Lazy Days in the Panhandle

This chapter covers Feb 28 & Mar. 1, which were by and large low activity days. In the mornings, we hung out in the A/S reading books and internet news.

On Wednesday afternoon we hooked up with another couple from Wisconsin and visited the San Blas Peninsula off the coast of Port St. Joe. That strip of land juts out into the Gulf, with St. Joe Bay on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other. They're just beginning to build housing developments out there, with oceanside homes (not oceanfront) starting at about $1 Million. At the end of the island sits the St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, a beautiful piece of land with beaches on all sides and camping for 120 rigs. On the way back, we stopped at a local BBQ restaurant called The Sand Bucket. We ordered "The Sampler" which was a three-level dish for two with brisket, grilled chicken, pulled pork, sausage and baby back ribs. As a friend of ours would say, we ate like Vikings.

Thursday afternoon had us exploring the town of Port St. Joe, pop. 3,500. It's right on the Gulf. It got it's name from the original St. Joseph Paper Company mill that was stationed there. The deep water port facilitated the transport of logs and other supplies to the mills. Today the town of PSJ is a clean and well kept with a main street area that runs for about 10 blocks, with stores and restaurants -good ones we hear - on both sides of the street. It's one of those southern places where no one locks their door and where everyone says 'hey' and 'how y'all' when passing on the street. We sometimes wondered if they knew we were Yankees. I think our touristy clothes probably gave us away. The homes around the town are mainly small bungalows, many of which are being remodeled and sold - flipped - because the demand is rising. All in all, a great place to visit if ever in Florida's Panhandle.