Jackie helped navigate the location, “wait, you just passed it” … well, according to the online maps, but we didn’t see anything. U-turn and try again. “Turn here,” as we drove past a small hardware store and through their side parking lot into a pretty gnarly back lot. Hmm, that wasn’t right. Back out front we noticed a small sign in the window “home brewing supplies” and thought what-the-heck. I left Jackie in the car (this was doubtful) and I ventured in.

Hmm, inside it was pretty much a hardware store, with a wall of home-brew supplies. “Can I help you?” Uhh, well, I guess I got the wrong spot. We are on a hunt for local craft breweries. A smiling clerk said he could recommend several spots (Fishale, Nivol) and I said those were already on our list. “Ok, well thanks, I guess I got the information wrong.”

“Hang on, I do have some wheat beer if you’d like a sample” he said, and I cautiously nodded okay. “Just follow me out back.” Ok, this was speakeasy creepy and I was wondering if I would have to know a secret password or handshake. Out through the stockroom to that gnarly section of the back room and garage … a rusty fridge had a tap installed and an off-kilter kegerator was nearby. “Don’t have any fancy glassware, (oh darn, the whole point of the visit), but if you are ok with Styrofoam…” Next thing I know I have a cup of foamy beer in my hand. “What do you think? It’s better this week.” Well, here goes nothing – lot of head but it’s actually not bad. We walk back into the store and he says he just can’t keep the beer cold enough in the kegerator, it keeps tripping the circuit breaker…

I thank him for the beer, wish him well, take the rest of the cup back out to the car for Jackie to finish (I mean, seriously, am I supposed to just drive off with this beer? No DUI for me, thank you). So chalk that one up to the weirdest sampling ever.

Local samplings at Fishale

Just down the road we stopped in at Fishale, which was a real pub that featured a lot of real craft brews on tap. Spent time sampling all sorts of Florida brews and decided to visit Grayton Beer on our way west later in the month, since we liked their 30A Beach Blonde.

Best Grouper Sandwich!

Caught up with one of our fellow teachers from school when we learned she was staying in PC Beach with a friend, too. Our suggestion was to meet up for the best grouper sandwich in town at Sharky’s on the beach – which lived up to expectations. Still the best sandwich in town! We shared stories and encouraged her to join the ranks of the retired (just maybe one more year of teaching she thinks!). Good fun all around.

Good Friends

So as I wrap up this posting, I should probably share one last story that just goes to prove that you really do need to check and double check your vacation plans no matter how careful a person you are. We came back from the beach on our last day in camp and sat out to enjoy an adult beverage and the nice breeze. We had been talking about what we needed to pack up so we could roll out easily the next day, Monday. Our plans from 11 months ago were to stay Monday to Monday (2 weeks) and then move to Topsail Hill State Park for 10 days.

A golf cart with two park rangers pulls up … “You know that checkout is 1:00 pm.” Yes we do, we plan to be out tomorrow by noon for sure. “You were supposed to be out TODAY by 1:00 (it was now about 6:00). Yikes, no way, we had a Monday check out. We scrambled to pull up the reservation info on our phone as he explained that they found another site for the folks who DID have the next reservation and we didn’t have to leave until the morning. But would we please settle up with the Camp Office in the morning?

So what was the story? Turns out we had a Sunday to Sunday reservation but put it into our Google calendar as Monday to Monday. The reservation at Topsail Hill was fine, but we got the one at St. Andrews goofed up by one day. Kept wanting to say, “that’s not us, we aren’t those kind of people… we are rule followers and are well-planned… we are retired teachers (and are always right) …we went out West for 6 weeks… “

Ah well, (sigh), honest mistake.

Happy Birthday drink for Jackie!

Jackie’s birthday celebration at Dewey Destin’s Harborfront restaurant.

Next stop is Topsail Hill Preserve State Park. Probably won’t get to post until we are back home.

Check out lots of great photos of the parks here.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: beach, camping, craft beer, craft brewery, Dewey Destin's, Fishale's, Grayton Beer, motorhome, Nivol Brewery, Panama City Beach, RV, Sharky's, snorkeling, St. Andrews State Park | 3 Comments

Good Deeds of Summer

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Doug and Jackie

Our next big camping adventure is a few weeks away and we await a call that our body repair parts are in and ready to install (I think this one will be a while). We just spent the weekend with family in Nashville, enjoying the Tomato Arts Festival, then swimming and paddleboarding in Percy Priest Reservoir. Our friends are all busy back at school (gosh it is nice to have morning coffee on the deck and read the paper). Now might be a good time to tell the tale of a good deed gone slightly awry this summer, plus a few things learned along the way.

