St. George Island State Park – A Different Trip to the Beach

September 27 – 28, 2015

The rain started about four hours into the six hour drive. We woke to cloudy skies that morning, and clouds stayed with us all day as we made our way on back roads and small highways, so we expected it eventually. The rain stayed light and occasional during the drive, but by the time we reached the park, it poured down. When we reached our site, the downpour had diminished to light rain. We did get a walk in around the park, but rain started again so we retreated to the RV for dinner and a movie.

St. George Island State Park occupies the eastern section of St. George Island, a small barrier island just over the bridge from Eastpoint, FL. We visited four years prior and looked forward to returning. We went in November that year, and the morning and evening sun lighting the sand dunes, with Ghost crabs everywhere, stayed in our minds. That beautiful lighting would not be happening much this trip.

The forecast started changing a few days before our scheduled departure. The low pressure area in the western Gulf started moving toward Florida, and the forecast changed at least twice a day as they tried to predict the direction of the storm. The day before we left, it was clear we were in for a rainy stay. We considered canceling, but the opportunity for interesting seascapes for Karl’s current project won out, and a little rain wasn’t going to stop us.

Then it wasn’t just a little rain. The storm intensified overnight and the forecast the next morning showed strong rain and thunderstorms heading our way. We considered leaving, but realized we would be driving in the storms and felt staying put a safer option. We planned to stay at our campsite or close by in the park, and kept the RV ready to leave quickly if circumstances warranted it. As the day progressed, we had several downpours but not the predicted storms. We learned that the storm tracked more north than east, and we missed the worst part of it.

We did get to the beach several times the first two days, keeping an eye on the sky at all times. These were not the idyllic beach walks of gushing travelogues or enticing post cards. The warning flags on the beach stood out straight in the heavy wind, the waves built more and more as we watched, and even the few shorebirds got out of the way. People stood all over the beach, or huddled down against the wind in the shelters, but everyone watched the sky and the waves. Travel pieces rarely write about these types of days, but they show the other side of those sunny dream trips, and maybe capture the imagination even more.