The Florida Panhandle this time of year is pretty quiet. Panama City used to be a hot place for Spring vacationers. And might still be, for all I know.

This time of year, however, the weather is somewhat iffy. It can be in the 70's, then plummet to the 40's for daytime highs. Average temps. are lower 60's. Still, better than Indiana by 30-40 degrees. And that's why I go for two weeks.

The Mexico Beach area (and East to Port St. Joe) is really idyllic, for several reasons. (It's 30 miles SE of Pan.City)

For one thing, it's off the beaten path, despite Highway 98 running through it. It's not highly developed. Land and house prices are reasonable, relatively speaking. Insurance and property taxes run high, however. Think hurricanes, although none has hit the area in decades. By the way, property and houses are for sale by the gazillions. Tempting, but I'll stick to a measly $600 rent for two weeks where I stay.

This sounds silly, but one of the main reasons I like going down there is to get outside. I'm an outdoors person. I walked and jogged every single day while there, up to 10 miles some days. One can walk/run 8 uninterupted miles along the beach and never see another soul. Where IS everybody?? Another favorite place to walk is along a stretch of old, abandoned Highway 98 that parallels the beach. It feels strange to be jogging down the middle of a highway. I keep looking for vehicles. 4 miles round trip.

The sands of Mexico Beach are pristine white (if you ignore plastics and other flotsam washed up--but no oil remnants).
This beach was rated #1 in the nation several years ago. It's easy to see why. The sand dunes with sea grass growing on them are a thing of beauty. Lots of shells for collecters, too. (I'm not)

Even the neighborhoods in the housing areas (some "developments") are fun to walk or jog through. It's always interesting to look at the houses and yards. I'd guess half are unoccupied, either because they are abandoned or for sale, or they are vacation homes. In any case, the scenery is different for me. Pine trees, not corn and beans (or nothing).

Another thing that makes the area "quiet" is there are no nearby golf courses or malls or Wal-Marts. Nothing to attract the masses. I don't know where the permanent residents work, because there's no industry or construction, and few "services" to support a working class.

But let's keep this place a secret, okay? I like it the way it is!