DeF uniak Springs

With the weather being so cool, and our list of outdoor activities being small, we decided to take a trip to DeFuniak Springs, Florida. We visited an RV site there and explored some Airstream campers (which is what my family camped in when we were younger). There is a whole cult of “Airstreamers” fixing up the old models and making them look retro. And the prices of those campers has gone through the roof. This small 28 foot one with no slide-outs, is a mere $150,000.00.

After touring the RV store, we decided to visit downtown DrFuniak Springs. Well, the only thing there is the store shown in the picture and a lake. Lake DeFuniak is one of the two almost perfectly round circular spring-fed lakes in the world, and we were able to see it!!!! To be honest, it looks more round from a drone shot that actually standing on the ground and looking at the lake, but we can now say we’ve seen one of two round lakes! Yeah for us!!

Then we discovered four golf courses across the street and rode our bikes to them to get more information so we can play when we return in April. They look great and are on the bay and ocean so they should provide some challenges for both of us.

And of course I added a few more pictures of the beach in the fog and on a beautiful but cool day. Nothing beats pictures of the beach and golf courses, two of my favorite places. We head home tomorrow with a stop in Georgia, then the final leg on Sunday. Until next Sunday, Superbowl Sunday, we will be signing off from the blog. Next trip, Fort Myers, Florida for three weeks! See you then.

RV shopping

DeFuniak Springs Main Street

Only shop in DeFuniak Springs

Circular Lake

Fog rolling in

Foggy day

Sleepy Coco

Golf course

Beautiful Beach

Coastal Dune Lakes Outfall

Yesterday we visited Grayton Beach again and we took our bikes for better exploring! The first pictures show a coastal dune lakes outfall which is a very unique ecosystem found only a few places in the world.  Coastal dune lakes are considered globally rare and are found in Madagascar, Australia, and South Walton Beach (this one shown).  The dune lakes here are the only ones known to periodically connect to a larger body of water (Gulf of Mexico). They are created when the sand dunes that separate the lake to the Gulf erodes, usually from weather conditions such as heavy rainfall. This temporary connection allows for fresh ware and salt water to interchange influencing the salinity of each lake.

While walking on the beach we also saw lots more Jeeps riding and fishing from the shore. And judging from the footprints available, lots of birds like the area as well.

Greg and I took our picture facing away from the sun and it created rays coming from the sun and made a unique picture so we decided to use it here! Still in sweatshirts but no coats!!

More exploring today in the rain!

Coastal Dune Lake Outfall

Lake Outfall

Lake Outfall

Greg saying Hi

Jeeps on the beach

Birds like the beach as much as the jeeps

Camp GUlf

Camp Gulf

Silly picture into the sun

Biking at the Beach

Every night around 5:00, I have my glass of Pino Grigio and work on the blog. Sometimes it takes two glasses to help me finish it because it’s a little cumbersome with the slow wifi in the campground.

Today we were finally able to go outside and ride bikes although it was kinda cold while we were out. Tomorrow the high should be close to 70 degrees and that’s the highest temperature we will see on this trip so more bike riding tomorrow I hope. We drove to Grayton Beach to walk on the beach and then to Rosemary Beach to ride our bikes. We got a picture of a very cool jeep on the beach. He sits there and waits for people to get stuck in the sand and then goes to rescue them because his jeep is so cool!! When I get mine this summer…I want it to look just like this one with all of the extras!

Rosemary Beach looks like a European Village and the homes and carriage houses are just magnificent. And very costly! We rode past several bike stands but seems we were the only ones out riding today. Many places are closed til February when the area opens for the season. Alys Beach is the next beach beyond Rosemary and Seaside Beach and the architecture is primarily all white buildings. My pictures didn’t come out as good as I had hoped but I’ll try again to get some better ones later in the week. Some pretty exquisite houses there…I captured one of them below.

Check out the sign at the water park…”Do not use the fountain if you are ill with diarrhea!!”  hahahahahah

Football and bike riding tomorrow.

Grayton Beach

Rosemary Beach by “The Pearl”

Riding at Rosemary Beach

Water park at Alys Beach

Someone famous lives here…just don’t know who

Bikes lined up for February

My jeep on the beach

My beach hideaway

Alys Beach

No diarrhea allowed here

Jeeps in the Sand

Today we hit 55 degrees and we were able to walk on the beach a little bit more and so we drove to Grayton Beach to check out the scenery there. We went to Red Bar and plan on a return for dinner on another day.

