Panama City Beach Vacation --Fall Break 2025

Oct 4 thru 0ct 11, 2025

Dana & Kenny Koogler

Adam, Crystal, Michael and Tessa Lindsey

Photos are HERE 

   I have delayed writing this blog entry for a month.  I am not wanting to write about it because it was rough for me emotionally and psychologically.   I have learned when an experience is difficult for me emotionally I prefer to put it on a shelf and walk away.  I'm being ridiculous and I just need to write about the trip and leave the emotions out.   

   This vacation was nice but the vibe was off from the jump.   Finding out Jared and Lydia couldn't go. Finally making the decision to NOT take Gabe & Mia along.  Trying to focus on being a couple and spending time with Crystal, Adam, Michael and Tessa.  Realizing that preteen and teenagers are in many ways not easy and struggling to connect.   Numerous things had me out of my groove, but it was still a good trip.  I am going to mostly do photos and captions instead of a lot of elaborating about the particulars.   I feel for anyone who raises grandchildren and then has to go back to being a grandparent from parent.  It is not easy either way.  I always say it cuts both ways.  The final thing I have learned is that while going to the beach in October can be a delight it also left me feeling that old FOMO. (Fear of Missing Out) on Autumn colors.  Autumn is my second favorite season. Second only to Spring so next year Lord willing we will be home for ALL of Autumn's splendor.   We plan to go back to the beach in May as a whole fam damily so that will set us up for success.  

            Kenny and I headed down the road just the two of us. Adam's work had to have him on Monday of all days so that delayed their departure by two days.    Kenny and I decided to split the drive up and make it to Clanton, Alabama for a night. Then we'd only have about four hours to reach Panama City Beach on Sunday.  We stayed at a place called Yellowhammer Campground.  It was nice.  It was very convenient.  I am learning to really like Alabama. The people are extremely nice and the scenery is pretty.   Tennesseean's aren't supposed to like Bammy, but there is so much more to life than SEC football rivalries.   I don't care about sports that much so I will always be wrong.  

     We found Clanton Alabama to be very chill.  We went to a place five minutes further down the interstate called Durbin's.  It was a produce stand and farm market.  Wow! We loved it.  We had supper there and bought a little produce.  

Below: a photo of the front of Durbin's market

Below:  gourds, pumpkins, ceramic jack-o-lanterns, foddershocks, and mums at Durbin's. 

above: more pumpkins of every sort! Loofah gourds too.  

Below:  Produce of all kinds at the market

above and below:  the dining room at the market where we had good deli sandwiches for dinner. 

Below:  bucket of sweet tea.  

Below:  Yellowhammer campground has a large fishing pond. 

Below:  goldenrod at the edges of the campground. I walked around taking photos of the Fall flowers. 

  We made it to Panama City Beach on Sunday without any trouble.  It was midday.  We set up at Racoon River Campground. We got some lunch, got set up, and headed to Publix to get grocery shopping over with.    I love Publix produce section. I was able to purchase and try fresh figs for the first time ever. Always wanted to try them and I'm so happy I did. They are great. Not to everyone's liking, but hey,... more for me! I bought and tried Brown Turkey figs first and when they were all gone I tried the black Mission figs.  I like the brown turkey ones best.  I also love Publix in Florida because they carry Latino flavors of yogurt.  El Sabor guava and mango are the best!  and they had French Market coffee from New Orleans.  I am sipping a cup as I type this. It is so smooth since it is roasted with chicory.  Not as much bite to it. 

above and below:  Brown Turkey Figs... you eat the whole thing except the stem. 

Below is what the inside looks like.  These were earthy, and slightly sweet. 

Below: a photo of my all time favorite yogurt... Sabor Latino.. guava!  

above: ultra smooth French Market coffee.  💓

On Sunday Kenny was trying to rent a golf cart for us to use as a family.  He is a wheeler/dealer and talked the guy into letting us have the use of a Slingshot for FREE for the rest of that day. It was a rush!  I never thought I'd like it, but I did. It was fun to drive and fun to ride in.   If we ever sell the boat this would be a good way to spend the money!  Though the rip current and harsh winds kept us off the shore on Sunday we did get in the pool.  The pool this year was perfect. It was not so cold like the first Autumn we spent here.  Compared to the springs it was balmy!  

