Lorrand RVers: St Joseph Peninsula State Park

Monday February 10, 2014

Destination - St Joseph Peninsula State Park

Today was our travel day, a four and a half hour - 422 mile trip. It was very rewarding and pleasant. It started with 6ºC and a nice sunrise at 7:15am . We were packed and ready to leave by 9:10am. The temperature rose to 8ºC and the sun was most welcoming.

We took #301 South towards Waldo and Gainesville, turned onto FL #24 linking up to FL#27 West just past I-75. We were now on a single-lane highway. The elevation was 106 feet and there Bayous along the road. We passed over the Suwanee River and pasted through several small towns.

By 10:00am we were getting hungry so I brought out our snacks of muffins, hard-boiled eggs, cooked sausages pieces, sliced cheese, crackers and water.

Some 69 miles later ,at Perry on the Florida Panhandle, we turned onto the Coastal Highway FL#98 West. By this time it was 11:20am and the temperature was now 17ºC. We stopped at a very spacious filling station, Rocky, for diesel.

Along the way we saw light beige soil mounds- mole hills; many old building that was filled with rusty stuff that would be good for ' Antique Pickers' and State Correctional Institutes.

There hay farms, cattle feed lots, goats and chicken barns, and several trucks hauling trees.

We drove through road construction at River Aucilla near St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge. The road was very near the Panhandle shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico.

We drove over a long bridge over an inlet, through Panacea, Lanark , Carabelle, Eastpoint and Apalachicola.

The homes looked very new and were built on stilts, giving them a high look-out of the Gulf. It was now 1:50pm and the elevation was 20 feet.

In early afternoon we turned onto FL #30A then to Cape San Blas Road into St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. We stopped at the registration office to confirm our site in Shady Pines Campsite for $25.00 night, we booked two nights. It gave us water and electricity, but no WIFI.

The roads into the sites were narrow with tall trees close along each side. Our site had a cement pad and Randal had no problem backing in, narrowly missing one tree.

The map indicated a time zone change from Eastern to Central Time. We were told that there would be a difference as to where we were. It was 2:30pm when we arrived and was anxious to get set up and walk to the beach.

There are sand dunes, which are off limits for walk, but the park has provided wooden walkways to get to the beach. There are 9.5 miles of white sands beaches to walk along.

Camping supplies and food would have to be brought in as the nearest stores and filling stations were an hour drive to Port St. Joe, back on FL#30A and FL#98, West. At the campsite our GPS said the filling station is only 6 mile E. But in reality to drive there on a road is 14 miles South, East and North.

Before we had supper we walked back to the beach for sunset pictures.

The park is full of campers who are very friendly. It is much quieter here and there are no park lights. We will not miss the trains that ran several times during the night in Starke, that effected our sleep.