(upbeat music)
- In this episode,
we are going to visit the Lost Coast
and the Emerald Coast of Florida,
as we explore the Panhandle
and then we're gonna
zoom back towards Ocala
and stay at a brand new RV resort.
♪ I'm riding ♪
♪ Riding, riding ♪
♪ Riding in my RV ♪
♪ My RV ♪
♪ Wherever I want to be ♪
♪ Because I'm free ♪
♪ In my RV ♪
We had no reservations for tonight.
So, we decided last minute
to stay at this Wildwood
Golf and RV Resort
just 27 miles from where
we're staying tomorrow.
We need to do laundry
and they do have a restaurant.
Let's go eat, we're hungry.
We're starving,
we haven't had anything
to eat in the whole day.
(upbeat music)
I forgot the name, but it's an IPA.
I forgot what kind, but it's a fish.
(upbeat music)
Well, Wildwood RV Resort here,
just a quick overnight stop.
We did laundry and full hookups,
which is always good
and now we have a short day trip today.
It's only gonna be a 30 minute drive
to Ho-Hum RV Resort.
I saw it about two years ago,
it's in the Forgotten Coast
and I said, this place,
one of these days we're gonna come
and the day came.
(upbeat music)
Now crossing Ochlockonee Bay.
So, welcome to what is known
as the Forgotten coast of Florida.
This quiet undeveloped, mostly uninhabited
and relatively short section of coastline
here on the Gulf of Mexico.
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We're going to Carrabelle
and hopefully we can get
some lunch, we'll see.
Very nice place here,
I'm gonna show it to you guys later.
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Here we are, Carrabelle.
A town that epitomizes
the idea of Old Florida
and after much research,
the consensus seems to be
on this place called Fathom's.
(upbeat music)
Still sitting a fathom apart.
Seafood and it's food so
good you can not fathom.
That's a good slogan.
Let's check it out,
hopefully they have room.
Such a nice setting,
right here near the mouth
of the Carrabelle river
and this whole area, very
famous for the seafood.
It's Oyster City from Apalachicola.
Yep, always in the mood
for a nice cold local IPA.
(indistinct chattering)
Blackened grouper
That's what Ily ordered.
Check this out.
I decided to go
for something called a seafood boil.
Yeah, that seafood boil was amazing
and something that believe it or not,
I had never had before.
Now I'm full of energy
to continue the journey.
(upbeat music)
Let's continue going West
exploring the Forgotten Coast.
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Here's the local Carrabelle Beach
but the better beaches
are on the barrier islands
like St. George coming up ahead.
We can still see
some of Hurricane Michael's aftermath
almost two years later.
Yeah, damage like that much like that
takes a long time to recover from,
there in the distance,
the Bryan Patton Bridge
which spans the Apalachicola Bay
going towards St. George,
let's take it,
we have never actually been there.
(upbeat music)
We're almost there,
we can even see the St.
George Island Lighthouse.
(upbeat music)
The main thing here is the beach
and it turns out we forgot
to bring our bathing suits.
So we're just gonna
drive around a little bit
to get to know the area
and we'll return tomorrow better prepared.
You can tell all of these are brand new.
Most of the island seems
to be private residences,
a lot of them, by the way, very nice
and a lot of it looks
brand new construction,
probably rebuild after the hurricane.
(upbeat music)
Now we're taking the John
Gorrie Memorial Bridge
onto Apalachicola Oyster
Capital of the World,
at least in Florida, that is.
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I see a shrimping boat,
this looks promising.
(water trickling)
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There it is, Miss Martha
a shrimping boat docked
here on the Apalachicola River.
The shrimping industry,
almost as important as
the oysters in this parts.
(upbeat music)
It's a charming town but
for some reason today,
we are not feeling it.
Is it perhaps the oppressive humid heat
or the fact that we already ate,
were we hungrier or thirstier perhaps,
we would have partaken
on some of the seafood
or craft beer the town has to offer.
There's also lots and lots
of interesting quirky shops.
Well, I will show you
more of Apalachicola here
but it's so hot and humid
that what this day really calls for
is being at the beach,
unluckily, unfortunately it was
kind of crowded out there.
So we're gonna go back to the RV park
and tomorrow we're gonna explore
a little more, this whole area
but here it is,
you see, I'm sweating, it's not fun.
Summer in Florida sometimes can be not fun
unless you are inside the
water, then it is fun.
(upbeat music)
You see that pile to the right?
