Apalachicola

Carol and I have been back in Panama City Beach for almost two months. We have talked about a day trip to Apalachicola the past two weeks. We decided that we would go Tuesday the 9Th. Apalachicola is a quaint fishing village. Apalachicola is especially noted for their oysters. The Apalachicola River empties into the bay and the movement of the tides and the influx of fresh water produces a pure wonderful tasting oyster. As long as I have been coming to the Panhandle, I have been coming here for the oysters.

Papa Joe's is off the main drag. so to speak, and I found it by accident. This is where a number of locals come. We went for lunch. We chose to sit at the bar. We ordered drinks, and I asked for a dozen on the half shell while Carol read the menu. She ordered the house salad with grilled grouper. When I was asked what my main course would be, I said another dozen. The oysters were of good size, ice cold, sweet and served with a wedge of lemon and a small cup of horseradish. Cocktail sauce was available. Carol's lunch was superb. The grouper looked like a picture in a food magazine. As I finished my second dozen which was really 14 to an order, I was asked if I wanted a third. I had to admit I was running out of gas, so I settled for 1/2 dozen and received 8 oysters. It was well worth the 90 minute drive on a brilliant sunny day. Below is a picture of Papa Joe's. The building sits well back from the road and if you don't know its there, it is easy to drive by the gravel driveway.

After lunch, I drove a short distance to the docks where a number of fishing boats are tied up. Across the canal is a small pile of oyster shells. They are crushed and used for a variety of uses. A popular use that I am aware of is for driveways. The shells are visible in the background. Some of the fishing boats are also pictured.

We then went into the small village. If you saw Ulee's Gold, you may recognize the restaurant below. It was in an early scene of that movie. There is a large poster in there that Peter Fonda signed.

We went into an old time soda fountain for a scoop of ice cream. They still make the fountain drinks just as it was done when I was a small boy in Greenville, RI. We both choose cherry vanilla ice cream. A perfect finish to our day trip before heading home.

One last picture of Carol as we walked to the truck.