While we were camping in St. Augustine at Anastasia State Park, we spent the days on the beach or bobbing in the surf. If you have never been to that beach, let me clue you in a bit: it is wide as heck and quite the trek from car to water’s edge, “the desert.” You had to be sure you had something on your feet, because halfway to the water you would realize your feet were burning. Anyway, we would make the trek across this desert in the morning, our beach cart loaded with chairs and provisions, and set our chairs at water’s edge to relax and enjoy.

As we were sitting and sipping one afternoon, we noticed a beach wheelchair in the shallow water at low tide, empty. We made a couple of snarky remarks about how strange it was that nobody seemed to be concerned about an empty wheelchair at the edge of the surf and such. Next day we noticed the same wheelchair and the picture became clearer. Grandma was sitting in a beach chair beside the wheelchair, helped there by her daughter. Nice day at the beach. At the end of the afternoon, as most everyone was packing up and heading out across the desert in search of the parking lot, I saw that grandma was in the wheelchair near the guard stand and her daughter was loaded up with chairs, umbrellas, towels and bags getting ready to make the march across the sand. “I’ll be right back for you, Mom,” she said as she set off. Grandma was faced into the sun and looked like it had indeed been a long day in the sun.

It really was a loooong walk across the sand.

I felt I couldn’t just watch this play out and not do something, as grandma must have suffered a stroke recently and was so dependent on her daughter for mobility. I popped up, declared to the guards that I was not in fact stealing grandma, but helping return her to the car that lay on the other side of the Sahara there. So began my good deed, as I tried to chat up grandma and put her at ease. I shared that my mother-in-law had also suffered a stroke and it was a tough recovery. As I pushed and pushed, I heard her mumble and point to her left side and arm. I assumed she was trying to share that her left arm had been affected, as I continued to heave and push the wheelchair through the soft sand.

Yes, it is a wide beach!

Maybe halfway across the expanse I thought that I shouldn’t complain about my Tommy Bahama beach cart, because pushing this wheelchair was a REAL effort (and why was I huffing and puffing so bad?). I mean, you have these big balloon tires and all and grandma really wasn’t that big a woman, but gosh you really had to dig down and lean into it to move across the sand. At last we made it to the boardwalk and sidewalk and we moved along to the outdoor showers.

It was about then that her daughter saw us on her way back from packing the car and saying “Oh thank you so much . . . that was so kind, it’s such a long walk.” “My pleasure,” I declared (wondering if it really was) and we had a quick chat about her mother, who has Alzheimer’s and had fallen recently, bruising her arm and hip. Not the stroke I had assumed. “Ok, Mom, let’s wash the sand off,” she announced as she stepped to the back of the wheelchair and started to push. “Oh look, the brake’s still on …”

“Arghhhh,” I growled, “no wonder it was so hard to push through the sand.” And come to think of it, grandma WAS trying to tell me something about the left side of the chair, if I had been paying attention. Ok, so we all had a good laugh and chuckled about how no good deed goes unpunished.

“But we forgot your water bottle, Mom.” Just then, as it happened, a little girl arrived from the beach with the bottle and a towel and said “I saw you left these behind so I brought them to you.” How nice, another good deed. “But that’s not our towel.” “No problem,” I chirped. “I’m headed back across the sand anyway.” So back I went across the hot sand to return the towel to the young lady by the lifeguard stand who was wondering where her towel had disappeared to. “It was nothing,” I said, and then quickly splashed my way into the waves to recover from what really WAS something. I did feel better for having helped out, tempered by the thought that I still had to pack up the Tommy Bahama beach cart for one more trudge across the desert.

Some things learned along the way this summer:

Unless you want to listen to the piercing, beeping reminder that your leveling jacks are not fully retracted, take time to spray and wipe them with a dry lubricant while they are extended and before you pull up stakes.
Chigger bites do indeed itch for about 2 weeks and there isn’t much you can do about them.
Charge a spare camera battery and bring it with you on a photo hike.
Strong sun can overheat your cell phone and make it shut down. I think that might also have been the problem with my 35mm digital camera.
The dry, clean camp shower stall is the one with the worst water pressure.
You CAN survive a tire blowout in 95 degree heat if you have good insurance.
A countertop ice maker really can come in handy!

