T. H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park - Florida (March 2018)

Google maps said we should be able to travel from Hardridge Creek COE Campground to T. H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park near Port St. Joe in a little more than four hours. Google lied! It took more than six hours to reach Florida's Gulf coast. 

Google wasn’t alone in this optimistic travel time estimate. Our Garmin GPS and Ford's navigation system also thought Florida was much closer to us than it really was. 

All three systems (we refer to our Garmin GPS as Jill, our truck's system is called Jack and Google Maps is simply known as Google) could only agree that we should be forced to drag Rosie, our 25 foot Airstream trailer, down some tiny country roads running through Alabama's and Florida's farm country. For some unexplainable reason, the speed limits on too many stretches of these roads were 35 or 45 miles per hour and a frightening number of those speed limit signs had the annoying “Strickly Enforced” notices attached. Jack would point us to the left, Jill would say go right and Google said to keep going straight. It was as if we had too many cooks in the kitchen. 

Somehow we managed to make a wrong turn and ended up in Georgia. Jack, Jill and Google all agreed we were heading in the wrong direction, but true to course, none agreed how to get back on track. 

To be fair, Jack, Jill and Google tend to agree when we are rolling down the Interstates. It appeared to us that once our navigation devices figured out we were traveling country roads to our destination, they were competing to see which unit could come up with the slowest, I mean most scenic, route to Port St. Joe. 

After driving for what seemed forever, we found a place in the middle of nowhere with a Methodist church directly across the street from a Baptist church. There was a parking area in front of the Baptist church large enough to allow us to stop for a while and stretch. Both churches had signs saying that burials in their cemeteries must be preapproved and that you could not simply show up and start digging a gravesite. It appeared that random burials were a problem in that community. 

As expected, Jack, Jill and Google didn’t wisely use our break time to agree on the best route for the rest of our trip. We were becoming painfully aware that technology was not going to get us to the Florida Gulf Coast in a timely manner. 

As we meandered through the backroads of Alabama, Georgia and Florida, we started talking about family vacations when we were kids. The backroads were the main highways then because the first legs of the Interstate system were only in the planning stages. 

My memory of vacations was of the family in the Buick and Daddy following his TripTik from AAA. As I was the youngest child, I was permanently assigned the middle of the back seat with my feet resting on the driveshaft hump. My brother and sister had to fight our family dog in what often was a losing battle for the open window in our car that lacked air-conditioning. 

One of our family traditions was the turning of the TripTik page. Mom would always read the description printed on the new page telling us what to look forward to for the next 50 or so miles of our trip. 

Becky had different memories as her family had a Ford station wagon and her permanent seat wasn’t really a seat. She sat in the area behind the last seat. The advantage to traveling in the luggage area was that she could stretch out and nap while traveling. It was always a mystery to her as to how they ever arrived anywhere as she snoozed her way through family trips. 

After much longer than the initial time estimates, we turned on U.S. Highway 98 heading for Florida Highway 30A, the road hugging the Gulf coast and the gateway to T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. It is amazing how our spirits lifted at the first sight of the Gulf. 

We finally see the Gulf

One of our traditional conversation points while driving through the Cape San Blas area is about how it appeared more built-up in a year's time. We were shocked at the amount of construction since we camped there last year. It appeared that the road to our secluded beach area was quickly becoming developed. 

Rosie as we turn off Florida 30-A and head to the state park near Port St. Joe, Fla.

Selfie taken as we turn on to Cape San Blas Road

Fortunately, Cape San Blas Road dead-ends at the state park and you are quickly removed from the growing clutter of “progress.” After checking in, we headed to our site in the Gulf Breeze loop.  

Sign at the entrance of the park

We have our list of favorite sites, but word must have leaked out because we couldn’t get any of our “A-List” sites. We found ourselves on the “marsh” side of the loop this time. 

Rosie in our Gulf Breeze campsite

We have camped in this park in a variety of weather conditions. There were several times during our tent days that all we talked about was how cold it was.There were also times when it was simply too hot for tent camping. The weather isn’t as big a factor for us now because it is always pleasant inside Rosie and that was a good thing because the wind was the weather story this year. We had a couple days of 25-30 mph winds and the temperature dipped into the 40s a few mornings. The winds kept us off the beaches and mostly inside Rosie for three days this time. 

