Hello everyone it was Tuesday, January 2^nd and day 17.  There is the old saying “all good things must come to an end”.  This saying was penned by Geoffrey Chaucer in his poem Troilus and Criseyde completed in mid-1380s in the context of the tragic love story of Troilus and Criseyde.  Today, this proverb or phrase has been used and interpreted in different ways that sometimes sounds more negative rather than positive.  So, while pondering on this proverb, I discovered someone added a little to make it more inspirational.  “All GOOD things must come to an end ‘to make way for BETTER things to happen because the BEST is yet to come’”.

Today, January 2^nd the saying applied to us as we packed the van, exchanged blessings and headed to Camping World where we had made an 8 a.m. appointment to have the faulty propane regulator replaced.  We have been in a few Camping World locations but as my brother had mentioned this place was by far the friendliest.  We arrived early and it was a good thing because we weren’t parked out front 10 minutes and a line began to form.  The technician greeted us warmly and showed us where the coffee was as we signed that all important paperwork.  For those of you with a camper of some sort that haven’t visited a Camping World you really should.  They have just about every needed and not needed gadget you think you gotta have.  We had to restrain ourselves knowing space was limited but we did purchase a membership to the Good Sam Club.  After reading the literature we knew it was a good choice for us given the fact we are on the road so much these days and always looking for savings.  Before long the technician was calling our name and we were off to say thanks, again, to John, Ericka and the cats.  It was now noon and 72 wonderful degrees as we left.

Our journey this day took us north on route 19 along the Gulf of Mexico.  What a beautiful route through State and Provincial Park areas and the towns of Spring Hill, Homosassa Springs, Otter Creek, Chiefland (referred to as “Gem of the Suwannee Valley”), and Perry before branching off west along route 98.

Along the way, we stopped several times to admire the scenery, walk and play with Emma.  It was so funny to us because Emma loves playing Frisbee, a game she showed us her expertise in on a previous road trip we made back in September 2016.  So, we were tossing it to and fro when suddenly Emma picked up her Frisbee and began prancing back to the van, set it down and looked at us as if to say, “woof, I’m done playing, now lets go”.  Dogs do the funniest things.  She slept for the next 100 miles.  I guess she was plum tuckered out.  If you want to see some past photos of Emma just click here on “Emma Dressed to Impress“.

As we drove through St. Marks, Spring Creek, Carrabella and on into St. George Island State Park all I kept saying was “wow, this is so beautiful”.  Audrey noted the area was often referred to as “the forgotten coast” probably because it is seemingly so totally untouched by the tourism industry which Florida is often wrongly labeled.

St. George Island State Park is incredible and a true diamond for anyone wanting a place to get away from it all.  Just to get to this barrier island we traveled the 4-mile-long St. George Island Bridge over Apalachicola Bay revealing the miles of undeveloped beaches which stretched 28 miles long and only a 1 mile wide.  It was like being in another world and so fun hearing Audrey talk about the changes she had seen in there over the years.

When Audrey suggested we camp on St. George Island for the night I couldn’t help but think that it was going to cost an arm, maybe even a leg to stay, if there was even a site available.  It was quite a surprise when they noted having a site available and the cost was only $28.00.  I couldn’t believe it.  We drove 4 plus miles further to our site and it was truly beautiful.  The camp sites were well groomed and spacious and accommodations immaculate.  After plugging in the camper we took a nice walk before settling in for dinner and a relaxing evening listening to the giant waves splashing the shoreline.  This days travel took us a little over 7 hours covering 271 miles.  I think it took us so long because we kept stopping every few miles to bask in the beauty of the area.