Next up is our trip to Myrtle Beach just after labor day (using a time-share week) and then we begin preparations to leave for the West.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Anastasia State Park, beach, beach cart, camping, good deeds, St. Augustine, wheelchair | Leave a comment

Another day another beach

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Doug and Jackie

Loving this vacation in Florida. We are on St. George Island, which sits between the Gulf and Apalachicola Bay. Quite a barrier beach, reminds us of Ft. Pickens near Pensacola Beach. Quiet campground with more tent campers. We rode bikes along the dunes, Doug did a bit of paddleboarding in the bay and we swam in the Gulf of course. Windy, so the surf seems more like the Atlantic Ocean than the Gulf of Mexico, lots of waves, but the water is warm and clean. Did I mention I got my fitbit wet in Panama City and it crashed, dead. So now none of my exercise steps count (if you fitbit, you know the withdrawal). But fitbit will replace it, soon as I get home and send them a copy of the receipt (yippee, but will I make it until then?). One more of my “smart purchases” is Omaha Steaks before we left. Easy portions that are frozen and ready to defrost and grill. Yeah, we could do the same thing with vacuum sealer and all, but this worked out just fine (lots of steak on the grill, some chicken and burgers – good eats). We roll out of here in another day, then on to Manatee Springs for some cool water snorkeling and maybe a manatee sighting.

BTW, I finished up “Edge of Eternity”, book three in the Century Trilogy by Ken Follett. Great read, even though it took me from Christmas until now. Now in the midst of “The 6th Extinction” by James Rollins. What are you reading this summer?

We are now in Manatee Springs and were finally able to post pictures from their snack bar. Bought a triple meat platter of barbecue for dinner at the snack bar. Delicious and finger licking.

More when we can…

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: beach, camping, Edge of Eternity, fitbit, paddleboarding, RV, St. George Island, willet | 2 Comments

Last Night at St. Andrews

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Doug and Jackie

Great day at the beach after morning paddleboarding to sandy point to see dolphin. Even though we have seen plenty at Hilton Head, it is always a thrill when they fluke and pop up near you. Water in the gulf was pretty stirred up with big swells crashing in, so the snorkeling was a bit murkier. Dinner on the beach at Sharky’s (grouper sandwich and grilled tuna steak on salad) capped off a great week, even with morning thunderstorms. Packing up in the morning to move to St. George Island State Park and headed for more adventures.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: beach, camping, paddleboarding, RV, Sharky's, St. Andrews State Park | Leave a comment

Day at the Beach

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Doug and Jackie

We made it to St. Andrews State Park just fine and are having a great time, thanks to some smart planning and some good purchases. The tow dolly we bought worked great to bring the Rav-4 with us and the extra hour spent hooking the car up was worth it. The first part of the trip was tense, as it took a while to relax and realize the car was just fine, but a few stops to check all the winches and hitches made us feel better.

We stopped in Dothan, Alabama to buy a countertop ice maker at Camping World and have now put it to use. The first cubes were unimpressive, in fact they were six tiny little cubes that popped out in 10 minutes, making us wonder how that would ever make enough ice to handle cocktail hour. But we left it on for the afternoon and we now have a full ice bucket in the freezer. Another smart purchase.

The campsite we have is level with a nice cement pad, so it was easy setup once we arrived. Unhooked the car and stowed the tow dolly and we got ready to hit the beach. Sunday we took the paddle boards out in the bay and paddled to the inlet – just a spit of sandy beach where the current circles around. It was fun to walk along the white sand and splash in the warm clear water – spotted a sting ray in the water and two dolphins on the paddle back to the dock. Lots of boat traffic kicked up the wakes, but it worked out. Tried my JVC camera (similar to GoPro) and got some video, but need to learn the controls better. Hope to try some while snorkeling. Another smart purchase.

Paddleboard cart that we made from PVC and wheels was a big help to pull them from the car to the water, then back to the campsite.

Afternoon was at the beach near the jetty – snorkeling was amazing. New masks and fins (yep, another smart purchase) made it much more fun and we managed to keep the masks from fogging up! Always important. Did I mention one other smart purchase? The Tommy Bahama beach cart made it so easy to get chairs, towels, cooler and gear up to the beach … and this year the beach is nice and wide, so it’s a lot more walking to get to the water. Good day at the beach, nobody is burned. Going to try snorkeling early tomorrow and get some video if we can.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: beach, beach cart, camping, ice maker, paddleboard, RV, snorkeling, St. Andrews State Park | 1 Comment

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Posts Tagged With: beach

Beach Tales 2

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Beach Tales

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Good Deeds of Summer

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Another day another beach

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Last Night at St. Andrews

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Day at the Beach

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