Those are oysters,
oysters my friends.
Thousands of oyster shells.
(upbeat music)
This right here is the very spot
where I stopped for a
break under the bridge
when I was here about two years ago.
All right, let's go back to Minitini II.
I want to show you the RV park
and that's a long causeway.
Again, the John Gorrie Memorial Bridge.
(upbeat music)
There's definitely that Old Florida vibe
in this area.
This is nice too, I'm
gonna add it to the list.
Check out all the pelicans, fly pelicans.
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And we're back by Carrabelle Beach,
which let me tell you,
it is a pretty decent beach,
considering that it is
not on a barrier Island.
This is mainland Florida.
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I forgot to show you earlier
but this happens to be
the world's smallest police station
that we know of.
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Well, yeah, this is the
life I'm telling you.
One of these days,
I'm gonna get me a motorhome
so I can park in this front row here.
Only motorhomes allowed
no trailers, apparently
because you park facing the water
and this is called Ho-Hum RV Resort
as I said,
this is the Forgotten Coast of Florida,
the Big Bend here, coming up this way
and the Steinhatchee and that area
and then on this side,
that will be Carrabelle
and then Apalachicola and
this is the Panhandle,
this is the beginning of
the Panhandle, sort of
and that's at the
beginning of the peninsula.
That's why it's called the Big Bend
because this part of Florida (indistinct)
at the end of the Gulf of Mexico kind of,
you know what I mean
in any case, we're gonna take a break now
and maybe later tonight cook some dinner.
(upbeat music)
If it looks a little hazy,
we are witnessing a rare phenomenon.
We've got some sand apparently
coming from the Sahara from all the way
across the Atlantic.
Isn't that something?
I'm thinking if maybe that had something
to do with a drone failing yesterday,
which, by the way,
this would have been a great spot
to fly the drone,
too bad I don't have
one at this very moment.
Such a majestic bird.
(upbeat music)
Yeah. This place is nice, I like it.
I like it here on the Gulf of Mexico,
kind of out of the way
and under the radar.
Probably the best site
in the whole park that
will accommodate a trailer
and you still have ocean view.
Here's not the ocean front
but you got ocean view,
ocean view? No, gulf view.
I always have to correct myself.
(upbeat music)
I think it might rain.
Good morning.
I was hoping to see the
sunrise but I don't know,
it doesn't look like it's gonna happen.
We do have a lone dolphin
here this morning.
So calm and so peaceful here.
(engine roaring)
Well, I've got this one tire
that is losing air very slowly.
I'm gonna have to take care of that
at some point.
Let's go to the beach now, shall we?
(upbeat music)
Let's go back to St. George Island.
It is early,
so there is still some parking available.
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Very nice, a little
crowded here in this part.
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(wind blowing)
This is pretty nice as far as beaches go,
people had told me that
it was like Destin,
it's not quite like Destin
but pretty nice sand.
Let's check this place out.
(upbeat music)
Tiki bar is this way.
Yep, nice beachfront tiki bar.
(indistinct chattering)
Let's sit right here.
The "Blue Parrot", it's a rum-runner.
Yeah, rum-runners always remind me
of the Florida Keys.
(upbeat music)
Well, that was a fun day at the beach.
Let's stop by Carrabelle Beach real quick
and see what it is like.
(upbeat music)
Actually very quiet
compared to St. George.
(wind blowing)
And that's Dog Island,
only accessible by boat
or a small plane.
(wind blowing)
(dramatic upbeat music)
(dramatic upbeat music continues)
Well, good morning once again.
It's moving day.
(upbeat music)
We're at Ho-Hum RV Park here, very nice
and the weather is beautiful today,
now that we have to leave
but hopefully it'll be beautiful tomorrow
and today and tomorrow at Seaside.
We're going to Grayton Beach State Park
and it should be fun.
Ever since we went to
Destin six years ago,
almost six years ago,
I've wanted to come back to that area
to the Emerald Coast and
that's where we're going.
- [Announcer] We found a faster route
via Florida 20 West
which saves six minutes.
- No thanks,
for six minutes
I'd rather have the scenic coastal view.
I think it would be worth it.
(upbeat music)
Carrabelle here.
We really liked it,
even though we only get a taste,
figuratively and literally,
we liked the vibe.
If there is such a thing.
Very old Florida, very
carefree, slow-paced.
We must definitely return
and spend a few extra days sometime.