The water was so clear and so beautiful. Many of the pictures are similar but I was trying to get some that showed the colors of the Gulf and the sugar white sand. Jeeps were driving on the beach and leaving tracks similar to those back home on the roads as a result of the recent snowfall.

Now to cook dinner at the camper because it’s finally warm enough to be outside to cook. Tomorrow should be in the 60’s so that will allow us more time to sightsee and ride our bikes.

Different view of the campsite

Looking down the street to the water

Red Bar hangout at Grayton Beach

Inside Red Bar

Grayton Beach

Tracks in the sand at Grayton Beach

Looks like the roads in Charlotte from the snow

Jeeps ride on the beach

Greg checking out the tracks

Sunset Dinner View

We woke up this morning (Friday) to temperatures above freezing, although still pretty cold. The water is back on and the shower head was delivered and installed by my own personal maintenance man and the high today should reach near 60. So all in all, it looks like our trip is about to get even better!

The sunsets each night have been beautiful. Wednesday night we took pictures at the beach on the campsite (first picture) and the following night (Thursday) we went to a crab house for dinner and I was able to take more beautiful sunset pictures.  The food was good (not great, but good) but the scenery was amazing.

As always, I try to find a Dairy Queen on every trip. Destin has one too and I was able to get my Blizzard for an afternoon snack!!

The pictures and video of the frozen water were from pipes that burst in the night. Greg went to help out at one site and ended up falling on the black ice that had already formed so quickly from the spewing water. Amazingly he didn’t get hurt or bruised but we were more careful after that about where we walked. Hoping to get the bikes out today or tomorrow to do more exploring. Every day is a new adventure!!

Sunset view

Sunset by the Crab Trap

More sunset views

Dinner of crabs

Not many people around

Cold on the beach

We always find a Dairy Queen

Frozen water

From pipes that blew

 

 

 

 

 

Tracks in the “Snow”

We spent yesterday walking along the beach and shopping for a new camper. Just dreaming about a “bus” since there are lots of dealers in the area.

Last night our hose froze and pipes all over the campsite froze. We couldn’t even shower in our camper or use the bathroom at the bathhouse as the water was turned off throughout the campsite. There were 14  pipes burst throughout the campground. The area just isn’t used to weather like they’re experiencing now.

I left my prints in the “snow” along the beach. I keep taking many of the same pictures over and over because I’ve never seen sand so fine and white. It actually looks like it snowed on the beach. Coco isn’t bothered by the cold as she wears her sweater all day and gets to sit with me on the couch when we’re home. Today was the worse day weather wise; the rest of the week will be in the 60’s so maybe now I can work on my tan!! Tonight we go in search of seafood (not for me, I’ll be looking for a burger)! Until tomorrow…enjoy your snow and I’ll enjoy my sand.

Campers right on the beach

Coco and I freezing on the beach

Campsite at Camp Gulf

TIffin Bus

Bus

Yep, that’s Florida

Flip flops and sleet on the grill. There’s something wrong with this picture.

Sleet on the chairs

Tracks in MY “snow”

Coco resting

Campers on the beach

Sunset Paradise

Monday warmed up to a balmy 55 degrees, our highest temperature so far. We walked Coco around the campground and I took more pictures similar to the ones from yesterday because I love how white the sand is and how blue/green the water is. The last picture of the evening sunset was especially beautiful!! After lunch we took a ride to Harbor Walk Village about 30 minutes from our campground. It’s located right on the river and gulf and is a fishing marina with restaurants, activities and entertainment…after February when Destin comes alive again. There’s waterfront shopping, paddle board rentals, cruises and live music…again, all in February when warmer weather sets in.  It’s also home to the Destin Fishing Fleet, the largest charter fishing fleet in the country. We walked the docks and checked out the boats and I’m sure there will be lots more activity when we return to the area in April. We returned to the campsite just in time to see a BEAUTIFUL sunset over the ocean. Tuesday we will scope out golf courses for us to play when we return in a few months!!!

Front row of Camp Gulf located on the beach front

Our first campsite before needing to move for more space

Front row of Camp

New site near the front of the campground

Campsite at Camp Gulf

Click on the next set of pictures to enlarge them. This post includes two different sets of pictures.

