PANAMA CITY SWALLOWED US UP BUT WE ESCAPED TO MEXICO BEACH AND BEYOND

YEP SURE LOOKS LIKE WE ARE IN FLORIDA ALRIGHT

Despite being in an RV Park with so many people close by it was a very quiet night and I had the best sleep in a long time.  How nice to not have rumbling trucks going by.  And I must admit it sure is nice being hooked up to water and electric for a change.  On our walk this morning not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.

MISTY MORNING WATERS NOT FAR BEHIND OUR MOTORHOME THIS MORNING

 

NO ALIMAGATORS IN THIS POND, JUST TURTLES

Although the RV’s seem packed in pretty tight to us this is still a nice RV Park once one gets out for a walk around.  Behind our rig is a nice open grassy area for Pheebs and a short distance from that a nice pond.  No Gators!!  An easy wide walking trail  leads through stands of tall pine trees.  A soft mist hung in the morning’s still air and oh how I like to hear the sounds of birds in the trees.  Hard to see them but I could hear them.

NICE WIDE WALKING TRAIL

Hadn’t had the Jeep off the rig’s tow bar since hooking it up at Janna and Mikes a week ago so this morning off it came.  With maps and phones in hand we three all piled into the Jeep and headed south down highway 231 to Panama City to see what we could see.  I think there are more ‘Dollar General stores and Churches of all kinds here than there are leaves on the trees.  I guess my question is, why so many Dollar General Stores and why so many Churches?? 

WE WONDERED WHAT THESE VERY SOFT DELICATE SPONGY THINGS ON THE GROUND WERE

WE GROW THIS VERY SAME TYPE OF MUSHROOM IN OUR YARD BACK HOME IN BAYFIELD ONTARIO

WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THESE SINEWY LITTLE SPIDER LIKE PATCHES ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE….THEY ARE IN THE TREES, ON THE GROUND, EVERYWHERE

 

Panama City was waaaay bigger than what I had figured and it soon swallowed us up.  Never saw so many McDonalds.  Traffic swept us out to the west end of the city but it was the east end of the city we were aiming for so we had to U-turn ourselves and retrace our steps back along highway 98.  We could see ocean front close by to the south of us so we deeked off 98 and down some back streets until we found a spot to pull over and go stick our fingers in some real salt water.  Even Pheebs got the bottoms of her paws wet.  I’m glad she’s not a water dog that goes barreling into every body of water she sees.  Makes things easier all way round.

SLIPPING AROUND A FEW PANAMA CITY BACKSTREETS WE FOUND OUR WAY TO THE WATERS OF THE GULF

THIS WAS OUR FIRST BEACH ENCOUNTER

KELLY CHECKS THE GULF’S WATER TEMPERATURE AND TELLS ME IT’S WARM

THOUGHT THIS LITTLE SHELL WOULD MAKE A NICE SOUVENIR BUT WHEN WE PICKED IT UP THERE WAS SOMEBODY LIVING INSIDE SO WE CAREFULLY PUT IT BACK

LITTLE GIRL PLAYING BY THE SEASHORE

We did actually have a few destinations today with one of them being a place called Mexico Beach.  We also had some other campsites to scout out as well.  We have actually slowed ourselves down here in the Florida Panhandle for a reason.  We’re looking around and getting a feel for things in case at some point our beloved South-western States become a too distant destination for us.  I’ll have more to say about this in another post.  It’s cooler in the Panhandle than further South and with neither Kelly or I liking heat and humidity anymore a moderate winter climate is a must.  Staying home for the winter is still a priority No-No situation so we have to think seriously about our future winter options.  We plan to check out a few spots just over the Georgia border in a few weeks as well.

Heading east from Panama City we travelled through the large Tyndall Air Force Base home to the F-22A Raptor.  I was really hoping to catch a glimpse of the low flying Raptors near their base but since it was Sunday they weren’t flying.

We liked Mexico Beach a lot more than Panama City simply because it is much smaller and not manically crazy with hordes of traffic.  Spotted a public pier so pulled in and I went out to the end of it for some photos while Pheebs and Kelly stayed in the Jeep.  While waiting she met a couple from Orillia Ontario. 

I’VE ALWAYS LIKED THE BIGGER BOLDER COLORS PEOPLE SOMETIMES USE ON THEIR HOUSES AND BUISNESS’S

THESE ARE ALL RENTALS JUST STEPS AWAY FROM THE WHITE SANDY BEACHES NEAR THE LONG PUBLIC PIER

KELLY EXPRESSED AND INTEREST IN SEAFOOD SO BEFORE LEAVING PANAMA CITY WE STOPPED AT MCDONALDS AND I HAD A FISH SANDWICH…..IN MEXICO BEACH KELLY GOT A SHRIMP PO’BOY SANDWICH

THESE ARE BEACH FRONT RENTALS

Been many, many, years since I last seen the long wide white sandy beaches of Florida so I thoroughly enjoyed  looking along the beach fronts bordering the big blue Gulf Of Mexico with it’s huge towering cloud formations overhead.  The only time I ever enjoyed swimming in water that didn’t feel freezing cold to me was back in the mid 80’s south of Puerto Vallarta Mexico at a place called Mismaloya beach onetime.

TOOK  MYSELF FOR A NICE WALK OUT THIS LONG PIER

WIDE WHITE SANDY BEACH TO THE WEST

THIS SURFER WAS THE ONLY PERSON I SAW IN THE WATER

WIDE WHITE SANDY BEACH TO THE EAST

THAT FELLA IN THE BLUE SHIRT JUST HAD A HAMMERHEAD SHARK BREAK HIS LINE BEFORE I GOT THERE

From Mexico Beach we continued East along highway 98 to Port St Joe then cut up highway 71 to Wewahitchka looking for the Dead Lake Campground which we found but it didn’t appeal to us.  Driving further North to Blounstown we asked in a gas station about camping areas and they suggested a place called Auggies.  It was on our way back to the rig so we checked that one out too but again it was a no.  We were back to the rig shortly after 3 which meant it had been a 6 hour day trip.  It’s a flat forested landscape here and the scenery doesn’t change too much from one mile to the next.  Too bad Florida doesn’t have some good old mountains……………

THIS LARGE TRUCK CAB HAULS THAT FIFTH WHEEL SO CAN YOU FIND WHERE THEIR TOW CAR IS??

It was 12:15 today when we had to finally switch the A/C on in the Jeep and upon arriving back at the rig we turned one our coaches roof airs on as well.  I don’t know who ever invented air conditioning but thank-you, thank-you, thank-you:))))))

BIG SKIES HERE IN FLORIDA

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A police officer sees a man driving around with a pickup truck full of penguins. He pulls the guy over and says, "You can't drive around with penguins in this town! Take them to the zoo immediately."  The guy obliges and drives away.  The next day, the officer sees the same guy driving around with the truck full of penguins again. This time, though, all the penguins are wearing sunglasses.  The police officer pulls the guy over and says, "I thought I told you to take these penguins to the zoo yesterday?"  The guy replies, "I did, and today I'm taking them to the beach."

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A man is at work one day when he notices that his co-worker is wearing an earring.  This man knows his co-worker to be a normally conservative fellow, and is curious about his sudden change in "fashion sense."  The man walks up to him and says, "I didn't know you were into earrings."  "Don't make such a big deal out of this, it's only an earring," he replies sheepishly.  His friend falls silent for a few minutes, but then his curiosity prods him to say, "So, how long have you been wearing one?"
"Ever since my wife found it in my truck..."

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