A Ride Down 30A

Yesterday, we had a hankering for a roadie trip to Sandestin for a lunch date at the Acme Oyster House.  We're in Panama City Beach for the week and haven't found a spot that meets our craving requirements,  Acme is only 45 minutes away, and the mental images of those chargrilled oysters just will not leave my head!

We arrived down here on Saturday and the traffic on 98 and all the side roads was bumper to bumper.  Yesterday's trip was a breeze, but once all the schools let out, it will be bumper to bumper again!

The food from Acme was wonderful!  Raw oysters, chargrilled oysters, and oyster poboys, with a few shrimp sprinkled here and there!  Our bellies were full, it was now time to head back to PCB.

Son#1 and his girly friend have not had the pleasure of a car ride down 30Aaaa, so a detour was in order.  In the old days, the only things to see were a bunch of scrub pines and a stop at the one destination on the loop, Seaside.  The roadway is still a two lane, but that is about the only thing that has stayed the same down this memory lane ride.

There is now a bike path that pretty much runs the length of 30A.  There are lots of eateries along the way, with green spaces dedicated as parking lots for all those bicycles that got to go somewhere!  The one destination of Seaside is now joined by multiple communities, and the only thing separating them are the road signs welcoming you to each community.

The view of all those scrub pines have been replaced with side roads filled with expensive beach houses and gated communities.  During our ride, there were only glimpses of the emerald green water, on the other side of all those homes.  The best part, people have built these same expensive houses on the other side of the road and no view of the gulf!

As we passed through Seaside, we could not help but notice how congested it was with foot traffic, bicycles, and golf carts.  We could barely see the food truck booths on the side of the road for all the people in front of them!

All these weekly residents of 30A were former visitors of Destin, Sandestin and PBC.  They left those destinations for the solitude, peace and quiet of 30A.  Sorry dudes! Those days are long gone!  You are still spending a fortune on your accommodations, plus the golf cart rental, and being elbow to elbow on your chosen spot in the sand!

Me, I'll stick with my regular locations, with beach cart and wagon in hand, and all the necessities to keep my beach queen happy.  "On the beach resorts" now take a back seat to the coastal parks that are practically void of wall to wall umbrellas and canopy tents.

Time for me to go claim our spot in the sand in PCB!