Sopchoppy, FL
Tuesday, April 9
After canoeing the Rainbow River, we headed north to Ochlockonee River State Park in Sopchoppy, FL. There was no particular reason for our visit other than it being two hours north of Dunnellon on our route to Destin. Typically, we try to keep our drive-time under three hours as it allows us to do an activity for part of the day, and it also cuts down on the kids’ screen time. I know Tory would gladly lay in the back and watch TV all day, but Aden would be bouncing off the walls! A half-day of driving (or less) is a good balance.
While Andi drove the RV, I sat in the passenger seat and researched activities for us to do in the area. There wasn’t much; the town of Sopchoppy is small, but it’s home to Ochlockonee River State Park. The park is surrounded by the Apalachicola National Forest and St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge, and is considered to be one of the best remaining examples of a natural flatwoods environment in Florida. It’s also home to many different types of animals including rare white-colored squirrels.
Once we set up camp, Andi, Tory, Aden and I walked down to the river to watch the sunset. We talked with another couple also camping at the park and swapped stories about traveling by RV in the southeast United States. The couple pointed out one of the white-colored squirrels they’d been watching, and the critter (obviously used to people in the park) allowed the kids to get uncomfortably close to it for a better view. That is, until Aden chased it up a tree.
The kids played on the playground for a while, and then we walked back to our campground to make dinner. We fished everyday in the Bahamas hoping to eat fresh fish for dinner, and we finally found some in Florida. Andi grilled the gigantic pink shrimp and sautéed fresh veggies — it was delicious.
After dinner, Andi took Tory and Aden with him to take out the trash. On their way back to our campsite, they met an older couple also camping at the park who told the kids about geocaching. “Have you ever done it?” she asked. She thought the kids would enjoy it. Andi downloaded the app so we could try it before we left the park tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 10
It’s taken all of us a few days to settle into a new normal on each leg of this trip. Typically, I like to wake up a few hours before the kids to exercise and do all my computer work in the morning before they wake up. It’s “my time,” if you will, before mom responsibilities begin. When we were traveling in Costa Rica and living in airbnbs, it was easy to sneak into the living room every morning to find a quiet place. But, now that we’re living in our small 26’ RV, finding a place for any one of us to be alone is a challenge. There are privacy curtains around the beds, but Aden sleeps in the center of the RV on the dining table converted to a bed, so he doesn’t really have a space to call his own. I felt terrible walking around the RV before sunrise, making noise. I put on my workout clothes, grabbed my earbuds, my breakfast, and my computer and quietly headed outside to sit at the campsite picnic table.
Our campsite in Ochlockonee River State Park was located right by the shower house which is convenient but also, as I quickly learned, a heavily trafficked area in the morning. Many morning pleasantries were exchanged as people passed by on the sidewalk. It was a little awkward eating my breakfast on display for all to see, but honestly it also felt nice to be “home” again in the USA. All the people we’ve met in the campgrounds have been so friendly and loving toward our kids.
After the kids were up and fed, the four of us followed the clues in the geocaching app Andi downloaded to find a hidden treasure in the forest. Surprisingly, there was one just a few feet away from our campsite hidden under a log.
What a fun family activity to do together! We found a green army box filled with a log book and tiny toy trinkets. Tory added our names to the list of people who found the box, and then left behind a PAW PATROL sticker in exchange for a plastic toy monkey. It’s awesome how geocaching helps kids practice reading a map and gets them walking through the park without even realizing they’re doing so.
Once Tory and Aden found the first treasure, they were hooked! We found another geocache in another section of the park, and they logged their names in the booklet. Then, we hopped in the RV and drove toward our next destination: Destin.
On our drive, we passed through the small town of Mexico Beach which was destroyed by Hurricane Michael in October 2018. It was heartbreaking. Eighty percent of the homes and buildings in this town were damaged and the town is just now starting to rebuild. Giant concrete piles and parts of building foundations lined the road like gravestones of what used to be here. As we passed through, I was struck by the feeling of normalcy among of all the chaos. One lady was siting on a lawn chair in the drive-way of her blue tarp-covered house smoking a cigarette and reading the paper. Her next door neighbor’s house was in shambles.
The hurricane’s destruction went on for almost 30 miles. It was incredibly sad to see how many lives have been uprooted, and how much work there still is to be done.
We also passed through Panama City Beach, and stopped at Thomas’ Donuts for an afternoon treat. Reviews for this famous snack shop said to expect long lines, but that wasn’t the case during our visit.
There were all kinds of donut flavors to choose from: peanut butter chocolate, devil’s food cake, blueberry, red velvet, and even unicorn poop! Andi ordered a key lime pie cream-filled donut, Tory picked chocolate and Aden got 12 glazed donut holes. It wouldn’t say the donuts tasted different than anything we’d had before, but they were delicious.
Soon after, we arrived at our campsite for the night: Topsail Hill Preserve State Park on Santa Rosa Beach. Other campers were talked to asked “how in the world” we were able to score a spot at this state park — one of the nicest in Florida’s state park system. We weren’t sure really! We were only able to get one night here, which is fine by us anyway. Visiting Florida’s Emerald Coast has been on our RV bucket list and we’re excited to explore it over the next few days.
