Spring Break 2022 lead us back to Florida. The VRBO in Destin that we have loved staying at in the past was already booked, so we journeyed a bit further down the road to Panama City Beach for a lovely week long stay.
We once again rented a Ford Transit and packed it to the roof with luggage, a cooler, snacks, water and sand toys, and all the other necessities for our party of 7 plus the ever-so-helpful Uncle Jason who so graciously accompanied us on the trip. It would be 20+ hours in the car over the next 2 days. We left at the crack of dawn Friday morning and were making great time with as minimal number of pit stops possible. Halfway into the trip, poor Rose got car sick and was soon covered in vomit (I guess it wouldn't be a road trip without at least one person puking.) After a quick change of clothes, we were back on the road.
Our destination for Day 1 was Clarksville, TN. In the past, we've tried to make it south of Nashville, but having run into bad traffic every time, we had hoped to miss out on the crazy Friday night traffic jam by stopping just north of the city. Of course, Mother Nature decided to bring a sleety ice storm to Tennessee just as we were driving through which made the final stretch a bit of white-knuckled driving. Thankfully we made it to our hotel safe and sound. Everyone was happy to finally be out of the van after a very long day on the road.
The next morning we ventured off on ice covered roads. The further south we drove, the better the road conditions, and soon we were cruising along. We pulled into Panama City Beach and up to our VRBO around 5:30 pm. YAY! We had finally arrived! The cold weather had followed us all the way from Minnesota, but that didn't stop us from taking a late night swim in the heated pool.
The rental house was perfect for our party of 8 with 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and an office (which Owen claimed as his space) - all on one level with no stairs to deal with - PLUS our very own heated pool and hot tub.
Bunk beds were an added bonus and the big girls were more than excited to claim their places.
We were just a couple blocks away from the beach access. An easy stroll, but with how much the kids love vacationing in a golf cart town, we rented a golf cart to tool around.
The pool was the perfect size and temperature. With the low temps in the forecast, we had been worried that the water would be too cold based on our correspondence with the property management company. They said that the pool would only heat up to 5 - 10 degrees warmer than air temperature. And with some chilly days that would have made for a very frigid pool. Thankfully, that was not the case and despite a few colder days, we were still able to enjoy swimming every day.
The big girls have no fear when it comes to water. They are like little fish - jumping, kicking, and swimming to their little heart's content.
The hot tub was a major selling point to booking this specific VRBO. It was great on those cold spring evenings and even managed to pull Owen away from his computer to take a hot dip. Unfortunately, a few days into our stay, it stopped working. But the property management company was able to get it back up and running on our last day there.
The backyard was a little oasis with a privacy fence, picnic table, and even a fire pit - the perfect place to toast marshmallows on a Florida evening.
The beach in Panama City Beach was quite different than in Destin. While the sand was just as soft and white, the beach was covered in shells of all shapes and sizes so you had to be careful when walking bare foot. Rose and Kate had fun searching for shells to add to their collections. By the end of the trip, they had collected quite a haul.
We headed to the beach nearly every day. While it was close enough to walk, we opted to hop into the golf cart for a short ride down the street. The girls loved playing in the sand. While Rose and Kate built sand castles, Aria mostly liked to throw it everywhere and at everyone, including herself! She had so much sand in her hair it took a week to finally get it all washed out.
Despite it being spring break and a few rowdy college kids, we had quite a relaxing time on the beach, listening to the waves roll in.
Over our stay, we became regulars at a couple of the local businesses. Breakfast in Panama City Beach just wouldn't be breakfast without the delicious homemade donuts from Thomas'. And afternoon treats simply had to include Thomas' yummy homemade ice cream with nearly every flavor you could imagine.
Our early risers, Cole and Uncle Jason, made a morning routine of taking the golf cart for a quick drive to a little dive cafe called the Sunny Side Grill. By the end of our trip, the waitress knew their order from memory.
The week flew by and soon it was time to make the journey home. A road trip home wouldn't be complete without some twists and turns. This time, it was Kate's turn to get car sick - luckily I was sitting next to her and able to catch most of it. But that wasn't even the most exciting part of the drive home. Just as we were almost through Tennessee, what appeared to be a table or barrel of some sort came flying out of the truck bed in front of us, smashing into our right bumper leaving a decent dent and crushing the head light. Thankfully our stealthy driver and beast of a vehicle handled the impact with ease. After a brief pit stop to exchange insurance information, we were once again back on the road.
After two long days of driving, we were finally home and ready to get back to the busyness of our regular schedules. Until next time Florida!
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