Panoramic view of the campground

View down Miramar Beach

Coco checking out the site

Dogs aren’t allowed on the beach but the sand extends to the campground

Coco with her new sweater

Looking down the road toward the beach

Camp Gulf and Coco

Harbor Walk Village

Harbor Walk

Harbor Walk

Harbor Walk

Dunes

Harbor Walk

Evening Walk on the beach

Miramar Beach

Sunset on Monday

Sugar Sand at Rosemary Beach

Day 2 at Camp Gulf brought warmer weather but it’s still cooler than normal for the area and time of the year. The first picture shows Deer Run Campsite in Troy, Alabama where we spent the first night. The weather there was below freezing and the campground was pretty full with people headed to Florida for the winter. In February we head to Fort Myers which is further south and should be much warmer than our current location. We have a US map on one of the slides of the camper and we were able to add the state of Alabama to our map. (We add the states we camp in or travel through on each trip.) We use the app RV Parky on our phones to locate rest stops and gas stations along our route. It uses GPS to show your current location and then you can drive along the route to search for campgrounds, gas stations, rest stops, etc. so you can plan ahead. A must have for any traveler!!  Once we arrived at Camp Gulf, they determined our camper was too long to fit into the spot we were originally assigned so they parked us for one night there, then we moved the next day to a longer site. For this trip, we are close to the highway, but we’ve already booked a return trip in April and that site is very close to the beach. The pictures below show the front row of campers and they’re actually right on the edge of the beach. Kind of hard to tell where the beach ends and the campground begins. The sugar white sand and blue/green water is prettier than we’re used to at North Carolina beaches for sure!! We took a ride to Rosemary Beach where we had rented a house two years ago. It’s about 15 miles east of Camp Gulf. We passed through Alys Beach on the way and the road (30A) is lined with palm trees making the entrance so beautiful! They say it all happens on 30A (the main highway through the area). We parked and walked around Rosemary Beach to notice the changes that had happened in the past two years. We will return to the area with our bikes if it’s warmer today. It’s resembles a small European village right on the beach!

Our shower head froze on one cold night and split  making the water shoot out down the cracked side. Duct tape is a miracle fix for most things, so Greg taped up the head so that it works (not great, but it works) while we wait for a new one to arrive at the site from Amazon. Yep, Amazon follows us everywhere we travel!!  Today we have warmer weather so we plan on lots of outdoor activities.  More pictures later!

Deer Run Campground in Troy, Alabama

Added Alabama to our camping map

After early morning coffee, rest stops are a must!

This month, Destin; next month Fort Myers

pathway to the beach

Spot for our return trip in April

First night at Camp Gulf, then had to move to a different site.

View of the ocean from our site

Front row of campers is actually on the beach

Front row of campers

Sugar sand at Miramar Beach

Beach

Coco with her coat on

Greg taking a picture of the beautiful water

Alys Beach by Rosemary Beach

Village at Rosemary Beach

Creole House we stayed in several years ago.

The Pearl Hotel at Rosemary Beach

Just me

New site at Camp Gulf

Miracle duct tape fixes everything

Deer 🦌 Run and Camp Gulf

Friday we began our quest for warmer weather by heading south to Florida to avoid the cold Charlotte weather and threat of snow flurries next week. However, our first leg of the trip took us to Troy, Alabama and they had one of their coldest nights on record for us. The shower head froze and the water hose also froze because the temperature was 26 and the wind chill made it feel even colder. We stayed at a nice campsite called Deer Run.  The area hosts of January temperatures ranging from 57 for the high to 36 for the low. Missed both of those temps by a long shot!! The campsite is basically a huge field with paved, pull through spots which is critical with a camper over 30 feet.  The price was right; one of the cheapest we’ve experienced and they even provide free popcorn and coffee to their guests. The bathhouse was a long walk from our site but other than that, the campground was perfect for quick stays when passing through Troy, Alabama. It’s about an 8 hour drive from Charlotte with the worst part of the drive being passing through Atlanta; especially on a Friday afternoon. The water hose froze overnight, but after heating water and “cooking” the pressure regulator to melt the ice that had frozen inside it, we were able to leave for the second leg of our journey to Destin, Florida. Once in Destin, we found our site, got backed in and spent the rest of the day reading and watching football as the temperature there was also “unusually” cold for this time of the year. Later in the week the temps should be rising. Tomorrow we explore the area to see what Destin, Panama City, and Rosemary Beach have to offer. Until tomorrow, happy camping!

Deer Run, We didn’t even unhook the camper for one night.

Deer Run

Coco resting on her duck.

Deer Run

Deer Run

Camp Gulf

Camp Gulf

Backed into Camp Gulf

That’s us at the top of the hill. See the truck?