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Here's the long causeway
going towards Apalachicola,
a town that I really wanted to like
but I don't know,
there was something about it
that just didn't click with us this time.
I'm thinking perhaps
it felt overly touristy
and oppressive heat,
that didn't help either.
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This here is called Port St. Joe,
as we continue the long trek
towards the Emerald Coast
here on the scenic route,
we are approaching Mexico Beach
and as I mentioned, I
was here two years ago,
shortly after Hurricane Michael
and it was total devastation.
Let's see how it's faring these days
and it looks like there
are still some repairs
going on and lots of new construction.
(upbeat music)
This boardwalks, they
seem to be new as well.
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Yep, hurricane recovery
can be a slow process
and as you can see, a lot
of it has been rebuilt,
but not everything.
This was the very spot
where the eye of the storm made landfall
and the storm surge alone
must have been enormous
that plus the winds and the rain,
let's just say,
I wouldn't have wanted to be here
when it happened.
(upbeat music)
This used to be a forest
but the winds snapped these trees in half
as if they were toothpicks.
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Now driving on the DuPont Bridge
onto Panama city, not the beach town
this is more
of an inland industrial metropolis of sort
which by the way,
was not spared by the
brutal force of the winds.
(upbeat music)
All of a sudden, we have
all these mansions here,
overlooking the bay, very nice.
(upbeat music)
Well, we've made it to Panama City Beach
and we finally get to
see the turquoise waters
of the Emerald Coast.
It is a true resort
town with heavy traffic,
high rise hotels
and all kinds of flashy attractions.
(upbeat music)
We're going to be staying
at Grayton Beach State Park
right next to the town of Seaside.
(upbeat music)
It is a pretty large campground
and we're staying back here
at the more rustic loop.
(upbeat music)
You guys just missed
the blue angels fly by.
Anyway guys this is our
site here, very nice
at Grayton Beach State Park
and as you can see,
it's something that you don't have
in every state's park in Florida.
At least this site, number eight,
we have full hookups.
We have a sewer line which is great
because you can take
that long, endless shower
and very nice it's hot and muggy
but we are very close to the beach
so we're gonna do that later.
I believe it is this way,
there's a big site,
site number five,
actually on the map,
it looks like the beach is right there
but it is a pretty long walk,
especially in the summer Florida heat.
It also feels longer
because even though the
water is right there,
we're not allowed to
walk on the sand dunes,
we can only cross
through this boardwalk right here.
Oh, this is beautiful.
We're gonna have to be back later
because right now we have
a dinner reservation.
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We're driving into neighboring Seaside,
very cool town, a
master-planned community.
One of the first
to apply something called
the "New Urbanism" design
and the filming location for the movie,
"the Truman Show."
It is a lot busier than I expected
and I can see parking might be an issue.
Here by the main square,
they have this row of Airstreams
that serve as food trucks.
(upbeat music)
We've been going around in circles,
looking for parking in vain.
So we're just gonna have to backtrack
and park almost half a mile away.
Parking was a little more of an ordeal
than we were expecting,
but we're on our way now.
This is what they've done,
all these restaurants,
they have taken over the street
with this big tents to
offer dining alfresco.
We're gonna be eating at
the Great Southern Cafe.
Nowadays, you get the
menu by scanning a QR Code
on the table and we got
ourselves some mojitos
It's all right
and here's our food.
Let's begin, I'm starving.
We're on the Great Southern.
I had higher expectations, it is fine
and if this town looks
familiar by the way,
this is the town
that was the location for the movie
"The Truman Show."
I don't know if you remember the movie
from the late '90s,
yeah, it's that perfect little town.
We're gonna walk around a little bit
and then we going back
to the state park
and maybe we're going to the beach.
That's the actual restaurant
and here's the most
perfect little town square.
Look at the cute tiny
post office building.
There you go, that might've been better.
We have an antique golf cart.
Great ambiance here, although
let me tell you,
it is perhaps a little bit crowded.
And they have all these Airstreams here
that are like at food trucks, basically
foot Airstreams,
very unique here in Downtown Seaside.
Definitely a little more crowded
than I expected.
It is definitely
a very popular tourist destination here.
(upbeat music)
We're gonna start walking back to the car
on the less crowded backstreets.
Slowly, we're gonna take our time.
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I think this is it, the
house from the movie.
Well, it does say "the
Truman house", so...
I have to rewatch that movie.
Supposedly was the house Truman lived.
in any case it's too hot to be outdoors
and not in the water,
so I think we're going to the beach.
