Atlanta Magazine Has Found Cape San Blas and The Forgotten Coast

Cape San Blas will rekindle your love for the Florida Panhandle

The "Forgotten Coast" provides quiet relaxation

by Rebecca Burns

Photograph courtesy of Rockin M Ranch Beach Horseback Riding

“Well,” I said to my husband, “I don’t think I have ever dined out looking so grubby in my life—but I don’t remember when I last felt this relaxed.” With another swig from a bottle of PBR, I leaned back in the wooden bench on the wide front porch of Indian Pass Trading Post and listened as Kerry James, whose sun-streaked hair and leathered skin testified to decades of beach bumming, belted his way through “Sweet Caroline.” 

Just ten minutes before, Jim and I had been sprawled on a blanket, watching horses clomp through cottony sand and splash through azure surf. I wore a Braves cap over a wet ponytail, and—good God—a tank top and ancient gym shorts over a damp bathing suit. Flip-flops. Salt water was still drying on my skin.

A half hour later, seated inside, we shared a plastic picnic table with a family of locals and watched the kitchen crew shuck just-caught oysters with the breakneck pace of contestants in a Top Chef challenge. Popped open, sparkling with brine, and arrayed directly on school cafeteria–style trays, oysters were delivered to crowded tables in a room where beer was available by self-service—and on the honor system—from two draft taps.

The Trading Post (Indian Pass Raw Bar my notes)traces its roots to 1903, when it opened as the company store for a turpentine concern that operated along Cape San Blas, a seventeen-mile barrier island that curves along St. Joseph Bay at the eastern edge of the Florida Panhandle. In the 1930s, Gypsie McNeill added food service for the few travelers who ventured to this distant strip of coastline.

Today the Trading Post (Indian Pass Raw Bar), located on the edge of Highway 30E, bustles thanks to its minutes-from-the-water oysters, harvested by Gypsie’s grandchildren and other members of the McNeill clan. It’s also busy because, frankly, only a handful of restaurants operate on this still-underdeveloped stretch of coastline, where turpentine and timber businesses occupy acres of land, and wildlife preserves take up much of the rest. The two-lane highway runs up the center of the cape, with most locals’ homes fronting the calmer waters of St. Joe Bay (known for its freshwater scallops).

This crescent of the Panhandle is known as the “Forgotten Coast.” Once a thriving center of commerce anchored by the Port of St. Joe, it fell into hard times during the latter part of the twentieth century. This beachy escape may be called forgotten, but spending a few days there made me remember why I fell in love with the Panhandle when we first started going to Seagrove Beach more than twenty years ago. Back then there were no mega shopping centers, no gingerbread-bedecked developments or colossal beachfront mansions with six-car garages. The only place to eat was the family-owned Wheel House, where the catch was fresh and you sat a few feet from the fishermen who’d reeled it in.

“I know that I promised to write about this trip,” I told Jim. “But now I don’t know if I want everyone else discovering this place.”

Where to stay: Most people opt for rental cottages or houses, available by the week or month (visitgulf.com). If you plan to visit for just a few days—or don’t need a family-sized house—Cape San Blas Inn has rooms and suites ranging from $175 to $285 and provides breakfast; coffee service; minifridges; and use of beach chairs, bikes, and canoes.

Where to eat: The Indian Pass Trading Post’s raw bar (850-227-1670) is a must-visit. Cape Tradin’ Post (850-229-8775) stocks beach essentials, fishing tackle, groceries, and a few takeout items (the hoagies are a good bet). It’s adjoined on one side by a closet-sized but impressively stocked liquor store and on the other by Cape Coffee Shop. If you go into Port St. Joe, Dockside Cafe serves fresh grilled fish and bay scallops, and provides a great view of the marina. My note: Of course you should stay at Dunes Club 2A or A Tropical Breeze.

What to do: Thanks to its unique geography, Cape San Blas offers fishing for freshwater bass and scallops in St. Joe Bay and deep-sea grouper and king mackerel in the Gulf. For mellower adventures, try kayak and canoe tours by Happy Ours, or Two-Bit Stable’s horseback rides in the surf. Shelling, sunbathing, snorkeling, and lolling in the surf are the amusements of choice at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, which covers more than nine miles of untouched beach.

