The panhandle is so full of beauty, and you can miss it so easily! St. Joseph State Park on Cape San Blas was not on our radar until we took a back road back to our campground and passed a sign for it. When we looked it up, we realized it was the spit of land we could see from our campsite, and decided to stop in for a few minutes to check it out before we left the area.
On the last full day of our trip, we made the turn to Cape San Blas and followed a narrow road past heavy development of a mix of beach homes and vacation houses. There are some nature trails in the area. But the farther back you go, the sparser the development, until you are in an area of sand and pine scrub. As we entered the State Park, we asked the ranger what we ask all park rangers: “What’s your favorite part of this park?” She answered, with no apparent joy, “The way it was before the hurricane.” We assume she meant Hurricane Michael and not Sally, but we did not ask because she was not at all friendly. Not expecting much of the place after this, we parked the car and climbed the boardwalk over the dune to the beach.
Good heavens. I cannot imagine how beautiful it must have been before the storm.
This beach stretched infinitely in both directions, and was made of the same gorgeous sugar sand as the beach we enjoyed at St. George State Park. We noticed several marked sea turtle nests. It was late morning when we first got onto the beach, and the wind was blowing sand into shapes similar to those we observed on St. George Island. But the character of the beach was somehow different. The beach was not as wide; the dunes were much closer on our right as we walked west down the length of the beach.
We started walking and just kept going. Steve, who for years told me he was not a fan of beaches, started picking up shells and WOULD. NOT. STOP. I took my overshirt off and let him make a pouch for his treasures, and he still ended up with more shells than he could carry. In the picture below, you can see that the water is just starting to return to its normal emerald color after the storm of the previous week.
My major find of the day was an octopus. It was newly dead; no smell and had not yet been pecked at by waterbirds. We put it back in the water just in case the poor thing had any life in it, but we are certain it was dead. Octopuses are among my favorite sea creatures, and I was grateful for the chance to examine this one. Its arms were so graceful and I wish we could have saved it. It was just a bit too large to hold in one hand.
The octopus made us sad, so to cheer ourselves up we wrote our names in the sand. Funny how such a childish thing can wipe away thoughts about mortality and how much sand has slipped through our own hourglasses. We made sure to write it well up on the beach so we wouldn’t be there when the waves washed it away.
The tidal pools held live shells, and Steve found this pretty moon snail and an olive snail. They are live!
Among all the shells, I found a sweet little ghost crab. I always love seeing these guys running along the beach. I used to find them with my Dad on trips to Ocean City when I was a kid.
I know that I have said that I want to return to every beach we visited on our panhandle trip, and this one is no exception. We passed so few people on the beach, and there was so much to see. I’d love to launch a kayak from this beach when the water is clear, and there is a significant area that is accessible by non-motorized boats only. With 120 campsites and eight cabins (with fireplaces and full kitchens!), I really think a spring 2021 trip may be in our future. It did my heart good to see Steve enjoying this day and this special place. We’ll be back!
