Nov 19
We continue to make good progress pushing along the Florida panhandle. Another 50+ mile day today. We really have been fortunate with good weather as we’ve crossed this area. Nice sunny days, good temperatures, minimal wind. There are some open but shallow waters which I’m sure could kick up some wave action given the opportunity. The sunset yesterday just sort of faded to darkness and was pretty uneventful but this mornings sunrise more than made up for it. Great way to start the day.
Sunrise in Pearl Bayou
Our trip today was sort of a whirlwind of naturalist activities. We started the day in a saltwater bay just past Panama Beach and again were treated to multiple dolphin sightings. Next we made a long passage through a winding man made cut/river that’s miles away from the beach. It goes back behind Mexico Beach which was ground zero for Hurricane Michael last year. Even miles back from the beach the devastation was unreal. An unbelievable number of trees were twisted, mangled and just snapped in two. Pretty amazing to think about the sheer force of that storm.
After that we crossed a shallow lake. Most of it only 5’ deep but as they say, “Just stay in the channel and it’s not a problem”. Good wildlife watching - herons, eagles, egrets, pelicans, osprey, etc. Almost disappointed we haven’t seen an alligator yet. As we came back towards the coast and picked up the Apalachicola River the marshy flat swamplands gave up the pine forests we had been seeing in favor of cypress trees and Palmetto brush growing along the water’s edge.
Shrimper headed out
Not sure if this RR bridge is used anymore, but at least they keep it open
We got tied up at one of the docks in town and headed over Oyster City Brewing Company to sample a flight of their craft beers. Apalachicola is known for their oysters but since neither Martha nor I are big fans of them we just had a more pedestrian meal of seafood.
Journey for Nov 19
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