It rained a little overnight, but we had sunny skies this morning. We hung out most of the morning taking care of business and made plans to go to lunch at Indian Pass Trading Center. I took a walk on the beach while Bob took care of some Co-op business. I was one of only 5 people out at the beach which seemed to stretch for miles.
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I was flanked on one side by huge sand dunes and the Gulf on the other.
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As I walked, I saw a large flock of birds gliding effortlessly close to the water, but couldn’t tell what they were.
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I was the only one walking north and with no one in sight, I had the feeling of someone stranded alone on a deserted island. It was wonderful! I did come upon a marked turtle’s nest that was empty. I hope those little guys hatched and made it back to the sea unharmed.
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Bob had finished his business by the time I got back and when noon came, we left the campground. When we got to Indian Pass Trading Center, it was busy. That was a good sign!
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We found a place to sit at an empty banquet table. In looking around the room, everyone seemed to be feasting on something scrumptious. It was hard to decide what to have.
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The place has a unique system. You check off what you want to eat on the white form and turn it in at the counter. On the orange form, you keep track of your own beverages. They use an “on your honor” system and you actually pour your own beer from the tapper.
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Bob ordered raw oysters and I ordered stuffed shrimp (with crab) in garlic butter with garlic toast. Yummy!
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Bob’s oysters were huge.
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After he finished eating, he went to watch the guy shucking oysters. The shucker did it so quickly, that Bob said it was hard to get a picture that wasn’t blurry.
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They go through so many oysters each day and have a sign on the wall to prove it.
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In talking with the “shucker”, Bob found out the oysters he ate came from Louisiana because they used up the local oysters over the weekend. Bob also discovered that the oysters he ate in Apalachicola the other day were much saltier than the ones he had today because they were harvested farther away from fresh water. The place was getting more crowded the longer we sat there, so we paid our bill and made room for others. On the way back, we stopped at Salinas Park to make a few calls. There was better cell service there.
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When I finished my call, I took a walk out on the pier. It stretched out for a long distance into the marsh and people were fishing at the end.
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Bob was finished with his phone call by the time I got back. Once we got back to our campsite, we put on our swimsuits and sunscreen to spend an hour or two on the beach. There was a nice shore breeze blowing and quite a few people were enjoying the beach today. Many fishermen were hoping to catch the pompano that might be cruising along the shoreline.
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On the walk back to the campsite, we came upon this “ghost crab” trapped on the boardwalk.
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We took a few minutes to help him find his way off the boardwalk and back to his hole in the sand. Back at the trailer, we relaxed in the AC with a cocktail before dinner. After dinner, Auggie and I took our walk after the sun set. It gets really dark in the woods, but that’s when all the stars come out.