Florida Panhandle

I'm going to start this section with Cedar Key, although on my emotional map it should really start up around Steinhatchee. I have my reasons for doing this. Trust me.

Cedar Key is a small village on the coast, about a hour's drive from where I live in Gainesville. It has a few shops, lots of wildlife, some good seafood and water all around. A fair-sized community of artists live here, along with a good number of people who make their living fishing. It's a sleepy place and sitting there watching the water is a great way to unwind after a week at work. More about this place later.

This section will also go inland to Perry, my West Coast version of Ft. Pierce, in that nothing good has ever happened to me there. In one late-night trip on my way back from California someone stole my gas cap, threw rocks at my car and stole Bill's hat. All in about 20 minutes. Good thing I didn't stay any longer. I have destroyed Perry several times in my novels and short stories.

Most of the times I've been through the Panhandle it has been on a dash from Gainesville to New Orleans. Interstate 10 is a very boring way to experience that part of Florida. Featureless and mundane, it might as well be part of Georgia. It does take you by Chattahochee, which houses what used to be called the Home for the Criminally Insane, but probably has a more acceptable name these days. I-10 also takes you close to the highest point in Florida, all of 345 feet. It's on a farm in Walton County off Rt. 331. The farmer charges you a quarter to see it, and that's just about what it's worth.

And, of course, there's Tallahassee, not to be confused with Chattahochee, even though the State Legislature has been known to resemble a nuthouse at times. It is also home for the dreaded Florida State Seminoles. Being a stone Gator fan myself, I see gold and garnet as a terrible color combination, whereas orange and blue were meant for each other. I also see the "Seminole Chop" as cultural appropriation of the worse sort, while the "Gator Chomp" is a noble representation our state's most powerful and respected reptile.

I warned you this was not going to be an objective tour.

The Panhandle beaches are beautiful and, for most of the year, fairly deserted. I suspect they won't stay this way for long. Spring Breakers have already discovered this stretch. I also enjoy exploring the small fishing villages.

I enjoy the coast from Panama City through Fort Walton Beach to Pensacola when I have the time to go that way instead of using the Interstate. This area has been hit hard by hurricanes in recent years. Several of the hotels I stayed in have been wiped out. It's odd to see film clips in the news showing the roof torn off the room you'd been sleeping in a month before.