The beach area was closed during the wind storm

Our timing normally places us in this park during the traditional Spring Break season. Of course, the college students tend to gather an hour west of this park in Panama City Beach. We usually see families from Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana and Ohio in this park. The college-age Spring Breakers that stay here seem to fit in as they appear to enjoy the natural beauty of this area. In fact, several of our neighbors commented on how quiet the park was while it was full of campers. 

Here are some specifics about this park:

• There are two camping loops (Gulf Breeze and Shady Pines) in the park. There are some tree-lined narrow passages in the Shady Pines loop and I don’t think I would try to navigate some of the sharp turns in that loop with a rig longer than 27 feet. 
• There are advantages to both loops. Shady Pines has more of a feeling of camping in the woods. Gulf Breeze seems to accommodate larger rigs and is closer to the beach. We noticed while walking around the camping loops during the wind storm that we felt more of the wind in Gulf Breeze than in Shady Pines. 
• Our site was dirt and it took many leveling tools to help with the port to starboard lean. I think our leveler tools sunk in the sand as the lean became more pronounced during the week. 
• Our site had 30 and 20 amp electrical service. I don't think the park offers 50 amp service. 
• In addition to electrical service, our site had a water connection. The water pressure on our connection was a healthy 44 pounds. 
• Our site did not have a sewer connection and I don't think any sites in this park have sewer connections. 
• There is a single dump station near the exit of the Gulf Breeze camping loop. You should plan on waiting for your turn at the dump station if several other people decide to leave about the same time as you. 
• There is a dump station in the Shady Pines loop near the Eastern bathhouse. You cannot reach it with your RV, so you must lug your sewer tote across some soft Florida beach sand to reach it. While this is a challenge, it is easier to use when camping in the Shady Pines loop than dragging your tote to the Gulf Breeze loop. 
• There are two bath houses in each camping loop and they are all well maintained by the park's staff. The Gulf Breeze loop bathhouse nearest the boardwalk appears to have been updated more recently than the others. That bathhouse was also heated, something we appreciated during the short cold snap while we camped there. 
• The AT&T signal was slightly better this year. We had two bars of voice and 4G data service inside Rosie. We are not sure if this is the result of the buildup of Cape San Blas or if we parked Rosie in one of the “magic” spots that simply had better service. 
• There are two WiFi access points in the park. The WiFi at the campstore seems to be a little faster than the WiFi point between the two camping loops. I think I had a dial-up modem 30 years ago that was faster. Expect the bandwidth speeds to plummet when someone else starts sharing the WiFi signal you are using. 
• There is a campstore in the park with some last minute necessities. I think it may be cheaper to buy a cow from a local farmer than a carton of milk from the store. 
• This is a pet friendly park. 
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS most of time time using Rosie's antenna. We also consistently saw digital channels ME-TV and CW. Signals from GRIT, H&I and Escape drifted in and out during the day.

This is a park that we always want to bring our bikes and kayak to. Toss in some of the best beaches on the Gulf and spectacular sunsets and you are talking about some great reasons for spending Spring Break in this park. 

We saw nine Airstream trailers and motor homes in the campground while we were camping at the T. H. Stone St. Joseph Peninsula State Park this year. 

The bay side of the park

The "alligator" lake

Along one of the trails in the park

Becky and Suzy at the beach

Seen between the Shady Pines and Gulf Breeze camping loops

A pelican near the camp store 

Suzy on the boardwalk

Becky and her new friend in Port St. Joe, Florida

Lunch in Port St. Joe, Florida

Sunset over the Gulf

Sunset

Sunset

Rosie at the dump station as we leave the park

T. H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park - 2016 - Introducing Suzy

We get the itch to return to the T. H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park every Spring. That is the same time thousands of college students head to Florida's Gulf Coast for Spring Break. Fortunately, college students don't pick Port St. Joe, a park that is full of families, not parties. That means this is a great place to visit in Rosie, our 25 foot Airstream trailer, during the Spring.

At the entrance to the park

Port St. Joe Peninsula State Park is a place that is special to our family. We have made it a point to camp here every year during the Spring for the past 15 years. So, what draws us to Port St Joe?

