Travels with haRVy

After the Bulli Brigade outing, we drove up the Gulf Coast a few hours where we came upon Florida’s “Nature” or “Hidden” Coast. If I had known more about this area beforehand, we would have spent more time here as it presents lots of opportunities to get out into what some consider more “Old Florida” surroundings. We arrived in the little coastal town of Steinhatchee with just enough time to pick-up a pizza and find a parking spot before sunset. The photo below shows the harbor-side spot we chose to boondock.

We didn’t get to enjoy the scenery much that evening, but below is a bit of the view from haRVy the next morning and a few other photos I took during my morning walk around.

That sign you probably can’t easily read says, “Library Now Open.” Yep, that little building is the town’s only lending library. Gotta love small town living!

We headed back out after breakfast on our way up the coast, stopping for lunch on Alligator Point and a brief walk on the beach at Bald Point State Park.

Our lunch time view.

Bald Point State Park

During these short days it’s not long after lunch that we have to start planning where we will spend the night. St. George Island looked interesting on the map, so we decided to check it out. While the island did not prove terribly captivating (except for the beautiful white sand beach that ran the length of it), Al decided to try boondocking on an empty house lot directly on the Gulf waterfront. I never thought we’d get away with it for an overnight, but agreed to park long enough for another beach walk and dinner aboard. When nobody paid us any mind, we decided to stay put. We even got to watch a pod of dolphins frolicking a few yards offshore. This spot ranks right up there with some of the best real estate we’ve camped on for FREE!

Dinner time view before sunset.

Sunrise the next morning.

Now we’re in Fort Walton Beach staying in the back yard of a friend I raced Prindle Catamarans with in the 70’s. Randy has a great set-up here on charming little Lake Earl that leads into Choctowatchee Bay and eventually the Gulf. We have already paddled the lake, bay, and nearby Chico Bayou. However, our outdoor activities were brought to a halt when a cold front brought in near freezing temperatures and high winds last night. Today’s high was only in the 50’s, which felt mighty cold after enjoying average temperatures 20 to 30 degrees warmer for the past few weeks.

View from haRVy

Launching from Randy’s yard.

Randy has been a great host making us feel right at home and welcome to stay as long as we want. We’ve had a good time playing with Randy and his three children at what he calls the “Fun Zone.” There are definitely lots of toys to play with here. Upon arrival Randy and his son Matthew took us for a motorboat ride around the bay just before sunset. We rode our bikes to Tijuana Flats for dinner on Taco Tuesday and have played several games of pool in the evenings. Today’s cool weather prompted some time off from the fun so I could get caught up on some client work, laundry, shopping, and travel planning while Al took care of some of the chores on his list. More of the same tomorrow plus preparing to get back underway.