The Florida Panhandle

We have been traveling across the Florida panhandle for the last week. We are now in Carrabelle, waiting on a good window to cross the Gulf to the Tampa area. There are about 10 other looper boats here waiting with us. But I get ahead of myself...

The weather has been cooler and overcast at times, but the wind and water have cooperated to give us smooth traveling. The Florida panhandle has an intercoastal waterway, but not exactly like the east coast. There are barrier islands along the coast that create somewhat protected waters, but the water can be miles wide. In some areas, we have been in a river or a man-made "ditch" or a cypress swamp.

Along our cruise, we have stayed in Ft. Walton Beach, Panama City, Apalachiacola and now Carrabelle. When Steve was working at First Air Force the last few years before he retired, he became friends with John (Waldo) and Shelley Hampton. While we were in Panama City, John and Shelley brought their new boat over to our marina and hung out with us. It was good to see them again! Our family had Christmas dinner at their house one year while Steve was working down there. Our last night at Panama City, we were joined by Last Dance. They are staying at St. Joe for Christmas, so we won't see them again until we get farther down the coast.

We haven't done lots of sightseeing because of trying to get here quickly. In a nutshell, it takes anywhere from 16 to 30 hours of running to cross the Gulf, depending on your route and how fast you can go. As you all know, we go pretty slow. We are anticipating 20-24 hours. You want to do this when the forecast is for calm seas and wind. November only offered 5 such days. We didn't want to miss a good opportunity. As of today, it looks like Thursday or Friday will be good. If so, there will be a mass exodus of looper boats from the marina here. In the meantime.... well you know what happens when you get several looper boats together!

This is a jellyfish about a foot or two under the water.

This is another one - there were lots of them!

Beautiful sand dunes

Easter Island yard sculpture.

In the park at Fort Walton Beach

Also at Ft. Walton Beach

Ditto

This was outside a very cool and very delicious restaurant

Lots of antiques and military memorabilia

Gemini is wearing a wreath and Christmas lights

There is a paleo-Indian temple mound here in Ft. Walton Beach, and this is a museum with exhibits of artifacts

The temple mound is about 20 ft high

This is a reproduction of what the temple might have looked like, although the roof would have been covered in tufts of grass.

Leaving Ft. Walton Beach early

The boat on the end belongs to John (Waldo) and Shelley Hampton. We're in Panama City now.

Sunset at Panama City

Moonrise at Panama City

Another sunset photo

Here we are with Shelley and John

The Gulf is through there - not ready for that yet

Part of our trip has been through a cypress swamp

So I put my basil in a festive container and bought a Christmas cactus

These pelicans were following the fishermen. I called out to them that the pelicans were waiting for them to catch something

About that time, the lady in the back caught one, and the pelican actually flew up there and tried to get it!

More cypress swamp

The cypress swamp emptied into a shallow lake

Apalachiacola

Looks like a fish jumping, but it's a pelican flying by

More Apalachiacola

The marina office

Leaving Apalachiacola

Coming into Carrabelle