One of the obvious answers is the Gulf. You will find some of best beaches in America in this park. We love the soft white sand, the dunes and the waves.

The beach at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park

Another draw is the bay side of this park. This is where the Pelicans love to roost and where you will find star fish.

The bay side of the park

Our third reason is special to us because we both grew up in Florida and fondly remember the days before condos starting dotting the coastline. The scenic views here are what many call the "natural Florida." You will see dunes and white-sandy beaches, wonderful sights to anyone who loves the natural Florida.

The dunes

There are two camping loops in this park and we go back-and-forth between the two. We returned to the Shady Pines loop this year and were lucky enough to get a site with a concrete pad. No, the pad wasn't level and we had to use our tools to help with this problem.

Rosie's site in the Shady Pines camping loop

We didn't know it when we booked this site, but it would be perfect for Suzy, our new puppy. Yes, we have a new member of the family and she is a four month-old Yorkie.

Suzy joins our family

Annie, our Yorkie who passed away last year, was a good camper and we hoped that Suzy would also take to camping in Rosie. Since Suzy had her last "puppy" shot a week before our trip to Port St. Joe, we were anxious about how she would adapt to living in a RV, meeting new people and other animals. It turned out that our concerns were unfounded as Suzy quickly took to living in Rosie and she loved meeting new people and dogs. In fact, it appeared that Suzy wanted everyone she saw to stop and pet her, especially children.

Suzy meets Henry, the poodle next door

Suzy loved walking around the campground, walking down the boardwalk to the Gulf and riding in our kayak. In short, she loves camping.

Suzy loves going for a walk

Suzy on the boardwalk between the two camping loops

Suzy loves her mommy

Suzy inside Rosie, our Airstream trailer

Speaking of the kayak, we added an inflatable tandem kayak to our camping goodies. We spotted a bald eagle during our first trip in the bay. Some other memorable moments in the kayak include floating amid several pelicans and seeing a mother dolphin and her baby about 25 feet in front of us. We also took the kayak for a spin in the Gulf. The waves were fun until we were headed back to shore and they crashed over us. While we ended up very wet, we enjoyed riding our kayak in the Gulf and look forward to more adventures with it in the future.

Suzy in the kayak

Getting ready to launch the kayak

Here are some specifics about T. H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park.

• Our site had 30 and 20 amp service. From talking with other people in the campground, I don't think 50 amp service is available in this park.
• Campsites have water but no sewer connections. The main dump station is close to the Gulf Breeze camping loop. There is a dump station in the Shady Pines loop, but it is for emptying sewer totes. There is no vehicle access to this dump station, so you will have to pull your heavy tote across some soft sand to use that dump station. While it sounds difficult, it is easier to use than dragging your sewer tote to the Gulf Breeze dump station.
• There are two restrooms with showers in each campground. They are well maintained and cleaned by the park's volunteers. The restrooms in the Shady Pines side are starting to show their ages.
• Expect to see a healthy number of children in this park. For some reason, parents love to bring their families here. From our perspective, we love seeing and hearing children play in this park.
• AT&T placed a marginal 4G voice and data signal (one to two bars) over the park. We ended up having to stand on our picnic table to complete a phone call.
• The only TV signals we reliably saw were CBS and NBC. We saw FOX for a moment or two and ABC dropped in for an occasional visit. Digital channels were limited to CW and a little ME-TV. If you want to watch TV, this isn't the best park for you. On the other hand, you can bring some DVDs you have been meaning to watch and catch-up on some movies while here.
• This is a pet friendly park. Suzy enjoyed meeting many new four-legged friends while we camped in the park.
• There is a campstore in the park. It has basic supplies plus you can rent canoes and kayaks there. If you decide to bypass the campstore and head to town for some milk, the next grocery store is more than 30 miles down the road.

We have been a regular in the park for more than 15 years. In talking to other campers about the park, we discovered that they either love it or hate it. Ironically, both groups give the same reasons: the park is 30 miles from anything, cell service is spotty and it is hard to snag a decent TV signal to watch.

I guess it is all a matter of perspective. Some people enjoy camping in the woods next to the Gulf while others prefer camping closer to fast food restaurants and amusements. We will take the peace and quiet in a natural setting over being in the center of things every time. We are already planning our 16th trip to Port St. Joe Peninsula State Park.

