Camping, but no internet!

June 25, 2019, St. George Island State Park—I am writing this on June 25, but unfortunately I will not be able to post anything until we return home. No internet! Yikes! I feel so isolated. I am not one of those people who has her nose in the phone all day long, but I rely on the internet to get my news (no more print newspaper), to get mail (virtually nothing comes via snail mail any more), and to shop (except for clothes and food, we do most of our shopping on eBay and Amazon Prime). I rare use the phone to talk, but having it with me keeps me connected. I guess I will survive for five more nights without cyber activity.

St. George Island State Park is on the Forgotten Coast of Florida, in the Panhandle. It is an island in the Gulf of Mexico, about 265 miles from Jacksonville. This is the third time we have stayed in this area. The first was in 2015, on our way back from the Midwest. We stayed at Ho Hum RV Park, a park that boasts no amenities except for being directly on the gulf. We had a delightful time.

The second time, November 2017, we booked a reservation at T. H. Stone memorial State Park outside of Port St. Joseph on St. Joseph Bay. We truly enjoyed that vacation, fishing in the gulf as well as in St. Joseph Bay. That state park was severely damaged in the hurricane a year ago when Mexico Beach, Fla., was decimated, and still has not reopened.

A heron, one of many shore birds, at St. George Island State Park. 

St. George Island State Park is across the St. George Inlet from Apalachicola and Eastpoint. Not much on this island. It seems to be an area for vacation homes. But the park is lovely. The dunes remind me of the sand dunes at Lake Michigan. Most sand dunes in Florida have sea grapes (or oats?) growing on them, to protect them from erosion. The sea grapes block any view of the water from the roadside. Not so, here.

This is our second excursion in our truck camper. We learned much from our first outing a couple weeks ago. This time, we were smarter in how we packed our gear. We discovered that by folding up the rear seat in the back of the truck, we were able to stow most of our equipment, rather than put it in the aisle of the camper.

We also purchased a stand-alone tent shelter, where we can sit outside and not be bothered by insects. I don’t know why we didn’t do that years ago! For less than $100, we can now enjoy the outdoors. (I’ll not dwell on the heat and humidity that detract from this small pleasure.)

We purchased a stand-alone tent shelter where we can sit outside without (mostly) being bothered by mosquitoes and other annoying insects. I don't know why we didn't buy one 10 years ago! It is very nice to sit outside and enjoy nature and a fire.

Our aim, as always, is to No. 1, have a good time, and No. 2, go fishing. We spent several hours on the beach today, surf fishing. Nary a bite! Jim doesn’t care. He likes to sit and ponder the mysteries of life while watching the waves break. I admit I am less patient; I like to at least have a few nibbles.

Maybe tomorrow.

Until later,

Your Reluctant RoVer,

Linda