- See more at: http://www.atlantamagazine.com/travel/2014/04/01/cape-san-blas-will-rekindle-your-love-for-the-florida-panhandle#sthash.3rwO4DHb.dpuf

WSJ: Old Florida includes Apalachicola near Cape San Blas

One of my favorite afternoon trips while staying at A Tropical Breeze on Cape San Blas is to drive over to Apalachicola to browse the shops, take pictures of the shrimp boasts, to see the oyster boasts out in the bay and to enjoy a pleasant lunch or dinner at The Owl Cafe or one of the seafood/ oyster restaurants with a water view.  Here is a recent Wall Street Journal article about Apalachicola.

THE SOUTH'S BEACH | Apalachicola

Enlarge Image

GO FISH | Boats docked in Apalachicola Sara Clemence/The Wall Street Journal

Up until recently, the sight of oystermen using long-handled rakes to harvest shellfish in Apalachicola Bay was about as common as new condos in Miami.

The local oystering industry is going through tough times; Georgia has been draining the rivers that supply oyster habitats. But a fishing-town feel remains in this Panhandle spot—as does the Southern vibe that results from being closer to Alabama than Orlando. And though the old French consulate now houses a shop where you can buy woven belts and vintage sterling-silver teaspoons, Apalachicola hasn't been totally taken over by tourists—yet.

Opt for an elegant bed-and-breakfast: Coombs House Inn, a 1905 mansion with polished wood paneling, oriental rugs and four-poster beds. The shops, galleries and restaurants of downtown, where much of the architecture is from the same era, are just a few blocks away.

Café con Leche, a coffee shop across from the waterfront, serves up wicked pastries, like strawberry scones and sour cream-cardamom-walnut coffee cake. Next door, Forgotten Coast Books specializes in used and out-of-print titles focusing on Florida. Around the corner, Bowery Art Gallery & Studio features works by local and regional artists.

Walk to the western end of Market Street, where shrimping boats dock and there's an enormous pile of spent oyster shells. (You may be more likely to see oyster skiffs tied up in gritty Eastpoint, on the far side of the causeway.) Take an estuary tour by motorboat or kayak to spot wildlife and learn about local ecology; there are several outfitters in the area.

Head to Up the Creek Raw Bar in time for sunset. Its high-ceilinged dining room, adorned with nets and stuffed fish, overlooks the tawny grasses of the bay. It goes beyond the usual fish-house fare—blackened mahi-mahi comes with fried green tomatoes—and, of course, it serves oysters.

To read the full article

Men's Journal: The Last Stretch of Unspoiled Florida

It's extra cold in Atlanta this evening and I just looked at the cover of my husband's Men's Journal and saw on the cover: Wild Beaches - Undiscovered Florida.  I just knew it had to be Cape San Blas or as they call it, St. Joseph Peninsula.

 

On page 54, John O'Connor describes St. Joseph Peninsula as a place where gulf winds have created miles of huge dunes, some of the highest and most pristine in the country; and loggerhead turtles nest here in the summer. St. Joseph Peninsula has everything you are looking for in a beach getaway - the sugary sand is impossibly white and the sea stays warm all year round - as well as a vast network of hiking trails, where you are likely to spot ospreys sweeping across the massive dunes on the hunt.

They also talk about Indian Pass Raw Bar - deeply local, though oddly welcoming.  Yum!! Baked oysters and a beer are sounding mighty fine right now.

For those wondering, Cape San Blas is on the St. Joseph Peninsula.  Sometimes, I think the reason this is the Forgotten Coast is it has too many names for anyone new to the area to keep straight. Now that I think about it, maybe that was done on purpose, so this area remains as the Last Stretch of Unspoiled Florida.

Sea Turtles Scheduled For Release from Cape San Blas

Jan. 13. 4:30 PM -- Gulf World Marine Institute along with the  help of FWC and University of Florida will be releasing approximately 50 of the cold stunned sea turtles at Cape Palms Park on Cape San Blas. The release will take place at11am EST/10am CST tomorrow January 14, 2014.

