Arrival in St. Pete Beach

TripPix.

We left Panama City Beach before 9:00 a.m. and were encouraged by the GPS prediction of a 6h22min trip to our destination. Turns out it's a slow ride on Hwy 231 and I10 to I75. Lots of trucks and plenty of traffic. Our rest stops used up about an hour so it seemed like a long day already by the time we approached Tampa.

View from our balcony. Unit 208, Sunrise Resort.

We were delayed by an accident on I275 at Hwy 4. All lanes were closed and traffic was diverted off the freeway, but we were on our own to figure out the next turn. The GPS took us around the block and back on I275 before the Howard Franklin Bridge. The rest was trouble free but we were both tired and the sun was beating down on us.

We arrived at the condo after 5, so our keys were in a lockbox. We read the instructions for gaining access to our apartment but neither of us could get the box open. Fortunately, a guy "with experience" came along and took charge of the situation. He soon determined that were entering the wrong combination of numbers, a variation of our AREA code, not our ZIP code. A few clicks later, we had keys and access to the condo.

A few hours later, we'd put away most of our stuff and were ready to enjoy our first evening.

Panama City Beach

Pat and brother Bob on the beach

TripPix.

A change-up this year. We  visited Bob's sister Pat and her husband Jim in Panama City Beach where they spend a month every winter. The stop took us off our route but it was fun to visit the Florida Panhandle for the first time. Panama City Beach, always been a draw for spring breakers, has  implemented a 2015 ordinance that bans drinking on the beach, and apparently the kids are staying away this season. We did see a few younger faces, but cound the beach very empty for the time of year.


Sea cucumber

The area reminded me a little of Atlantic City (which I haven't visited for many years), unplanned and overbuilt. Single family residences are squeezed in between highrise buildings that restrict the view and light of their neighbors. However, the beach itself is beautiful white sand, great for walking and, of course, sunbathing. A local fisherman had four rods in the water, and he cheerfully answered questions about his catch (pompano and, he hoped, grouper). He identified the strange looking creature we were wondering about - sea cucumber blown in by a recent storm.

We had dinner at the famous Pineapple Willy's, directly on the beach. The most fun for us was the deluxe tour of Panama City Beach, with color commentary by Pat and Jim, and, of course, catching up on family news. They are gracious hosts who made the visit a major highlight of our Florida road trip.