We left Apalachicola at around 10am and drove out of the town over the first of several long curving bridges that link the islands along the coast.
We went along one causeway after another. What a wonderful feat of civil engineering the road builders achieved!
The coastline was as idyllic as you could have wanted, with the sun glinting off the calm sea.
The end of another bridge as the road descended towards one of the many small towns that dot the coastline.
An example of how most of the houses are built on stilts, presumably to offer protection from flooding, but also to keep them cool.
At around 1pm, we drove down to the sea at a place called Keaton Beach and, completely by chance, bumped into Bob and Thelma who were having a picnic lunch. Keaton Beach was another beautiful white sandy beach, with palm trees blowing in the cool sea breeze and families out for a Sunday at the sea.
We decided to drive on to the next small town, Steinhatchee, where we stopped at Roy's Restaurant. Wendy had shrimp and I had a great salad with incredible homemade Greek potato salad.
As we were eating, we watched the pelicans diving into the water to catch fish. This one had just surfaced with its mouth full of fish and the gull flew down to see if there were any leftovers.
After an hour's break, we continued our drive south. We came up behind this remarkable motorbike fashioned like a rocket. The front looked like a missile!
We didn't have a reservation for the night and so we drove down to various beaches looking for a hotel. One place we went to was Bayport, where there was a boat park for owners to put their boats into the water. Being a Sunday, it was extremely busy. Below is a photo of one of the fishing boats returning to the dock.
We have seen several of these unlikely road signs warning drivers of bears. We had no idea bears inhabited the forests of Florida, but apparently they do. The Florida black bear is a unique sub-species and numbers only an estimated 1,500.
On about our fourth attempt to find a hotel, we drove into the town of Hudson Beach and found the Inn on the Gulf. We checked in and went for a drink at the bar opposite. A live band was playing in the bar area and we sat in the sunshine listening to them playing Bruce Springsteen and Steve Winwood songs.
In the evening, we had dinner at the hotel's restaurant. Parked in front was this brand new Rolls Royce. I liked the setting - the Roller with, in the background, the sun going down over the Gulf.
A happy group of travellers.
Next to us in the restaurant was Chris, a wedding planner whose mother came from Devon, close to where Bob and Thelma have their house. He talked about his work and then his client, Jessica, who was getting married in a week's time, came and joined him. We had a really interesting chat with her about her wedding and then her move to Michigan. We wished her all the very best for her future happiness.
How's this for a way to end another wonderful day's travelling through the state of Florida?
Tomorrow, we drive nearly 200 miles to Captiva Island where we have booked into the 'Tween Waters Inn, so called because it is on a narrow causeway between Sanibel and Captiva Islands. It will be good to have two nights there, the first place since Omaha where we haven't had to move on the day after we arrive - what bliss!
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