As we were going through our morning routine at the Campground, we received a call from Bailey and Lois that their new Campground in Carrabelle had a vacancy for Friday and Saturday nights, and would we like to join them there. Though we were looking forward to exploring the San Blas peninsula and finally trying out our bikes, the invitation came at just the right time for us. Our campground was fine for us, but not a great one for Dudley and Rosie as the dogs are not allowed on the beaches in the Florida State Parks, though they are on most of the public beaches. Also, the lack of phone and internet service was a real problem for us. Carabelle was 57 miles back east, but it was a pretty drive and we decamped and were on the road by 10:00am.
Arriving at the Ho Hum Campground, right on the beach, we were met by Bailey and shortly thereafter by Lois and their collie, Sadie. Sadie is Rosie and Dudley's best friend, and boy were they all happy to see each other--albeit a bit confused as to where they were all meeting! As we settled in to our site overlooking the water, the dogs decided to meet the neighbors (who also had two dogs, one very unfriendly and inside its RV). Unfortunately, the unfriendly dog was friendlier than its grouchy and territorial parents, who felt that their campsite extended well into our territory. Massachusetts folks! Guess we've been lucky up till now, as these were the first unfriendly folks we've met on the whole trip so far. The campground hosts are from Pennsylvania, and they have 2 dogs (seems that many RV'ers do). One is named Harley, and he's a very large brown Newfoundland. Not as big as Dudley, but a big boy nevertheless. Our pups and Harley met, and seemed to get along well.
Bailey and Lois and have been in Florida for two months now with their 35' motorhome, nicknamed "the Chateau". Like many RV'ers with big class A motor homes, they have a "toad" vehicle (comes from the word "towed"!), a jeep Liberty that is quite useful for exploring the destinations they are at. After lunching at our campsite (they're about 20 parking spots away), we headed off to explore the area. We drove through the town of Carrabelle, 4 miles away, and then over a very long causeway to St. George's island, another barrier island. Along the way we saw scores of strange looking small boats out in the water, which we found out were Oyster boats. The photo at the top right depicts some of them, and if you can see the little shack-like structure on the back it is typical of the style. They're manned by one or two folks, who scoop the oysters from the seabed, then sift through them on the boat throwing the small ones and debris back overboard. We understand it's backbreaking work.
Arriving on St. George's island, the first thing one sees is the historic lighthouse and museum pictured above. Note the long line of bright blue portapotties--seems they are getting ready for a huge chili cookoff this weekend, that we plan on missing. The beach was quite beautiful, wide and white powdery. Millions of shells, so we went walking and looking for specimens to add to Lois's collection. Even Katahdin helped Lois look (note photo above left!). We treated ourselves to ice cream, Becky bought a St. George's "Hoodie", and we headed back to Carrabelle.
After a brief stop at the local IGA and ACE hardware, we arrived at the campground in time for the dogs afternoon feeding. Dudley and Rosie love this place! They can walk on the beach, there is plenty to sniff and see, Dudley reall wants to go into the ocean. Jim has been able to keep him out so far, but tomorrow is another day!
Bailey and Lois grilled steaks and we ate at the Chateau, and our dogs had quite the time exploring their beautiful vehicle. Rosie in particular enjoyed jumping up on the bed, the couches, and chairs, and wanted to know why Sadie had a bigger home than she did! The final photo is of Becky enjoying one of the Chateau's couches. The rest of the evening was spent looking at Lois's terrific photo collection that she has taken over the past two months here in Florida. She's a great photographer, and we thoroughly enjoyed hearing of their adventures in the Sunshine state.
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