Tuesday, Jan. 5th...Was 29 degrees here in Panama City Beach, FL, along the Miracle Strip as we woke up before dawn, grabbed coffee and headed out all bundled up for a day of adventure. Flag stretched out with winds 15-20 mph.
Heading south on Rt. 98 towards St. Joseph Peninsula St. Pk. we saw ditches of water with a thin coat of ice, shrubs dripping with icecicles after being watered to prevent damage from the cold, and other shrubs and hanging pots covered with white sheets for protection. We passed thru Tyndall Air force Base with smoke down the road. We could not determine if this was a controlled burn or from the live fire range.
A pit stop at Mexico Beach for a photo shoot along the snow-white sand beach lapped by clear, aqua-blue waters ruffled with 15-20 mph winds.
Jetty Park had about a dozen fishermen braving the cold to catch whatever cold water fish they could find (ie., sheaphead, drum, flounder). As we ventured on down the road there was the bear x-ing sign...mama with cub in tow. St. Joseph Pennisula St. Pk. had a couple surprises...2 buck deer (6-8 pointers) at different intervals greeted us in the middle of the road...pausing to give us a look before wandering on into the low undergrowth of the forest. The campgrounds were nice with us picking a few sites for future reference. On our way back we paused at the Cape San Blas lighthouse once known as the St. Joseph Bay lighthouse. This was built on the peninsula in 1839 to serve the shortlived town of St. Joseph across the bay. After the town's population was decimated by yellow fever in 1841, the lighthouse was dismantled. In 1843 a hurricane with a large storm surge destroyed the town. The site was abandoned for more than 50 years. In the 20th century the city of Port St. Joe was established about two miles (3 km) north of the site of old St. Joseph. The St. Joseph Bay lighthouse remained in service until 1847, when the lighthouse lantern and other equipment were moved to the new Cape San Blas lighthouse. The old St. Joseph Bay lighthouse was washed away in 1851. In 1960 the light was moved to a skeletal steel tower we saw today. The new light has a lamp with a 300 mm lens at a height of 78 feet. The old lighthouse was sold for $300 and moved three miles to a farm, where it was used first as a residence and then as a barn. In 1978 the house changed hands and was moved to Simmons Bayou, where it was restored and is now used as a private residence.
What a great day!!!
Another beautiful sunset over the Gulf of Mexico.
