Welcome to Dolphins Dance on beautiful Cape San Blas, Florida
Cape San Blas and Port St. Joe
Our Cape San Blas Vacation, October 2007
We set off for Cape San Blas, Florida on October 13th. We were planning on driving all night and arriving on Sunday afternoon. Everything went very well and we arrived on schedule and picked up some groceries at the Piggy Wiggly in Port St. Joe before heading out to the Cape. The beach was just as we had remembered it - beautiful white sand stretching for miles. We were really happy to be on Cape San Blas and looking forward to a couple of great weeks.
The first few days we took it easy. Tom had a cold which he had picked up before we left, so we spent some time on the beach, especially at sunset when we admired the beautiful sunsets and took lots of pictures. The weather on the Cape was great although later on in the holiday we did get a few days of rain. We didn't really mind the rain though. We sat out on the living area deck which is covered and overlooks a small lake. Very relaxing.
Saul and Betsy, guests who had stayed at Dolphins Dance in July and then returned in October, had left us some food and wine which we really appreciated. They were celebrating their 10th anniversary and they love Cape San Blas. They left us a really nice note of welcome in the fridge and reading it really made my day when I read it!
Besides resting and relaxing, we also wanted to do some provisioning of Dolphins Dance. So one day we set off early for Tallahassee. It was a nice 2 and a half hour drive and we saw parts of the Florida Panhandle that we had never seen before. The drive is very scenic up through Apalachicola and Carabelle. We bought a number of things for Dolphins Dance, including a cat condo / scratching post for those guests that travel with pet cats. We had also brought some more books and DVD's for Dolphins Dance from home. We will do this every year. One of our beach chairs broke while we were lounging on the beach one day. The look on Tom's face when he sat down and ended up with his feet straight up in the air was really comical. I wish I had had the camera! Anyway, two new beach chairs were also acquired.
We had been told that October was maybe the best month to visit Cape San Blas and northern Florida in general, and I can definitely agree. Everywhere we looked we saw migrating butterflies! The temperatures were in the low 80's during the day and the 60's at night, which made for perfect sleeping weather and we didn't have to use the air conditioning much. The water temperature was still very warm and so the swimming was great. I think we will try to go every October from now on!
Another day we decided to visit Apalachicola. We had a great lunch at the Owl Cafe and then we stopped in at River Keepers. This is an organization dedicated to preserving the natural environment of the Apalachicola river basin. We bought some local tupelo honey and we also picked up a poster of the area which includes a great view of Cape San Blas. I wanted to get it framed for Dolphins Dance, but there wasn't time, so I will do it next year. I think it will look great in the living room!
Another day I dedicated to taking pictures, many of which you can now view. Of course I focused on the beach quite a bit. These beach pictures of the Cape will have to get me through a long and cold winter! Another day I was sitting sipping coffee on the back deck and I noticed a Great Blue Heron sitting on the fishing pier in the small lake. I grabbed the camera and he was polite enough to stay and let me take his picture and even better, I could get Dolphins Dance in the shot as well. While out by the lake, I also noticed a tire in the lake, which seems to have been put there specifically to provide a lounging area for baby turtles. They let me take their picture too!
Soon enough though, it was time to head north and leave Cape San Blas and the Florida Panhandle for another year. We had had a great trip though and I know I can hardly wait to return to the Cape next year. Until then, I will have to make do with dreaming of Cape san Blas with its miles of unspoiled beaches.