More Port St. Joe

This afternoon, we rode about another 5 miles but this time to the west.  Several years ago before the building bubble burst in Florida, there were a few upscale developments going in and we wanted to check them out.  From one perspective, we're glad that they are not the abominations that that infest the coast near us (guess how I really feel about zero lot line houses on top of dunes).  On the other hand, it's obvious that millions were spent on installing first class infrastructure and the houses are well set back from the shore with convenient walk-overs all along the way.  There are nicely done roads with broad sidewalks and a town center ready for more shops and restaurants.  As the economy picks back up and people come back to buy investment/rental property, I'm sure this place will take off.  Over the course of time we've lived in the panhandle, we've seen several waves of booms and busts. It seems to be the nature of the beast in a tourist driven area.  Hopefully Port St. Joe will stay a nice place from our point of view, unspoiled and friendly.

One of the many dune walk-overs from the beach side.

To get out the development, we had to cross the 65 foot high bridge.  This made we wish for my
road bike with its bigger wheels and more gears.  This is from the top looking up the cut
that goes from St. Joe's Bay to the intracoastal. To the left is the site of the former paper mill
and chemical plant.  They closed about 15 years ago and devastated the local economy.

The other side of the bridge is the bay.

These historic buildings and lighthouse used to be located on nearby
Cape San Blas.  There are shoals for miles offshore causing many groundings
and wrecks.  However, the natural movement of sand along the coast caused severe
erosion around the compound.  The buildings and lighthouse have been moved
farther inland over the years. They are now a tourist attraction in the downtown park.
We have climbed to the top in its previous location but didn't get here in time to do so
this trip.  I'm not sure what is out there guiding mariners now.  We'll have to come
back by car and check it out.

This is the bridge we rode our bikes over from the water side.  It

sure felt taller when we were climbing it!

The end of the peninsula and out into the gulf on our way to Crooked Island.