Staying in Florida for April
Back in Sarasota. Spent about two weeks with the Rainbow Family gathering in Apalachicola State Forest. Pretty mellow gathering. I picked up a friend in Gainsville and we made it to the gathering after dark around 9pm. It was raining on and off all evening so I decided to find a spot and get set up as soon as I arrived. Trying to find a spot in the dark can be a bit challenging but I ran into a dude who pointed me to a recently abandoned camp site. Turned out to be a really sweet spot, back away form the main trail on the edge of a Cypress swamp.
Apalachicola forest is a really nice state park spotted with Cypress swamps and Pine / Oak forests. Never been to the Florida panhandle before and found it to be much more scenic then I had expected. Staid two weeks at the Apalachicola Rainbow gathering before heading to Panama City Beach which was only about an hour and a half away.
I had planned on spending a couple of days in Panama Beach but I was feeling sick and really did not see much worth staying for when I got there. Panama Beach is one of those mega built-up beach resort towns, a lot like Myrtle Beach in South Carolina or Atlantic Beach in New Jersey. Basically a beach strip with a main road lined on ether side with huge 10 plus story hotels. Block after block of of hotels, surf shops, the obligatory beach side “Ripleys Believe it or Not” Museum, a few cheesy amusement rides and cheap burgers.
Of course spring break was in full swing so it was crowded. I hear the night life in Panama Beach is something to see and I may go back on my return trip north, but on the day I showed up it was overcast and really did not look like there was much to do besides sit in a hotel room and wait for the bar to open, so I left, and have been hanging out in Sarasota ever since.