St. George Island State Park

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Karl watching sunrise.

We spent the better part of a beautiful October week camping in our van RV at St. George Island State Park. After passing the ranger station, a four mile drive takes you to the campground which occupies the eastern end of the island. The sand dunes, always impressive, pop visually in the early morning or late evening sun. Ghost crabs scurry along the road, usually not seen until they run out of the way.

Ghost crab in the early morning surf.

Each morning we walked to the beach to watch the sunrise, followed by a leisurely walk down the shore and then back to the van for breakfast. Every morning a small number of other campers walked, drove, or biked to the same destination for the same purpose. Sunrise fascinates humans. Locations boast of their fantastic sunrises to temp tourists, the internet contains any number of articles or blog posts on where to see the best sunrise, 15 best places in the world to watch the sunrise, and an infinite number of permutations on the same topic. Watching one over the Gulf of Mexico in the early morning on a nearly secluded beach does evoke a pleasant peacefulness, and a wonderful start to the day.

We hoped to hike more than we did, but the nice cooler temperatures promised in the long range forecast for the ten days before our trip never arrived. The cold front pushed much warmer weather in front of it. The breeze from the Gulf kept us comfortable as long as we stayed out of the direct sun mid-day, so each late morning we packed up and drove in a different direction to enjoy the museums, aquariums, shops and restaurants of St. George, Apalachicola, and Panacea. We returned to the beach mid-afternoon, waded in the water, and then retreated to the van in the nearby parking lot which stayed very pleasant with the windows open and the side door open and capturing the breeze from the Gulf. A few hours later we returned to our campsite and sat outdoors (some mosquitoes, not too bad until dusk), reading whatever books or magazines we brought, and talking about the day.

We both took a technology break this trip, no email or internet. I’ve read recommendations on taking this type of break, but as a technologist for the last 30 years I never tried it before. It really works! I definitely plan on doing it more often.