Rocky Bayou State Park began as a bombing range for the Air Force. After WWII, development in the area precluded continued use of land as a bombing range. Colonel Frank Gannon, Director of Civil Engineering at Eglin AFB, was the driving force behind converting a tool of warfare into a state park, state recreation area and an aquatic preserve. When completed, the park became part of the Florida parks system.
Rocky Bayou State Park sits on the shore of Choctawhatchee Bay, which is 27 miles long, with a surface area of approximately 129 square miles. They bayou varies from one to six miles wide. The bay is an estuary, a semi-enclosed body of water where freshwater and saltwater mix. Estuaries function as nurseries for fish and invertebrates. Wetlands, oyster bars, mud flats and sea grasses provide a diverse environment that shelters and feeds the nursery residents.
Rocky Bayou State Park spreads over 357 acres. The park has 42 campsites, complete with water, 30 or 50 amp electrical service, picnic table and ground fire grills. Most sites have shade and there are several ADA sites with concrete pads and sidewalks to the bathhouses.
There are three hiking/biking trails: Sand Pine Trail, Rocky Bayou Trail, and Red Cedar Trail. Sand Pine Trail is the longest and roughest trail. It follows the shoreline of Puddin Head Lake (I am not kidding), Rocky Bayou Trail is well marked and easy to walk, and Red Cedar trail is a short loop to and from the playground.
There is also an exercise trail, with exercise bars, workout benches and stair stations. In the same area is a large playground, picnic tables, a pavilion, boat ramp and a kayak/canoe rental kiosk.
When you stay at Rocky Bayou State Park, you also receive day use of Henderson State Park on the Gulf of Mexico for free. At Henderson State Park, you may sunbathe, swim, fish, hike, picnic or just enjoy the beautiful water of the Emerald Coast. If you visit Henderson SP, check out the camping area, accessed by the boardwalks through the dunes.
When we left St. George Island, we took a leisurely drive to St. Andrews State Park. We drove Hwy. 98 to Port St. Joe and then turned inland on Hwy. 71. When we reached Hwy. 22, we turned left and traveled through to Hwy. 98/30 in Panama City. We crossed the Hathaway Bridge to Hwy. 3031 to St. Andrews State Park.
When we arrived at our site in the Pine Grove Campground, the sand of the site had been raked–like a Zen garden. There are a total of 176 sites on the Grand Lagoon with electricity, water, picnic tables and grills. The sites vary in size and accessibility, so check with the park before booking a site.
Campsite on Grand Lagoon
We had one full day of rain, so we did not explore this park as usual. We did walk through the Lagoon Campground, down to the boat ramp and around to the Buttonwood Marsh Overlook. There were several Great Blue Herons nesting in the marsh, tucking their heads under their wings in the rain.
Buttonwood Marsh Overlook
This would be a great beach for summertime fun. I talked with other campers who had swam, snorkeled, scuba dived and surfed here later in the year. They did warn me that the jellyfish come with the sunshine!
The last uninhabited crystal clear river in Florida
With Crystal River in our rearview mirrors, we journeyed to Silver River State Park, west of Ocala, Florida. Silver River bisects Silver River State Park, which covers 5,000 wooded acres. The campground is on the southwest side of the river. The remainder of the area is a wilderness preserve. Silver River is a natural river, with no development on the banks except for the theme park on the headsprings and the state park and the campground on the river.
The headsprings of Silver River are the site of the Silver River Nature Park, Florida’s first theme park. It was here that the glass-bottom boat was invented in 1878. Now, you may enjoy a boat ride, zoo, jeep safari and water park.
As luck would have it, it began to rain as we approached Ocala. We made it to the state park as the thunderstorm hit. It rained hard, so we were unable to put our boat into the water. We did bike down to the river to take some photographs.
Here is a link to the slide show on this park. Slide.com appears to have a bug. Click on the link and then select Gallery View if you would like to view photographs of Silver River. When Slide.com is restored, I will paste the slide show here.
That evening, we discovered that our new trailer leaks, “Like a colander,” as my husband put it. After a discussion with Heartland, the manufacturer of our Edge M21, we left the trailer in Ocala at a certified Heartland service center. So, there we were, on a road trip sans travel trailer. We rented a motel room and watched HBO.
We went to the service center at 1 pm the next day. At 3 pm, we drove out with our trailer. According to the service people, all leaks had been fixed. We had wasted two days on repairs, so we decided not to continue to Saint Augustine, on the Pacific coast. Instead, we plotted our path along the back roads to Ginnie Springs, home to one of the largest cave diving operations in Florida.
November is a good time for day trips to small towns. With the change of color. cooler weather and If the small towns have arts & craft shows, you will spend the day walking, chatting with artisans, eating food on a stick, enjoying your day and finding homemade treasures to give as gifts.
Includes 50+vendors, handmade items, jewelry, demonstrations, music and more.
E-mail: giddingscofc@verizon.net for more information.
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20th Homestead Craft & Children’s Fair
If you have children and want an educational experience amongst all the fun, this is where you want to be. Elmont is a little north of Waco, off IH-35.
From the website:
Crisp autumn air; the jingling of draft horse harnesses; the aroma of homemade tamales, hamburgers, pizza and gorditas; friends and neighbors visiting together; children dipping candles, eating kettlecorn, spinning wool, crafting wooden toy boats; the clanging on the blacksmith’s anvil; barn raisings; grinding wheat at the gristmill; choirs and orchestras under the big tent-the annual Homestead Craft and Children’s Fair.
This year, the Runaway Fright Train from Jefferson will be overrun by Freaky Fairy Tales characters as childhood stories come to life! The first run of each night is family-oriented, while the later runs are for patrons that want to be scared to death! Take a ride on the 40-minute 5-mile long Haunted House along the tracks of the Historic Jefferson Railway. Go to Terror on the Bayou to purchase tickets and for more information.
Before or after your excursion, you may want to walk through the Creepy Screamin’ Corn Maze, a dark walk through Piney Woods, a haunted cemetery and the 100 foot underground Tunnel of Doom. There is a daylight G-rated excursions through the Screamin’ Corn Maze on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 pm.
November is a good time for day trips to small towns. With the change of color. cooler weather and If the small towns have arts & craft shows, you will spend the day walking, chatting with artisans, eating food on a stick, enjoying your day and finding homemade treasures to give as gifts.
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