Grayton Beach State Park

 

 

Sunday March 22-Its moving day and both of us are excited. Its a new place we have never visited and its close so not far to drive. It was really foggy and wet to start the day, but we had plenty of time for it to dry. We aren't going to leave until close to check out time because its only about 30 miles to Grayton Beach and we don't want to have to wait there. We had traffic on our drive over but we expected that. After we got away from Panama City Beach the traffic cleared. Since this was our first time at this park we weren't positive on the route. The GPS had one way and my phone another. Went with the phone and it worked out great. You never know, we figured both would get us there but not always the best way. We arrived and found our site #58. Its located in the new loop and its a big roomy site that is very clean. We got in and before we could even set up we had visited with 2 different couples, and a camp host. Its very friendly here. Our site has 50 amp service with sewer and water. We love our spot. The park itself is very small, only 59 sites in the park. They have 2 loops, ours the newer and the older one which is not the best for big rigs. It has 30 amp service and no sewer. The shower house's (2) are nice and they have laundry facilities. After we finished setting up and a bit more visiting we walked to the beach which is about 1/2 mile walk.

Its only the first day here but as of now we are really loving this place.


Monday March 23- I woke up with a list of things I wanted to get done. I wanted to go start exploring a bit but needed to get my work done. I went for a walk and I noticed the lakes and flowers that are around. It must be spring in Florida.

After my walk and getting my work done, Jeff and I unloaded the bikes and kayaks. Then Jeff and I hopped on the bikes and found the bike path. We went left out of the park on 30A. It was a very nice path. All paved with lots to see. It passes by lakes, over little bridges, shops, restaurants, and views of the ocean.

We ended up riding about 8 miles. Jeff had a spot he wanted to find......Stinkys, its a bait shop. When we found it and went in both of us decided it was the nicest bait shop we had ever seen. She gave Jeff some tips on bait and what's been caught I was admiring there selection of t-shirts.

We made our way back to the campground and had some supper and I finished the laundry.


Tuesday March 24- The morning started off cloudy. I went on my walk. I've been walking to the beach every morning, its only about a mile but I love starting the day looking at that view every day. I think I must have some beach bum in me.

We took the bikes out for a ride. Jeff wanted to find The Red Bar, lots have recommended it. Its a little pricey and Jeff said I wouldn't like anything there. We spotted another bar there called Shorty's and they have live music everyday. We are going to go back for sure. Then back home for lunch and another trip to the beach. Jeff came with and tried fishing. It was so windy he just gave up.

After the beach we went to the store. It was the other way on 30A. Lots of stuff to see there. Have to take the bikes and check it out. Ended the day with a walk back to the beach to see the sunset. We met a couple there Simone & Luis...they just started full timing. We had a nice visit with them. They have traveled the world not just the states.

Wednesday March 25-Started my day with a walk to the beach unlike the other day its, not cloudy. It was so pretty and no people, so peaceful.

We decided to go back to the beach this afternoon. The wind seemed a bit less and the temperature a bit  warmer. Jeff again tried his luck at fishing but again no good.

After a few hours we loaded back up and headed back. Jeff had invited Simone and Luis over to visit. That's the couple we met on the beach. It was fun to hear about there world travels. Wow they really live life on the edge. We are definitely more into planning ahead. You meet the most interesting people out on the road.


Thursday March 26-Its cloudy this morning and looks like rain. I hurried to get my walk in. Jeff had time to walk as well. Looks like its gonna be a stay in kind of a day. Simone & Luis stopped by to say good bye. We exchanged cards and said our good byes.

It was pretty much rainy the rest of the day. We did get a small break so we took the dogs out for a quick walk around the loop. I spent a lot of my time quilting, getting close to finishing this one.



Friday March 27- It started out in the 60's but fell into the 50's with cool wind. We left early to make a Walmart run. Since it was early and there was a Waffle House up the road we decided to get breakfast. Then just to make the morning better across from the Waffle House was outlet malls. I just had to take a look. Made one more stop on the way home at the store. Unloaded our purchases when we got home. It wasn't too long before the sun came out. It felt a bit warmer so we hopped on the bikes to head for Seaside. We looked around at the unique shops and restaurants.

One thing that we thought was neat was these air streams they had lined up. They had all been converted to street side food vendors. They offered ice cream, grilled cheese, barbeque, hot dogs and smoothies. Lots of people were in line for the grill cheese sandwiches....like 25 deep. We went across the street and found the taco bar. Jeff and decided to get a little something. He got a taco and we shared some chips and salsa. Both were really good.

