Apalachicola by car

Day 83

Miles today: 0    Total miles: 2,221.5

Hours today:  0

Locks today: 0.    Total locks: 34

The rain just doesn't go away here- but it is warm and green here on the Emerald Coast. Today we decided enough is enough- we haven't seen our Looper friends for a month and greatly miss them. We rented a car and drove 58 miles to Apalachicola. We have a reservation at one of the marinas here starting on Wednesday. In the meantime, we re-connected with Kathy and John on Serenity and Roger and Mary on Ta Ta. They are all docked at Water Street Hotel and Marina, and have been for way too long. The weather window needed to safely cross the Gulf has not opened in over 2 weeks, so it's easy to see why we are all getting antsy. We're all anxious to get to the west coast of Florida for the winter.

The six of us enjoyed lunch at Papa Joe's- fresh oysters, crab cakes, etc. delicious!! The rain varied from a downpour to a trickle, but we didn't let it dampen our mood.

 I dropped the men off at the marina after lunch and then took the ladies to the grocery store in the car. It is difficult to know how to provision, since our departure time is unknown and wholly dependent on the weather. At the same time, it is tough to walk or bike 2 or more miles to the store and tote groceries back to the boats. A car is a blessing, yet there is no car rental agency easily available in this town. And of course plans are underway for some type of Thanksgiving meal, since it is almost certain that no Gulf crossing will be possible before next weekend.

Apalachicola is an "old Florida" town- quaint and interesting, with many small shops and seafood restaurants.  It is totally unlike the cities on the east and west coasts of the state. It will be fun to take pictures there when the rain stops.