B.A., Political Science, NIU, 1971
Business owner, TopHat Chimney Service, 1978-1992
General Manager, Spokane Fireplace & Patio, 1992-2008
Ironman Canada, 2010
Ironman Coeur d'Alene, 2011
School Bus Nomad, 8000 miles through western states, 1974
Travel Trailer Nomad, 10,000 miles through Gulf south, 2015-2016
Travel Trailer Nomad, 6,000 miles so far western states, 2016
Eastbank Campground, Lake Seminole, GA., 196 mile jump
This is Lake Seminole built by the Army Corp of Engineers in 1957. The dam controls the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint River systems. We stayed here two years ago; Penny started her mural here. Campers across the creek were here then, too, and remembered us. They were glad to see the finished mural. Penny is fired up to do another mural in the next two weeks. We need to reposition the trailer to allow her to paint on the north side away from the hot sun.
I hope to take pictures of a four trees daily over the fourteen days we are here to see them bud and/or even leaf out. Here are the first shots:
This was a day of adventure! We saw an eclectic group of sites: the art museum, hot spot, spiders, crabs, gators, dinosaurs, stonehenge, pirates and music!
Donna and I lived a short distance from each other in Rockford, IL; we went to the same high school and graduated together 50 years ago. She, too, likes to travel, but on a much more grand scale. She travels the world! A few trips every year. Next up is the “Stans”, a thirty day trek: Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. She’s traveled through the desert on camelback and slept in palatial tents. She is amazing!
This was the most unique churches I have ever seen! It appears to be an old storefront repurposed as as church. Folding chairs were crammed into rows and a table was the altar next to a typical podium. There were some typical Catholic ornaments such as the stations of the cross on the walls, a crucifix, statues of Mary and Joseph, but that was it. No stained glass or murals, but the basics sufficed. There is a Catholic church in Apalachicola, St. Patrick’s, in fact. This appeared to be a satellite venue for the SGI crowd.
After brunch, Penny and I ventured to the protected east end of the island on our bikes. It is about 5 miles to the tip of the island and we were about to explore it. Cars require special permits to drive out there which curtails the number; we only saw two on the road and another in the parking lot at the end of the road. From there it’s still more than a 1/2 mile to the extreme east end.
The road was rough with gravel, soft sand and potholes.
Penny’s taken the lead through the dunes!
Brown pelicans greet us as we rack our bikes and shed our shoes.
Eastern Sandpiper
Young Willet
Pretty bird looking for shells.
At the extreme end of the island, I could walk from the intercostal water side to the Gulf side in about 100 yards. Looking west:
The SGI bridge is 5 miles long. Penny dropped me and my bike at the lighthouse on SGI; I rode with the wind north to the mainland in about 13 minutes. I was doing 30MPH for awhile! Then, I rode back to the lighthouse against the wind in 23 minutes. From there, I rode 8 miles east to the campground in about 34 minutes. 18.1 miles in 1:10:40; not bad for an old guy! Great fun!
St. George Island (SGI) SP, Eastport, Fl., 53 mile jump
Today we reversed course a bit. SGI is east of PSJ SP; but as a park in high demand, it takes a bit of luck to get a reservation there. Last year we found a week available online at midnight. This year we scored four days through persistence. This reversal of direction would be well worth it. This area is known as the “Forgotten Coast”; it is quaint and nostalgic like out of the sixties. There are no high rises or chain restaurants; it is all local. Great scenery, great people, great fun!
Apalachicola is a fishing village struggling to survive versus over fishing, diminished estuary flow and the BP oil spill. It is beautiful and a vibrant tourist town.
The SGI bridge to the mainland in Eastport.
The Apalachicola Bay bridge between Eastport and Apalachicola
Lots of folks live in their house/sail boats in the marina.
The boat launch in the marina.
The fishing dock on the Apalachicola River
A Laughing Gull in its breeding plumage.
The Oyster City Brewing Company is our favorite stop in Apalachicola. It’s a small volume brew pub, but their beers are excellent. They don’t can or bottle; no food but popcorn. Open 2-9 with open doors and windows, dogs, kids and parrots, it’s a riot! You can drink your beer out on the street! I swear the beers are aphrodisiac because you can strike up a conversation with another patron and feel like you’ve met a long lost friend!
Penny enjoying the crowd!
This side of the corner is crowded.
The parrot will sit on your shoulder for a picture.
This is our last day at PSJ. It has been fun! One of the nightly events we haven’t showed you is the sunset gathering. The number of viewers varies, but most of the time a couple dozen folks, many carrying a beverage, cross the dunes via the boardwalks to admire the setting sun. A little cloud cover makes for better color. Tonight was a good one!
These sandpipers chase the surf as it flows out poking the sand looking for food before having to race up the beach to escape the next wave.
The dusk light warmed this stand of pines.
On to St. George Island, Apalachicola and Eastport!
After our morning rituals of mediation, reading and Tai Chi, I chose to take advantage of the light winds; I went for a 15 mile ride in under an hour. That was fun! Then the skies darkened and the rain kept us inside for most of the afternoon. By late afternoon we had cabin fever and the rain subsided, so we went for a long walk north along the boardwalk to our first campground, then east a hundred yards to the park road and south back to our new campground, We do get lots of exercise; with Penny’s cooking we are very healthy!
Penny made fried oysters last night. We ate the leftovers raw for lunch, YUM!
Then, we drove all the way to St. George Island to a sports bar for dinner and the Gonzaga vs Brigham Young WCC Championship game. She had grilled shrimp, I had grilled Mahi. Zags won 78-58!
Up early for a walk, the dunes on the Gulf side presented pleasant views:
South
North
We drove all over trying to find a sports bar for the Gonzaga WCC semi-final game at 9 pm. Everything was closed, so we went to a hot spot provided by the park to listen to the game on the radio. Zags won!
