Panama City, Day One

Late start today, but what the heck, we are on vacation! Stopped at the Kangaroo for our first Roo stop.  Took 471 to Brandon, and wouldn't you know it, a slow moving freight train.  We detoured back to Hwy 80, and looped through town to turn on the road that goes by the old high school and on to Hwy 18.  I pull up to the stop light, then pause, before beginning my right turn on red.  Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of a dump truck hauling more than gravel, and he has just run through the red light.  Thank you Lord, for keeping my foot on the brake pedal the whole time.

Got to Magee and decided to give the Ward burger joint a try.  I haven't had one of their greasy chili burgers since my twenties.  (That was 12:00 noon, that chili burger has done put a whooping on me at 8:00 pm!)  Best fries we have had in a long time.

Second Roo stop was on 98S in New Augusta.  Hey, it was a Kangaroo!  Gravity was the main reason for the stop.  Go into the men's room, and do I get a chuckle!  There on the wall was the highest mounted urinal I have ever seen.  I was scared to even look at the toilet in the next stall, knowing that a lot of short people had come before me!  Thankful that I measured up.

Got to the Niceville exit, and time for another break.  Gassed up, then checked the smartass phone for a Chik-fil-a for an ice cream break.  No luck.  But, there was a Wat-a-Burger joint right down the road, and surely, they had to have some ice cream.  Pull up, and the only thing resembling ice cream was milk shakes, so I ordered a vanilla and a strawberry.  The young man asked for the money, and I said "dang, you mean I have to pay for it?"  The young man said "yes sir, some people try to tell me that they have already paid, with a chuckle".  I said," well you know, we did pass the first window"! 
The spousal unit then asked me to get her a spoon (for a milkshake???)  I politely asked the young man for a spoon for my wife, since she didn't have any teeth!  He said, "yes sir, I understand!  We are still laughing at that one.

We make it to the condo high rise.  The rooms are on the beach side, and the parking garage and check-in are across the street.  There is no way I would come here during the peak seasons of spring break and summer.  I can just see the tempers flaring before ever getting close to the room.

The unit we have is a deluxe one bedroom.  Includes a king, two bunks, and a sleeper sofa.  Plenty of room for a family of six.  Three pools and the beach is less than a 30 yard walk.  Can't wait to see what the tide does to the shoreline come morning.

There is a nice complex with shopping and dining and a Target and a brand new Wallyworld.  All this within 2-3 miles of the complex.

We have AT&T and it took us a while to figure out that our phones were hitting a tower in the Eastern time zone.  Service sucks, and I am having to use an Ethernet cord for internet, no wireless, and the Spousal Unit's AT&T card is slower than a sea turtle dropping eggs!