Before the turtles are released they will be weighed, measured and tagged. Six of these sea turtles are the more endangered Kemp’s Ridley, the remaining of sea turtles are endangered Greens. The temperatures of the bay water during the cold stun reached a low of 37 degrees. The turtles will be released into the warmer waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

We would like invite the media and public to watch this wonderful event with the understanding that we will establish a designated area for media and spectators.

There are also five Green sea turtles that will be transported back to Perdido Key area of Gulf Island National Seashore for release.

There are six sea turtles that will remain in rehabilitation at The Institute due to other medical illness or and injuries. The turtles will be retained for medical treatment until cleared for release.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Gulf World Marine Institute (GWMI) has received approximately 50 endangered sea turtles in the past two days.

These marine turtles have been stranding due to cold temperatures in shallow bay waters.

These marine reptiles are cold blooded; they cannot thermo regulate their body temperature.

As a result, the cold temperatures are placing these animals in a hypothermic state and they become very weak and can cause secondary illnesses.

The body temperature of the animals coming into rehabilitation are between 40-50 degrees and some of the animal’s heart rates are as slow as one beat per minute.

GWMI, FWC, Fish and Wildlife, Gulf Island National Seashore, and University of Florida volunteers are finding and transporting the turtles to GWMI for rehabilitation.

All the animals that we have received so far in rehabilitation are in intensive care. Their body temperatures will be slowly warmed and any necessary medical treatments will be administered as needed.

Rescue teams will continue to search until the water temperatures are warm.

Along with the current cold stun at Cape San Blas the Gulf World team is now responding to a live stranded marine animal.

We will send more details after the team has evaluated the situation. 

Sea Turtle Patrol Monitors Cape San Blas Hatch - By J. Michael Brown

 

 

 

 

  One in a thousand.  On average, that's how many baby sea turtles survive to adulthood.

The cycle of life often begins along Northwest Florida's beaches.  In Gulf County, volunteers are monitoring 96 nests in a six-and-a-half mile stretch of Cape San Blas.  Members of the St. Joseph Peninsula Turtle Patrol hit the sand just after sunrise Tuesday to check for loggerhead hatches.

The sea turtle nesting season lasts from May through October.  Nests average about 100 eggs each and the incubation period is 60-65 days.

The group first stopped on the beach behind the William J. Rish Recreational Park where two nests are marked with stakes, yellow tape and a warning sign.  There was no evidence of a hatch.

"I see that they're high and dry so they probably will hatch, probably within the next week," Penny Weining, a turtle patrol volunteer, said.

A few hundred yards farther down the beach, an excited group of volunteers gathered for the highlight of the day – an excavation of a green sea turtle nest to determine whether last weekend's hatch was successful.

Weining said green sea turtle nests are a rare find.  "It's been a couple of years since we've had one... they don't come every year and they are more rare than a loggerhead nest," Weining said.

After removing the stakes and wire that guards against predators, the digging got underway.  Volunteer John Ehrmann did the dirty work.  "The clutch is usually about nine inches to twelve inches below grade," he said.

Nearby, Katrina Larson's two home-schooled children enjoyed a day in an outdoor classroom.  "It's just an amazing place to be able to do real hands on science," Larson said.  "They see that there are real scientists working in this world to help God's creation."

Ehrmann dug down in the white sand all the way to his shoulder and pulled pieces of shell and a few whole eggs from the cavity.  The volunteers were pleased with what they found.

"It looks like everybody got out okay," Weining said.  "Most of them are hatched and only about ten of them were probably infertile."

The excavation revealed that 130 hatchlings had made their way to the Gulf of Mexico.  It's a long shot, but some of them might return one day.  Female sea turtles that reach reproductive age – in 20 or 30 years – come back to the beach where they hatched to lay their own eggs.

"They do imprint on the sand and they're familiar with their home," Weining said.  "I guess it's a natural kind of GPS system that brings them back."

Development is encroaching on the turtles' natural environment and patrol volunteers are trying to protect what's left.  "These creatures have been around for 60 million years and we just want to keep them around for a little while longer," Ehrmann said.