We did a little more walking around and looking at the shops. We found them to be a bit pricey. We did find a shop that sold fudge so we got a chunk of that to share. It was really good. We headed back home, we have left the dogs alone enough today. It was a windy ride on the way home, good thing we didn't go very far.

Saturday March 28-Brrrrrrrr its a chilly one this morning. It got down in the 40's last night. If you get cold weather you build a fire. It was nice cause the sun was shining but it was really cool. I did walk but I had on more clothes. We don't really do a lot on the weekends. Took a small bike ride. That's what Jeff loves about this area...the bike paths. Again since it was cool out we made a supper that's good in cool weather....turkey. It turned out really good. Jeff found the recipe on line. It was a very clear night so we decided to check out the sunset, boy were we glad we did. It was a beauty.

St Andrews week 2

Sunday March 15- It was suppose to be clear today but they were wrong. It was cloudy most of the day. We had some new neighbors pull in today and we gave them a hand putting up a screened tent. I took a short bike ride. We mostly just hung around and watched everyone else play. This park is way busier on the weekends. You can definitely tell when the weekend is here. We have another week here so we will play during the week.


Monday March 16-It was a beauty of a day. After running to town we decided to take our bikes to the beach.  Jeff brought his fishing stuff and he went out on the jetties to fish. There were lots of people trying to catch fish but the fish weren't having it. We did spot some dolphins.

After a couple hours of fishing Jeff joined me on the beach. There was plenty to watch. The sand is so white and very soft. The water is aqua and the slapping of the waves just never gets old.

The beach was a good way to spend the day. While here at St Andrews you often have free entertainment. The jets are always flying by......again with spring break they also have planes flying by with advertisement.

Tuesday March 17-Its another really nice day. After my walk Jeff and I got our bikes out. We drove around the park then out of the park to a local restaurant/market, Captain Andersons.  It wasn't open yet so we'll have to come back. When we stayed at this park before, we got a steak there that was really great. Then we stopped at a local seafood store to pick up some shrimp to take home to the family. Jeff also tried some red shrimp. They are suppose to taste more like lobster.
























After lunch I rode my bike to the beach for a couple of hours, Jeff decided to stay back.   I sat on the baby beach and its surrounded by jetties so its very calm.

Oh for all you Irish folk.......Happy St Patrick's Day.




Wednesday March 18- Both of us got our walks in. Me first and I decided to do the loop around the whole park. It goes from the campground to the front gate around by the beach. I think its about 2 miles. Really a nice walk. Jeff went on his walk to sandy point again, he really likes that walk. While Jeff was walking I enjoyed my second cup of coffee by the water with my pup.

 Later on in the day we rode our bikes back to Captain Andersons to get our filet. You get to pick which one you want. It looked so good. We made our way back home to get started on this yummy supper. I made twice baked potatoes, Jeff fixed his shrimp and the steak on the grill. It was the best supper we've had in a long time. Better than going out. After we took the dogs out for a walk and called it a night.


Thursday March 19-We have both really been good about getting our walks in. Its easy to want to walk when the scenery is so beautiful. I also loaded up Soffee and took her for a bike ride today around the park. She really is happy as long as she is with you. Since we haven't been out for a meal we decided to go tonight. Some of our neighbors recommended J Michaels. They told us the food was good with reasonable prices. We even knew where it was located. So away we went. They were right our food was really good and you got a lot for your money. Jeff had some fish and I had a burger, both were tasty.  Ended this day with a doggy walk around the park. I guess the bike ride today tired out Soffee cause I ended up carrying her for most of the walk. The deer here in this park are very used to people. We always see them in the evening at this one camp spot.

Friday March 20-Really foggy to start the day off. I went out to watch the sun come up but too foggy for that. I did watch a great blue heron fish for breakfast though.

After the fog had lifted I decided to join Jeff on this awesome walk he's been telling me about. It was very scenic indeed. First we walked out of the campground to the park area. We happened to see a turtle crossing the road. Then we started on the path. You got to go through the trees on to the beach by the bay. You walked around the point and followed the beach to the baby beach area by the jetties. Then we took the road back. It was a really nice walk, I should have done it sooner.

After we made it back and had our lunch I wanted to get another day at the beach before we had to leave. So Jeff came with me. It was the strangest thing. When we got there the fog started to roll in. I mean it was thick. You could feel the cool mist as it carried in to the beach. Then it would clear some but not for long it would return. I took pictures but they don't really give you the full effect.

