Taking Hwy 98 West from Apalachicola for two and a half hours, we came to the picturesque town of Watersound for lunch before finding our campground. Reminiscent of a Hamptons waterfront village, this area seemed new with it’s modern styled homes and condos, cyclists on assorted colored beach cruisers were plentiful, and the shops were all pristine. Inside on of the newly renovated plazas, we found Bruno’s Pizza. Located off the 30A, this restaurant is a favorite for visitors and locals alike. Each guest finds their own seat, inside or out (you can bring your dog if you sit outside, Seger loved it!) and then you make your way to the pizza, pasta, and salad bar. You can commit to the “all you can eat” for just $15 per person or do $3 by the slice and there were so many options! With the 30A blonde on tap, I paired that with the AUCE and tried some unique combos like hot honey steak; it was so good!
After lunch we stopped off at the high-end Publix, it was so busy and had a huge “grab & go gourmet” section. We got our staples and drove another 30 minutes slightly north to the Live Oak Landing rv and cottage resort. Our front desk gal was an absolute delight and promised our wood and ice would be delivered shortly, we then went to the boat ramp to off load the River Roamer before setting up camp. Our rv spot was close to everything and we were impressed by how big the dog park was. Yet, the maintenance of the colorful cottages was impressive; it was darling.
The entire campus was well maintained and offered up large, air-conditioned bathrooms along with a big clubhouse that had a ping pong table and lots of other activities. There was a screened community pool, fish cleaning gazebo, screened in waterfront pavilion, and plenty of boat parking both in and out of the water. Setup was a breeze, and we enjoyed an afternoon swim before starting a campfire and playing games in between rain showers.
Next morning, it stormed until 10am and we were all slow moving. However, once the weather permitted, we hopped on our boat and setoff for a few hours of exploration. It was one of the most fun waterway mazes and the overcast made the journey even more comfortable. During our three-hour adventure we conquered the Mitchell, Indian, Cypress, Choctawhatchee, Sister, and East Rivers in Santa Rose County for numbers 129-134 respectively. Back at our site, we had enough time to eat dinner before another storm rolled through. This one massacred our pop-up tent while we were inside watching the Presidential debate. Luckily, the staff was able to help dispose of it so we could be on our way for a 5.5-hour drive southeast to Cedar Key.
Once on Cedar Key, the devastation from Hurricane Idalia the year prior still showed power. We had plans to stay at the local rv park but last minute booked a room at the Cedar Key Inn in the heart of the town so we could do some exploring by land after we hit our final river for the trip. We dropped off our camping gear from the pontoon and hopped back in the truck to drive the 40 minutes needed to enter into the Waccassaa River, our 135th. The island itself was at low tide and there was no way we could use the boat ramp there and cross the bay, so plan B went into effect. The turned over trees, 6-foot-tall grasses, and soft mucky sand unveiled this rustic river’s wrath; though many say it offers great fishing when timed right. Regardless, we enjoyed the surroundings and completion of our goal. Headed back into town, we stopped off at the adult only hotel whose food truck in known for great dishes like snapper tacos; 3 for $19 and they were delicious as an appetizer.
At the room, we enjoyed the balcony and people watching before walking to dinner at Steamers. Cedar Key is famous for clams and commercial clamming and fishing is a part of the town’s culture. Served in a big blue pot at the table, our dinner was excellent and being able to walk it off as we did the big loop made it even more memorable. While out, we enjoyed live music at the Big Deck Bar and mom and Seger toured the whole town that next morning before the big drive home to the Treasure Coast. What an adventure it was, happy river roaming!
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