As you look out across the sea from Apalachicola, the horizon is broken by an elongated barrier island 24 miles long and less than a mile across at its widest point. St George Island is a popular summer vacation destination. and one of the Gulf's finds, especially off season. Getting there is fun too as it is reached by an elegant 4-mile bridge, which takes you to the foot of the dominant lighthouse. We could think of no better place for a 'soft launch' of catsacrossamerica.
No hotels here, just a handful of local shops and a few laid-back restaurants clustered around the lighthouse but, like everywhere in this part of the Forgotten Coast of Florida, it is all totally unspoiled. Vacationers to this idyllic spot rent the unassuming houses that are strung along the coastline. On arriving across the bridge, the only decision to make is whether to go left or right. Right, and you find the ribbon of beach houses, built on their tall stilts with unrivaled views over the open sea. Go left, past more colorful homes, and eventually you will reach the State Park, a nine mile long duneland with a single road taking you through the deserted landscape. It reminded us of driving through the moors in England, but with white sand replacing the boggy soil. To walk on the empty beach of pristine sand with the blue sea on one side and weather-driven dunes on the other, without another human being in sight, is pure heaven if you want to get away from it all. But it is best for the pictures to do the talking.
