Day 27, "on the Loop", 11/4/2022

Day 21, Saturday, October 29: As mention in previous blog, stayed a few days at the Bay Point Marina in Niceville, FL. The people were nice and a great stop to get some walking in. We used the courtesy car to provision the boat. We watched the Arkansas / Auburn football game (Yeah, Hogs!). The marina had a DJ (for music) on this night and hosted a halloween party for the locals. It was quite lively; but, we decided to stay in that night.

Day 22, Sunday, October 30: It rained most of the day! We took advantage of the rain, borrowed the courtesy car and went into the town of Niceville to do laundry. The machines were massive and cost the most of any machines we have used, yet. Cost was $4 - $6 per load (but the machines were made for large loads).

^ courtesy car ^ Nice facility, not cheap!

We returned to the boat, it rained until mid day. It was dreary most of the day which is why we decided to stay at this marina a bit longer than the others. We reconnected with fellow looper, Queen Bee (Shelia & Trent), who traveled with us a week prior. They joined us for dinner (a shrimp boil at the marina) and shared their experience. Queen Bee will be crossing her wake (ending the loop) in just a few short days! They traveled with two dogs and shared a few recipes with us. Apparently, cabbage makes a great salad and keeps longer than lettuce.

The Dolphin's were very active at this marina. One dolphin put on a show (playing w/ a fish, tossing it around with its nose).

Some pictures we took at Niceville, FL:

Day 23, Monday, October 31: Had an early departure as we wanted to arrive in Panama City in time to enjoy Halloween with Mark & Liz MacLean's grandchildren. We arrived around 2:30pm, CT. Mark picked us up at 4ish, Liz made Chili and then we went to Connor's house for Halloween. Joel was amazed at the number of people walking (trick or treating) in their neighborhood. Joel said he had NEVER seen anything like it (I think it's because Joel grew up and has lived in rural areas most of his life).

We stayed the night at Mark & Liz's house, got the best sleep in a long time! Thank you! Thank you! They make GREAT harbor host :-).

Day 24, Tuesday, November 1: We cleaned the boat to prepare for our first VIP guest, Eric Heise! Joel cleaned the outside while I cleaned the inside. After cleaning the boat, we used the bikes for the first time (rode around the marina). The tires were low in both bikes. We rode approx. 3 miles to the nearest gas station to put air in the tires. We watched the Phillies and Astro's (World Series) while we waited for Eric to arrive. We stayed up past the looper's midnight (9pm), catching up. Overall, happy to have our first guest!

Day 25, Wednesday, November 2: South Point Bay Marina (Panama City Beach, FL) is near a hotel with a day spa (Serenity Spa). I purchased a day pass and had access to the spa all day (happy me). I took advantage of both hot and cold sauna's, the heated whirl pool and was able to take a long shower (longer than the 5 min boat shower), with great water pressure! Not to mention the nice smelling spa soap, shampoo and conditioner (the little things :-). Joel and Eric used their time and walked 14K+ steps, rode the bikes to the grocery store (7 miles) and then enjoyed sitting by the boat (having a cold one) until dinner. Dinner was great, ate at a local cajun place Dat Cajun Place Cafe. Great food and live music.

Day 26, Thursday, November 3: Another nice day on the water! Joel and I walked along the pier, picked up a few shells and returned to dock for a pump out. Note: Most marina's will clean your waste "tanks," rinse and emptying them.

Joel and Eric rode the bikes to town for a couple of last minutes things. Joel had his first hair cut on the loop ($17 - not bad). I took advantage of the "free" laundry room at the marina and washed the boat towels that we used to clean the boat. Wrapped up the afternoon, sitting on the pier to watch the sunset while we waited on our harbor host, Mark & Liz MacLean. They took us to dinner at Uncle Ernie's, had the best soft shell crabs! We went to bed early to be ready for a travel day to Scipio Marina (in Apalachicola, Fl).

Day 27, Friday, November 4: We arrived at Scipio Marina around 4:30pm, ET. We miscalculated our travel time by a long shot. We traveled 66 miles (thought it was only 43 miles). Regardless, we made it in time to walk around the town.

Apalachicola was having their annual seafood festival. I also received a surprise, a friend from my hometown (Villa Rica, GA) was vacationing in Carrabelle and plans to drive over to watch the TN/GA football game with us. Looking forward to seeing a friend, Kim Jeffries Cramer (while on the loop). If you are near any of our stops, don't hesitate to reach out. We would love to connect, have a drink or just simply say hi.

By the way, on this day, we passed by Tyndall Air-force Base. The pilots were doing some overhead "fly by" exercises. I believe it was F 15 fighter planes. It was extremely cool. Joel and Eric were smiling from ear to ear. I wish I had taken that picture!

Fisherman use crab pots for fishing. They use different tops, colors and other markings to identify who owns them. Shown above are the several different types of crab pots.

Note: Boaters watch for these and do their best to avoid getting them caught in their props.

Map of Trip - From Panama City Beach, FL to Apalachicola, FL (Scipio Marina)