American Gam

“A nomad I will remain for life, in love with distant and uncharted places.” ~ Isabelle Eberhardt

Our time in Florida has expired. Now we make westing. It’s time to coddiwomple.

We finished the legal rigmarole of setting up a domicile and registering our vehicles in the scenic swamps of Bushnell. We said goodbye to our new friends Micheal and Shari who we hope to visit in the future at their home near Spokane.

A few hours northwest of Bushnell we stayed one night at the Golden Oldies Retirement Home for Dogs, Cats, and Horses, which is part of the Harvest Host network. The thirty two cats, three dogs, two horses and two pigs were all happy and healthy and enjoying their senior years. The two pigs were there simply because they just showed up one day and never left.

That evening we met some new human friends who parked their bus near our camper. Randy and Cindi, also from the Spokane area, are traveling northwest back to their summer home. We joined them on their bus for drinks. They told us their next stop was St. George Island. Treva and I investigated, thought it looked special, and decided we would also go there for a spell. We weren’t disappointed.

St. George Island State Park is on a sliver of land four miles off the coast of the Florida panhandle. Before going over the bridge to St. George we stopped at this lovely picnic area…

I wasn’t going to tell you about this slice of heaven because, as Don Henley sings, “Call someplace paradise, kiss it goodbye.” But I think the nature authorities here seem to have healthy control over the island’s natural resources. So… I’ll tell you that St. George is not prim and proper; St. George is primitive. If you like nature, go here. It’s trees and beaches and birds and nothing but peaceful. We took a few walks on the miles of nature trails and along the chilly beach, a beach that just ten years ago was ranked as the number three beach in America. If you have a bike, bring it to see all there is to see. I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story…

We spent some more time with our new friends. By the end, we found out that Treva and Cindi might be sisters from another mister. They had an uncanny amount of similarities that was shockingly hilarious. We said our goodbyes to them after two days, promising to visit them in Spokane, but continued to enjoy our time on St. George a little longer. Treva and I will undoubtedly return to this enchanted island to enjoy its tropical tranquility.

I hope you’re not superstitious.

The gam continues…