Apalachicola, FL

March 11, 2013 6:45 PM

Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays are our “explore” days. Kerri runs her graphic design business (from the road) for 12-14 hours a day Tues-Fri. So today, we explored the little fishing hamlet of Apalachicola. I was a bit shocked as I thought it was, well, bigger. I mean, everyone has heard of Apalachicola once or twice growing up, right? But this town is tiny. TripAdvisor says there are “12 Things To Do” in this wisp of a town, but damned if we could find anything other than a couple of square blocks of local curiosities. Yawn!

There is a beautiful row of charter trawlers, and ice cream shop, the obligatory antiques that aren’t quite antiques shops, and a marvelous landscape photographer named Richard Bickel. His work is phenomenal! Do visit his site at: http://www.richardbickelphotography.com/

You do have to check out the Tin Hut…an extremely overpriced nautical-themed store. It has a crazy collection of Lady Pirates that have to be seen. Here’s one now:

Ooops.  Now that you’ve seen her, no need to go!

Oh well, we are off in the morning for another 3 1/2 hour drive on our way north.

St. George State Park, St. George Sound, FL

March 10, 2013 5:45 PM

Long drive today.  Or so it seemed to me behind the wheel with a) losing an hour of sleep to daylight savings time, and b) backtracking 225 miles because my Navigator, Kerri, honest mistake,  booked us North/South/North campgrounds this week.  But it was worth it.

Our campsite on St. George Island – Cozy!

St. George Island is a gorgeous barrier reef island on the Gulf coast.  Nine miles of undeveloped beaches and dunes surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Apalachicola Bay.  There is ample opportunity for kayaking either the ocean (bit choppy) or the Bay (much smoother), or just walk along miles of pristine beachfront. The campground is a bit too tightly packed for my taste, but we have sufficient privacy, tucked away beneath shady pines and oaks.

I have to be honest.  Florida has never been a favorite state of mine.  Although I was born here (Jacksonville Naval Hospital), I left when I was a few weeks old and I’ve lived in seven states and three other countries that put Florida to shame.  This is the first time I’ve been here since I was in the fourth grade on a field trip from the Bahamas.  The state has always reminded me of an endless strip mall.  That said, these past two weeks has started to alter my prejudices and preconceptions.  Cedar Key and now, St. George Island, has seduced me!  The sunrises and sunsets are incredible.  Guess the lesson here is to stay on the left side of the state.

Low Key Hideaway, Cedar Key, Florida

What do you do after you’ve spent more than 1 1/2 years and over 30,000  miles of back-road traveling around North America, with our only goal being to find the coolest little towns and beautiful scenery our country has to offer?

For Kerri and I,  we decided the unofficial purpose of this trip was to search for and find a place to  settle down, hopefully in one of the funkiest little towns we found along the way.  To that end, we have to add Cedar Key, Florida to the short list.  If you’ve never been to Cedar Key, then you’re in for a treat. It’s not the fancy, touristy, artsy, scene like you might find in so many other places in Florida that all seem to blend together. Nope, it’s got a charm all its own. The same laid back atmosphere, and moving at the same slow pace it’s had going since the mid-1500’s when the Spanish first mapped the area.

Heck, the town is so small it doesn’t even have a stop light!

Make sure you bring your camera and your binoculars because you’re in for a treat when you visit Cedar Key if you are a birder. Ospreys, Bald Eagles, White Pelicans, Egrets, Herons….the list goes on and on for pages.

Images of Cedar Key, Florida

We have spent the past week in Cedar Key in a cute little motel/RV park called the Low Key Hideaway.  It’s a tiny little place (only room for four RVs and only 5 motel rooms, but what it lacks in size, it makes up heaps in charm and character.

Early morning at the Low Key Hideaway

You don’t have to be a guest at Low Key Hideaway to enjoy its best feature…the Tiki Bar.  The  small 100 square foot bar is located right behind the cabins, on the waterfront.  The sunsets from this setting are spectacular!!

The Hideaway Tiki Bar