Cross Country Adventure - Day Six

Welcome back. Our journey across the country was so much fun and I found my story, To Dance With Dolphins, and I love sharing those wonderful days with you. I hope you've read the first five entries and entered the drawings for each day's gift. 

When I checked out the post for October 13th I discovered I failed to mention our stay in Savannah Georgia. I just can't overlook this incredible city. It is a mix of old and new with beautiful colonial homes with broad front porches, a profusion of flowers, and trees draped in Spanish moss. 

We spent a day at a small beach resort on the Atlantic. The ocean waters were quiet with open, broad beaches. And the locals do their best to protect the turtles.  :-) 

The next stop is the place we (and my characters) drove all this way to discover and we weren't disappointed. Back to our journey.

Friday, October 13, 2006

"It's our last day in Panama City Beach, Florida. We splurged and stayed three days. The only word to describe our time here - AMAZING! My characters are going to love it. 

Our daughter Kristi and her son, Gabe, joined us in Hinesville, Georgia and will be making the rest of the trip with us. Kristi's been living in Hinesville, but she's a west coast kind of gal so she's moving back to Oregon. We're happy about that and it's fun having them with us and so good to get better acquainted with our grandson, Gabe.

Panama City Beach has been a surprise to me. I made reservations at what I thought was an "ordinary" Holiday Inn on the Gulf Coast. To my surprise it turned out to be a fabulous resort with white-sand beaches, stunning sunsets, aqua waters, hot tubs, waterfalls, tiki lamps, palm trees, entertainment, and a disc jockey playing fun tunes much of the day. If you're ever in Panama City Beach this is the place to stay.

Yesterday Greg and I traveled by pontoon boat to an uninhabited island called Shell Island. 

It was a perfect day with temperatures in the 80's, soft breezes and blue skies. We walked a quiet beach and after cooling off in the Gulf waters, we settled into our chairs, sipped drinks, had a snack and thought about how incredible it was that we were in such an incredible place.

 Feeling adventurous, we donned our snorkeling gear and headed back into the water. What great fun - flloating in a warm sea, watching for wildlife and sea creatures. It was a new experience for us. Greg spotted a very large raspberry-colored jellyfish and managed to get some photos. Me ... I kept my distance.

One of the highlights of the day was a dolphin encounter. While on the boat, we watched a blue fish swim for its life, leaping out of the water and then swimming as hard and fast as he could. Although he fiercely tried to evade a hungry dolphin he ended up as lunch anyway. The dolphin gave us quite a show, diving, surfacing and hunting for something more to eat. We've had several dolphin sightings since arriving here. Our first day, we watched three of the beautiful creatures play in the waters just off the beach in front of our hotel.

Shell Island had some special surprises for my characters.

After our adventure on Shell Island, we returned to our room thinking a nap might be nice, but when we looked out our window and saw someone parasailing our energy was renewed. My husband made a quick phone call and before I knew it we were heading for the beach to meet the parasailing boat.

While Greg sailed, I took photos from a safe spot on the beach. My husband's always up for an adventure.

Tomorrow, we move on and once more the miles will be rolling beneath our tires as we travel through Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana heading for Texas. The weather forecast is for rain (lots of it) and thunderstorms so keep us in your prayers."

More fun to come as we head west. 

Today's Question:  Do you have a favorite vacation spot? What do you love about it?

Today's Gift:  

Tropical Beach Dolphin Abalone Shell Earrings

I'll be back tomorrow. Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie