What's an Apalachicola?

November 19, 2010

The Gulf Intercoastal WaterWay (GIWW) is the safest way to travel through the Gulf of Mexico.  It is a protected waterway broken by wide sounds and bays (some islands of the Gulf Island National Seashore are between the mainland and the Gulf of Mexico). The parts of the GIWW that are not sounds or bays are "ditches" that connect the bays.  Our travels from Ft. Walton to Burnt Creek where we anchored for the night were through large bodies of water and the "ditches" which connect them.  Our anchorage in Burnt Creek was pleasant but we did have concerns about getting Buddy to shore for his exercise and doing his business. The terrain didn't look promising and when we got to shore and put a foot into the water, the mud sucked our shoes off.  No, let's find a better spot!  Nothing looked any better.  We flagged down a DEP ranger (who had earlier checked us for life jackets!) and he directed us two miles to a park ramp "up the creek, past the shrimp boats" where Buddy had a chance to do his thing.  Local knowledge saved the day...we would never have found this spot on our own.

Burnt Creek shrimp boat

Right bank of the "ditch"

left bank of the "ditch"

 From Burnt Creek we traveled through the "ditch" to Port St. Joe, a sleepy town that used to be a major port until 1841 when Yellow Fever took 69% of its population and then a hurricane took out the remaining residents.  It never recovered and today it's major import is snowbirds waiting out the winter.  Biking here was very pleasant as the traffic is minimal.  We biked quite a few miles to find the cemetery with the yellow fever mass graves-makes you think about how far medicine has come...
Port St. Joe began Eastern Standard Time...feels like home again-almost...

Yellow Fever mass graves

 

Port St. Joe sunset

We stayed in Port St. Joe for three nights and saw pretty much seen everything they had to offer and ate in all their restaurants so we needed to move on.  Again we followed the "ditch", not the most exciting surroundings, to Apalachicola, Florida.

Now this is a cute tourist town!  Shipping cotton was Apalachicola's big industry in the port's early days; then cypress forests led to big lumber mills and then to oysters and other seafood.  Let me tell you how great their oysters and shrimp are!  If people could O.D. on them, we would be the ones.  They are delicious-we will probably never be able to eat another one anywhere else without comparing them to these oysters and shrimp!  We found a fish market that steams the shrimp for you with some seasoning on them--oah la la!
The town has a variety of boutiques, nautical collectible shops, galleries, restaurants and even an original soda fountain-when was the last time you saw that!  The buildings are originals, lending itself to the quaintness of the place.

Florida humor

Marina welcome sign-and they mean it!

Soda fountain that works!

Collectibles

Pelicans keep us amused

3 pounds of shrimp and 24 oysters for four-now that's  a feast

We were here for a week, waiting for a good weather window to cross the Gulf of Mexico.  The Gulf Intercoastal Waterway ends in Carrabelle and picks up in Tarpon Springs so we have to cross in open water and the trip takes about 20 hours.  Buddy won't eliminate on the boat (20 hours is too long to hold it) so our good friend Walter McCarthy is driving from his Florida home to Carrabelle to make the overnight trip with Pete while I will drive his van back with Buddy and Geri to his home.  We need calm seas and light winds and so far, Tuesday and Wednesday look like acceptable conditions.
Tomorrow (Monday) we move on to Carrabelle to be in a better position to make the crossing-we're planning for a Tuesday/Wednesday trip but if Wed/ Thurs is better we'll do that.  Other Loopers have joined us here in Apalachiacola-Laura and Bill (Monkey Girl), Gloria and Jim (Crawdad), Pete and Anna (Blue Yonder) and of course, Art and Sandra (Magoo).  There may be five boats making the crossing-safety in numbers? or misery likes company?- can't figure which one fits better.

Blue Yonder, Magoo, Tony M,  Crawdad, Monkey Girl

Anyway, tonight Monkey Girl invited all of us for a pulled pork dinner-these Loopers know how to party!

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving with family and friends...we miss you all!