Apalachicola is an Indian word given to several features in West Florida. There is the
Apalachicola River, which empties into Apalachicola Bay. And there is the town at the
mouth of the river called Apalachicola.

The river will someday end in a delta, because barrier islands are building up just off
shore. They are largely the result of sediment that was brought there by the river. When
the bay fills in over the next few centuries, it will become the delta of the Apalachicola.
Until then, the area is made up of a beautiful bay and a group of islands that I like to call
"The Saints." The largest of these islands is St. Vincents Island which is a wildlife
preserve. There is also Cape St. George, which is a boomarang-shaped deposit of sand
that is no longer connected to St. George Island. Barrier islands ofter change shape as
channels open and close at the whim of the hurricanes.

Traveling west along US Highway 98, you pass through small port towns like Carrabelle,
East Point, and after Aplachicola, Port St. Joe, where a hook-shaped spit forms a
sheltered bay. The sandy spit is just another barrier island that has attached itself to the
mainland. The bay is St. Joseph Bay. The area has two state parks, one on the spit and
one on the mainland.

The whole area is just far enough off the beaten path to protect it from heavy traffic. The
tourist season is mainly in the summer, but unless you are there for the beaches, the
winter is a great time to visit. Fishing, boating, and camping are year around, as winters
are usually mild. Birds and other wildlife are abundant in the area.

Now for the fun part. I've never been there. All of the above was written by looking at a
map. Maybe sometime soon I can visit the area and see how close I came to the truth.
I've seen Pensacola, another Gulf Coast town not to far away. How different can it be?
I like these out-of-the-way vacation spots, and I'm betting it's a good place to ride a
bicycle or a motor scooter.
Howard