Becky and Suzy in Apalachicola

Steve and Suzy inspect the shrimp boats in Apalachicola

Family selfie in Apalachicola

A pelican flying over the bay

Getting ready to head out in the kayak

Overlooking the bay

Area between the two camping loops

A bald eagle perched on top of a tree

Sunset

The boardwalk between the two camping loops

Original watercolor painting by Becky of fishing boat in Apalachicola

Original watercolor painting by Becky of the rental kayaks

T. H. Stone Memorial St Joseph State Park - 2015

There are some traditions that you simply don't want to break. I was fortunate enough to work in an industry that observed Spring Break, the highlight of many college students' calendars. For more than a dozen years, we spent our Spring Break camping at the T. H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph State Park located near Port St. Joe, Florida.

The beach at Port St. Joe State Park

There are two camping loops in this park and we keep moving back and forth between them over the years. The Gulf Breeze loop is closer to the Gulf and has more of a "beach" feel to it. The Shady Pines loop has more trees and gives you a feeling that you are camping in the woods instead of being at the beach. You tend to find more tent campers and smaller RVs in this loop.

We camped in the Gulf Breeze loop the last couple of years and decided to go back to the Shady Pines loop this time.

Shady Pines Camping Loop

It always seems that weather plays a major role during Spring Break week. The rain and storms were a bigger problem during our tent camping years. Now that we camp in Rosie, our 25 foot Airstream trailer, we are simply inconvenienced by the rain and not chased out of the park.

That wasn't true for our neighbors. Most everything in their tent ended up wet after a big rain storm. Instead of using drenched sleeping bags, they decided to tear down and move to a motel. We understood because it isn't fun camping in a wet tent.

The rains did impact us this year. We moved inside Rosie during the frequent rain showers then went outside and enjoyed the park after the skies cleared up. It did appear to us that the outer camping sites in the Shady Pines loop were much wetter that the inner loop sites. We also felt that the Gulf Breeze loop seemed to deal with any rain runoff better than Shady Pines.

We saw lots of wildlife this year. We normally see deer and birds in the park. We were excited to see the alligator again because we missed seeing her the last couple of years. We also heard an owl in the park. There were lots of dolphins and we saw a baby shark in the Gulf.

A deer on the side of the road

We rented kayaks one morning and paddled around the bay. We spotted crabs, a horseshoe crab and a starfish from the kayaks. The kayaks turned out to be lots of fun and something we will do again.

Traveling via kayak in the bay

Trying out a paddle board

We have talked about this park several times before, so I won't repeat the things we love about Port St. Joe. We have discovered over the years that this is a park that divides people. Some really love it because it is similar to the "old" Florida beaches. Others don't like it because it is too far away from restaurants, grocery stores and entertainment. We are in the group that loves this park.

The park specifics have not changed too much over the years.

• This is a pet friendly park and you will see many pets at this park.
  
• Wi-Fi is now available at the camp store and at the picnic tables next to the children's playground on the bay side of the park. Internet speeds at the picnic tables appear to be slower to us than at the camp store.
• AT&T 4G service for both phone and data were significantly better this year than previous ones. It was easier for us to create a Wi-Fi hotspot from our iPhones than to travel to the park's Wi-Fi access points.
• We had both 20 and 30 amp electrical service at our campsite.
• It was sadly entertaining watching big rigs try to navigate around the sharp and narrow turns in the Shady Pines loop. Big rigs need to stay in the Gulf Breeze loop, which is better able to deal with the big boys.
• There is one dump station in the park. You will need to plan your departure time around the line waiting to use it.
• We were able to watch ABC and CBS most of the time from Rosie's antenna. We only saw the NBC station a couple of times. Digital signals from ME-TV and CW were watchable a few times. For some reason, we had weaker TV signals this year than in the past.
• It is a long way to the closest grocery store. You want to make sure your camper is well-stocked before camping at Port St. Joe State Park.

Rain or shine, we enjoy camping in Rosie at the T. H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph State Park.

Enjoying the surf

Waiting for the tide change

Rosie leaving the Port St. Joe Park