On the Road Again - Florida Panhandle

On Monday, Jan 5, we said "Good bye" to John and Mary. We will not see them again until April. We have traveled together for the past 2 winters and have enjoyed their company but they are busy with their volunteer jobs at Wycliffe and their many new friends. We headed west toward the Gulf coast of Florida. We like to take roads closest to the water. The first night we spent at the Walmart in Chiefland and then continued along Florida's Big Bend - a largely empty area but we did see several logging trucks. At lunch we stopped at Carrabelle Beach - in WW2 it was a training area for the Normandy invasion by US troops. Next stop was St George Island State Park at the mouth of Apalachicola Bay. The sand has a sugary consistency and miles of it - we had a looong walk along it on Wed morning. We saw trees around the campground that showed past evidence of being tapped for turpintine. This area produces 10% of the US oyster crop and sponges have been a prime product in the past. Dr John Gorrie invented the predecessor of the modern air conditioner here to alleviate the misery of yellow fever patients. Apalachicola is a quaint restored village - we ended our day of exploration with an ice cream at a genuine drug store soda fountain