Well we really enjoyed the park today. Its a great place and I'm glad we got to come back this year.



Saturday March 21-Another foggy morning. Our door latch is cracked so Jeff decided to make a trip to camping world to see if they had another....nope. While out decided to get breakfast at the Waffle House. Also filled up the truck to travel tomorrow. We hung out at our site today and watched the boat  traffic. We loaded up some of the stuff that we weren't going  use. After we made another trip into town on our bikes to get us another steak to put in the freezer. Jeff got more red shrimp to take home to the kids. Then we made one last very important stop to get a hermit crab. Of course we got a home for him as well. Now if we can keep him alive to get him home to our grandson. Its been a great 2 weeks here and this park was as wonderful as I remember. Tomorrow a short trip to a brand new park. Good bye St Andrews....

St. Andrews State Park

Sunday March 8- Well last night was spring forward, who don't like that?.....us. We had a long drive ahead of us. We got up early but that didn't do us any good because it was still dark. We do not like working in the dark. Soffee our weiner dog had another health issue so I was carrying her around, that made everything more difficult. I finally had to put her down, I put her on the picnic table like I always do. She won't usually jump off of anything. Well she decided she was superman or something and either jumped or fell....Jeff and I both held our breath but she wasn't injured. That just about ruined the day. We got on the road around 9. It was a nice day to travel and we didn't encounter any problems. A funny haha  Jeff was complaining about this spring forward thing all day then we realized that we are back in central time zone so we already are back to the fall time. It's a busy park, and its spring break. We had site #28, it has a water view of the bay that we all enjoyed.

We have been to this park before but it was 5 years ago. I didn't remember it being so busy but after getting out and exploring its worth it...love it here.


Monday March 9-I got up and went for a walk. Had to figure out my path and find the beach. There is so much wild life. I saw a big buck in the marsh area and a baby gator at Alligator lake. There are every kind of bird too. The beach was as beautiful as I remember.

We had friendly campers on both sides, so we spent a lot of the day visiting with them. It was nice out but the wind was chilly, but the sun was warm.

Tuesday March 10- One thing good about this site you can watch the sun come up behind you and I enjoyed it as much as I could. It always amazed me. After the sunrise I went for my walk, again I saw deer this time mom and her babies. Jeff went into town to get shrimp. It was suppose to be the pick day for kayaking. When he got back the wind had really picked up. It was too rough for me but Jeff went out. He didn't stay too long. It just kept getting worse. Not a bite for Jeff. The water seems to be to cold yet.

One thing good about this campground and our site is you don't really have to go any where its awesome right here.


Wednesday March 11-It started off really foggy. It took awhile for it to burn off. Jeff found a nice place to walk. He would walk a path to sandy point around the beach and then come back on the road.  Lots to see but he doesn't take pictures. I spent most of the day at the campsite, Soffee's not herself so I watched her.

We don't get bored around here cause of all there is to see. There is a lot of boat traffic behind us. Then there are all the critters, lots of birds.

Thursday March 12- It was so foggy this morning I didn't even go for a walk. We left the park today to go get groceries and some dog food. We wanted to leave early to avoid the traffic. Its spring break so we have tried to stay away from all that. It wasn't too bad. We went to Panama City instead of Panama City Beach. That seemed to be a good idea. When we got home Jeff went to the neighbors to help them. I tried to take my walk in the afternoon and I didn't like it....its really humid. Jeff fished behind the rig and we did spot a couple dolphin. The fish just aren't there.



Friday March 13-Its a rainy day...it rained on and off most of the day. I spent the day working on my quilt. When it quit raining Jeff went to the jettys to try and fish....nope no good. Nobody seems to be catching them. It was kind of a long day. I did get our doctor appointments set up when we get back. We are ready for the sunshine bring it back.

Saturday March 14- It started off kind of cloudy which made for a pretty sunrise. I made some homemade cinnamon rolls today....yum. It cleared up nice and the waters are calm. The sun shining and the temperatures are warm. We decided to take the boats out for a bit after lunch. It started out ok then everyone must have woke up and came out. They had that water worked up. I felt like a cork out there. We made it to sandy point, got out and walked around. Jeff even tried fishing.

After we made it back safe, I decided no more weekend kayaking for me. There is to much boat traffic for me. I'll just sit on the beach and watch it instead. Well that's a week already, boy the time goes fast here.