Well, this is probably the last time
we do summer in Florida, so enjoy.
It's way too hot.
My mom always told me
never to swim after eating
but I think it's a myth.
So we're gonna do it anyways
and did I mention it is hot?
Yeah, this time we're driving.
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Look at the beautiful, fine sand.
It's like sugar.
There's a little bit of seaweed
which apparently is a common occurrence
in June, who knew?
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See all the seaweeds in water.
There're some seaweeds.
(upbeat music)
(wind blowing)
Way out there over the horizon,
we can see the upper halves
of the Panama City Beach, high rise hotels
and it is such a beautiful afternoon here.
Such a great time, enjoying the outdoors.
(upbeat music)
(wind blowing)
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All good things come to an end
but this one is not over, not quite yet.
Today we have an almost all-day drive
to Summerfield and we're gonna stay
at Sunkissed RV Resort.
It is new and very luxurious,
really looking forward to it.
They invited me to stay a couple of nights
and after our whirlwind trip,
we can definitely use a
couple of days of luxury.
I won't bore you showing
you the whole trip there
because as you probably know I-75 and I-10
are not the most scenic
of drives in this parts.
Several hours later,
not before a couple of
afternoon rain showers
here we are Sunkissed RV Resort.
Alright, let's go check in.
(upbeat music)
This is very nice.
Everything looks brand new.
(upbeat music)
We're gonna go to this
place called Francesco's,
they recommended it here at the RV resort
and it's supposed to be good.
It's three and a half miles away, Italian.
"Happy Hour All Day."
(indistinct chattering)
It seems very nice,
we've got some wine and some bread
and some bruschetta.
We're really starving.
It's a wedding soup.
Salmon Cleopatra.
And Ily got the Italian Trio
Yeah, we even got dessert.
Well, Francesco's here, delicious.
- [Announcer] In 400 feet, turn right
onto Southeast 167th Plains road.
- Delicious food are
relatively affordable,
service, it was a little..
- [Announcer] Take the next right
of the Southeast 167th Plains road,
then turn left onto us 27 North.
- You see she won't shut up.
The service is a little sluggish.
Maybe it was our server,
She was like a little,
you know? Overwhelmed
but other than that, it was awesome
and a fitting final meal to,
maybe not the final meal
but the second to final
meal of our trip here.
- [Announcer] Turn left
onto US 27 North US 441.
- And I just remembered, oh gosh,
it was somewhere here.
I forgot to give her my..
I had a $5 coupon and I
forgot to give it to her.
Oh, well maybe we'll come back tomorrow.
(upbeat music)
They gave me this remote,
let's see if it works
and it does.
Well, good morning
from Sunkissed Village RV Resort here.
Very nice. It's kind of
a late morning actually.
We've been working all morning here
trying to get the next video ready
but I think the weather calls for a visit
to the pool
and that's what I'm gonna do right now.
It's summer in Florida.
It's awfully hot here during the day
but then in the afternoon
it starts getting cloudy
and you usually get thunderstorms,
that's like the weather pattern
and of course it's summer in Florida.
So this place is like wide open.
So yeah, let's go check out the pool.
There's people there already.
(upbeat music)
This place has pretty much
every amenity imaginable,
even tennis courts.
(upbeat music)
This is what I'm talking about.
They even have a Tiki bar
and a hot tub.
Let's see what this is.
It's like an activities hall
and they have a gym here too,
they have a game room.
Oh, that's a cool-looking orange drone.
Mailboxes probably for
the seasonal residents
and well, this is what I came for,
the swimming pool.
(upbeat music)
It's heated.
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It looks like it might rain.
Let's check out the laundry here.
Credit card-operated, very nice.
This are the bathrooms.
(upbeat music)
Look at that, glass doors.
All right I'm gonna get back to work
before the storm hits, see you tomorrow.
(upbeat music)
Since I lost my drone a couple of days ago
in Taylor County,
Sunkissed RV Resort
donated some drone footage
so I could show you the park from above.
These are some of the new park motels
they opened up recently
and let me tell you, I'm not saying it
because they invited me to stay
but it is one of those places
where everything seems to be perfect
and immaculately clean.
(upbeat music)
This will be the end of our Florida loop
from here we go North embarking
in the great American
road trip summer 2020
but more about that on a different video,
until then, thank you so much for watching
and see you, on the road.
(upbeat music)
♪ I'm riding ♪
♪ Riding in my RV ♪
