Panama City to Apalachicola

We spent two nights at the PC City Marina, which was right next to the old section of town.  Wasn’t much happening at all in that part of town, so we walked to the few restaurants which were there.  Seems that everything has moved out to PC Beach.

At the eastern edge of St Andrews Bay, the
oystermen are using tongs to scoop the oyster beds.
A really hard way to make a living, but Sue's glad they do!

We did get our exercise walking about 4 miles to the county tax collector & back.  "What the heck for?", you ask.  Before we left New Orleans we finally scrapped the inflatable dinghy which was only 3 years old, but I had patched and sealed at least 4 dozen air leaks.  Since the Admiral refused to go to the Keys and Bahamas without a dinghy, we ran out to our favorite place to spend money (West Marine) and bought an inexpensive HDPE dinghy.  Even if it lasts only 2 years, it’s still a better deal than what we had.  But we had purchased it only days before we departed New Orleans, intending to title and register it whenever we could.  Panama City was the place.

A calm morning in Apalachicola, looking at the
US 98 Bridge over the ICW

Wednesday April 27 was windy (SE winds 15-20 mph), which was right on our bow, so we had 25 mph winds over the deck all day.  Luckily we traveled in the ICW, which was like a canal and river all the way to Apalach.  We have noticed that we’re not as hesitant about travel or docking conditions, as we were when we passed this way 3 years ago.  Maybe we have a bit more crusty salt on our skin.

Overlooking the Apalachicola River at sunrise

Obviously, a half dozen isn't enough!

We spent 2 nights in Apalachicola, eating lots of ersters, walking the eclectic shops in town, and preparing for our overnight crossing of the Big Bend “armpit” of Florida.  Looks like it will be a 20-hr run straight to Clearwater Beach.  These kinds of trips make the “pucker factor” increase exponentially.  Each crossing will be memorable, because it was either a trip through hell, or a stroll through heaven.

Back on the craft beer trail, we find the
Oyster City Brewing Company and their "flight of 8"

We found a botanical garden in Apalachicola
& noted this huge osprey nest at the top of the city's water tower.