Sea turtles aren't cuddly, but there's a fascination with them that is wide reaching.  "One of the reasons that our visitors love to come to Gulf County is for the natural beauty and the wildlife element that we have here," Kelli Jackson, Business Manager for the Tourist Development Council, said.

After the results of the hatch were logged – the data will be forwarded to researchers at the University of Florida – volunteers returned the beach to its natural state.

Weining struggled to find the words to explain her devotion to the sea turtle's cause.  "They're massive but they're beautiful," she said.  "Everybody's fascination is for a different reason, but I just find them beautiful."

Beautiful creatures beginning life in a beautiful place.

For information on how to become a St. Joseph Peninsula Turtle Patrol volunteer, call (205) 910-4717 or email the group at sjpturtlepatrol@gmail.com.

We Love Our Guests! Thanks for a Great Rental Summer

Rob and I came down by ourselves for 4 days to check on the house after 10 straight back to back weekly rentals.  We love our guests and management company!  A Tropical Breeze is in great shape and that's because our guests treat it so well. Of course there's always something to do, so we added a new phone system, switched out a TV in "Under the Sea", the bunkroom so it now has DVD and VCR to watch many of the classic movies that we provide. We also had the carpets cleaned, did some touch up painting, replaced the microwave which was rusting on the inside- that darn salt air even affects the interior of the house.

Of course we still had plenty of time for bike riding, fishing, dolphin watching and relaxing in the sun.

Yesterday was a banner day: Beautiful sunset last night and yesterday there was a dolphin party in front of A Tropical Breeze.  We were in the water and Rob said, " I wonder where the dolphins are today?"  Less than 2 minutes later, one surfaces within 20 feet of us.  Turns out he's the leader with at least 5 more pods of 4-6 dolphins to follow.  Usually they gracefully swim by while feeding but today the dolphins were feeling frisky, lots of splashing around and then one jumps in the air and all of a sudden several start jumping, some 2 at a time.  There were only about 30 people on the beach in all directions but everyone was up and watching the dolphin show.

Then about 7pm, I'm doing computer work on the upper deck and I hear loud snorting sounds.  It's more dolphins about 30 feet off shore.  They're calling my attention,  as if saying, "How can you look at a computer when we're swimming right by on this beautiful evening". Amazing!

Cape San Blas Author Writes about St. Vincent Island

Author publishes second locally-based book

By Special to The Star 

Published: Thursday, July 25, 2013 at 09:18 AM.

Pineapple Press announced last week the publication of Secrets of St. Vincent, the second book in its popular Florida Secrets trilogy by award-winning author Charles Farley.

The first book, Secrets of San Blas, is based on events surrounding an actual murder at the Cape San Blas Lighthouse near Port St. Joe in 1938. Old Doc Berber, Port St. Joe’s only general practitioner, is dragged into a murder investigation, a romance, and a series of intrigues that even he can’t diagnose.

Michael Lister, author of The Big Goodbye, called the novel “an unforgettable journey through Florida’s Forgotten Coast . . . a delightful dance of history and mystery, an intriguing interplay of fact and fiction.”

Now, in Secrets of St. Vincent, bluesman Reggie Robinson has been wrongly arrested for the gruesome murder of Sheriff Byrd “Dog” Batson. Doc Berber and his best friend, Gator Mica, mount a quixotic search for the sheriff ’s savage killer on equally savage St. Vincent Island. If they survive the frightening adventure, they’ll return with the shocking secrets that will shatter the town’s tranquility forever.

A Kansas native who now lives in Huntsville, Alabama, Charles Farley has written for American Libraries, Library Hi Tech, Library Journal, and Living Blues. His first book, Soul of the Man, was a biography of the great soul singer Bobby “Blue” Bland. In 2012 he won first place in the fiction category in the Alabama Writers’ Conclave Writing Competition. His website iswww.charlesfarley.com.

Charles Farley will be in town to sign copies of his books during the Scallop Festival.

Farley will sign books 1-4 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 10, at 155 Capt. Fred's Place (the old Maddox house) at Shipyard Cove.