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Saturday, July 23, 2011

㊅ What's on Cape San Blas???? ㊅

Welcome to my newest follower Rebecca Bany @ Memories of Me & Mine Go visit her and read about her day to day adventures.


Cape San Blas is a narrow spit/finger of sand dunes, palm trees and sea oats extending into the Gulf of Mexico just west of Apalachicola, Florida. Less than a mile wide at its widest point, and more than 15 miles in length, the Cape separates the waters of St. Joseph Bay from the Gulf. Inhabited primarily by wildlife for hundreds of years, this pristine area became the home of St. Joseph State Park in 1967.



Washed by the crystal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the sand on Cape San Blas beaches is some of the whitest in the world, and has a much finer texture than the coarse sand found on the Atlantic seaboard. Its beaches have been voted in the top 10 beaches. In fact, in 2002 Dr. Steve Leatherman (aka Dr. Beach), author of America's Best Beaches, awarded Cape San Blas as the best beach in the entire USA.


Incredibly beautiful in its own right, the bay side coastline is much different than its Gulf side counterpart. Pine trees and salt marshes, calm, shallow waters with swaying turtle grass, small islands, fishing docks, kayaks and fishing boats, all blend to create an atmosphere of total relaxation. In late summer, visitors snorkel the shallow waters of the bay in search of the succulent bay scallop.


Also on Cape San Blas is a lighthouse... Ralph & I both love to visit many things on our travels and Lighthouses is one of them. Here is a little history on the Cape San Blas Lighthouse: In 1847 Congress appropriated $8,000 for a lighthouse. Two years later a conical brick tower was completed. The signal from the 85-foot high structure could be seen for 10 miles offshore. During a storm in 1851, this structure was destroyed.


Construction of the new lighthouse tower was not without its problems. The ship bringing the prefabricated tower to the Cape sank. Fortunately, the water was so shallow that the structure was salvaged. Finally, by June 1885, the 96-foot high, iron skeleton lighthouse was placed in service. Around this time, two wood-frame dwellings for the keepers were constructed. The two keepers' quarters are identical. They are two-story, wood framed cottages on low concrete pier foundations, each with two brick chimneys. The interior of each residence contains two main rooms on each floor. To avert another disaster, in 1919 the Bureau of Lighthouses moved the Cape San Blas lighthouse inland and the keepers' quarters to their present location.


On our drive back to Tassie I saw this cute little store on the side of the road. I fell in love with their beach chairs but alas I have no room in Tassie for them...LOL


Hunger struck us on our way home so just a short ways further we stopped at the Seafood Cafe and had dinner... I had the best Haddock, lightly battered and fried up just right (here my arteries clogging) and Ralph enjoyed a juicy half pound burger.



The day came to a close with another fabulous sunset...
Hope you enjoyed our day as much as we did.


Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!

14 comments:

Sue and Doug said...

the white sand is amazing!..postcard picture perfect!..looks like you and Ralph enjoyed your day!..clogging arteries and all!.Cheers!

Jeff said...

Those 2 red & yellow beach chairs are neat-shaped like fish. They'd look great on our Crystal River site.

TravelingLongdogs said...

Really enjoying your posts and reviews of parks in the Florida panhandle as I am in Panama City right now.

Hootin Anni said...

You're 'killing' me with photos of those french fries and burger!!! Oh lordy how I drool.

And the park is spectacular...love the white sand!!

Rick said...

What a fantastic looking white sand beach. Great lighthouse and loved the burger and fries too!

Leno said...

Those pictures are sure making me miss those beautiful panhandle beaches. We will be back at Topsail in November... Thanks for the history of the lighthouse! Nice pictures...

Happytrails said...

It looks like you discovered a jewel with Cape San Blas!! We will definitely put this on our "to see" list. Thanks for the heads up.
Lunch looked yummy!!

Donna K said...

What beautiful beaches. I have never seen sand like that - would love to wriggle my toes in it. Loved the photos...

Kat said...

Beautiful! We love Cape San Blas, such a gorgeous beach. We visited many times when we were staying on St. George. Travel safe! Kat

Mike McFall said...

Wow, I sure enjoyed your pictures. Living in Tallahasse for such a long time, we've been to Cape San BLAST many many times....Thanks for the reminder and memories... I believe to answer your question on my Blog, that the Gas guys and the Buffalo guys must have got together and decided to STICK it TO US!!! LOL

The Hollingers said...

OK, this park just got put into the bucket list! What a great spot!

Bed and Breakfast Brugge said...

Superb Posting for beaches. nice location and yummy food.

Karen and Al said...

Sure wish I was there! The water looks so inviting and the food looks delicious!

Margie and Roger said...

OMG you have made me so homesick for Florida. Isn't it just such a gorgeous place to hang out. Those beach chairs! OMG I wish I had some of those...but they just won't fit in our motorhome either. That was the most beautiful white sand I've seen in Florida. Lucky you!

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