LA…MS…AL…FL

Whew!!! Four states within a few hours.  Good thing for us that we’re at the bottom of the states and heading east.  After our breakfast in New Orleans, we were ready to hit the road and get some miles behind us, only stopping when needed for fuel.  Mississippi and Alabama were easy to drive through.

There’s one place along the route that I detest – the tunnel (George C. Wallace tunnel-Alabama governor at the time) near Mobile, AL.  The Mobile River is above and all I can think of is the river of water that I’m driving beneath.  Built in the early 1970s at the nearby Mobile shipyard, it was built in sections, floated to its final spot then sunk.  It was connected underwater, pumped dry then finished out.  I thought researching about the tunnel would make me more comfortable – nope.  Hope the next time I go through there I forget everything I just wrote.

Soon enough we were in the last state – Florida.

There’s no easy route to Apalachicola, just keep going south and east, south then east, then south and east again. Do that enough times and you finally get to where you want.

We were going to need something for lunch and a google search found Nicks Seafood in Freeport, FL.

It’s near the Eglin Air Force Base and several fly boys were leaving when we arrived. There were numerous photos and dollar bills tacked to he walls, with everyone writing down their home town on the bill.  Yep, I’m back in the south.  Also, we are on the gulf!  Water everywhere.  🙂  After we ordered our lunch we wandered outside to soak up the  sea breezes, sun and humidity – love the humidity, just saying.

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Our meal was great. I got fried mullet with fries and cole slaw. I’m just about done drinking beer and opted for a coke for lunch.

Late afternoon we reached our night’s destination.  I got a little worried the previous night because all the places I normally stay had no availability.  I kept pulling up places on the internet.  Yikes!  l finally found one room (their last) at Coombs Inn with two beds.

Wow-Eric and I may need to stay here on a future visit .  When we arrived they were serving cookies in the afternoon and then wine & cheese after 6pm. We definitely indulged.

As the welcome sign states………

……….this is the Florida oyster capital and we walked to find oysters at Hole in the Wall, a local restaurant that literally is a hole in the wall, inside the space is long and skinny.

We snagged a seat at the bar and got that night’s dinner, an oyster combo platter (cheese & bacon, parmasan cheese & butter, and the last were oyster Rockefeller).

While it wasn’t the beer being brewed in town, at least it was Florida local, being brewed at Fort Walton Beach, FL.

Next door was the Oyster City Brewing Company and we tasted a few of their beers that evening.

The previous night we discovered one of the reasons the town had more travelers than normal.  LOVED the guitar in their communication notices.

Saturday night there was a brew-fest happening on St. George Island (10 miles away), which unfortunately we missed.  Maybe next year we can plan to be there for the entire weekend.

I got a kick out of all the golf carts that had been driven to the event.  There was a band set up in the street and tents servicing OCBC beer, along with inside the brewery.

Since we were so close to the Apalachicola River (1 block away) we got a few shots as the sun was setting.

Alas, we could only spend one night as both of us needed to get home.  We drove by our city lot in town (since we are one of the town’s most recent landowners), then began our last leg of the journey.  The lot doesn’t look like much now, but it is ours.  🙂

Our last stop was for a late lunch in Ocala.   Googled top restaurants in town and Hardwood Smokehouse was listed first.

It did not disappoint.  In fact, my pulled pork sandwich was more than half gone when I realized I forgot the photo – oops.  😦  As a consolation shot, I’m adding this shot seen when exiting the restaurant.

Final thoughts:

•drive/ride with a friend

•both parties need to be ‘fluid’ and open to last-minute changes

•have some general goals for daily destinations

•google dining options as you go along

•travel light

Maybe most importantly, talk/text your loved ones that are home and bring them along the journey virtually (and bring them gifts)  🙂  These are lined up according to the order of states we drove through.

I totally loved the drive through the desert states and my friend totally loved the drive through areas that had plentiful water and green plants.   It comes down to one thing……It all depends upon your personal perspective.