Below: one of two pools at Raccoon River Campground.  We were about halfway between the two pools.  I got in this one one day and the adults there weren't happy about it.  I brought a mask and toys to dive for.  These fools don't even know how to have a good time.  One guy all he did was make inappropriate remarks to his wife.  She has clearly never heard of cast iron skillet therapy.  He also talked about eating a 12 ounce prime rib every time he goes out to this restaurant.  I could hear his arteries clogging as he spoke.  

Below: the Slingshot... it is pretty tough!  

Below is a short video clip of cruising round in the slingshot.  Not the day I drove it, but the next day with Kenny driving. I did not try to video and drive. 

        Ponce de Leon Spring State Park

The beach on Sunday was windy and there was a significant rip tide with yellow flags out.  We did not bother to go that day as we were worn out from traveling.   Monday the yellow rip tide flags remained out so after breakfast on Monday we headed to do something I'd long wanted to try. We visited Ponce de Leon Spring State Park.   It was a decision that has changed me forever.  I am so in love with Florida and its springs now.  I am 100% hooked!  I believe had I grown up in the Florida panhandle I'd now have grown gills and be brown as leather.  I was hard to get out of the river, creek, pool, lake, pond when I was a kid and that was living in Virginia.   

I knew that a 40 minute drive north east to Ponce de Leon Spring State Park 

above and below are two of my first glimpses of this glorious spring.  It was paradise to me.  

Below is a view shot underwater.  love the color!! 

Swimming here in Florida's natural springs is a different experience. The  air  temperature the day I first went was about 80 degrees.  The water temperature is 68 degrees year round.   I braced myself for it and just jumped in all at once.  It was chilly at first, but once in my body quickly acclimated to it and I was fine.  I stayed in as long as I wanted without any problem.  My videos shot underwater once I got home and reviewed them and began editing them were quite telling.   They were LONG.  I was spending seven minutes or so at a stretch snorkeling without ever stopping.  I was fascinated by the fish and all the scenery under water.   I felt like I was swimming in a giant aquarium.  Kenny did not get in at Ponce de Leon Spring at all.  Ever. He got in Morrison Spring later up to his behind.   He isn't as much a fan of water as me and hates cold water.   No one likes water as much as me.   I loved being in that crystal blue.  I could look up at the surface and see rust colored pieces of  cypress tree fronds in the water. Even that was pretty. 

     I noticed when I got out the first visit that I had electricity crawling all over my body.  It was my nervous system waking up after the chilly water.  The second time it didn't happen at all.  First trip once I got home after several hours of swimming in that water it took hours for me to warm up. My belly, butt and legs were chilled and slow to warm up.  Second time I was fine. None of that.

        Below is a video of Ponce de Leon Spring swimming

   I got out of the spring at last and  walked over to the stream that flows away from it. Kenny was there ahead of me wading in the creek. It is sugar white sand flowing with water so clear it looks invisible. 

Cypress knees and trees are on the banks.  Trailing ferns of different kinds are there.  One looked like Royal Fern.   Saw palmettos are on the banks along with cardinal flower, mist flower, and some asters.

I saw minnows in the stream as well.   I walked up and down the creek just enjoying the scenery and sensations for awhile.  Finally I forced myself to get out. It wasn't too hard because we had another spring to visit! It was on to Morrison Spring!   

Below: a photo taken at the surface of Ponce de Leon Spring with the Go Pro in its underwater case

Below: underwater photo Leon Spring you can see the rusty needles of cypress trees. The hole in the middle is one of the vents where the water flows up out of the ground. 

Below: Kenny wades the spring run off at the state park. 

Below: the water in the stream is almost invisible.  

Below:  Some beautiful species of trailing fern wound into a saw palmetto frond. This may be Japanese trailing fern which I think is a non native invasive, but it is still pretty. 

   Morrison Spring County Park 

  We loaded up in the truck and drove the five minutes to the next destination.  Morrison Spring is a county park. It is a tributary of the Choctawatchee River.   I liked it as well or better than the first spot!  I love being a southerner , and experiencing places like this reinforce my belief that I live in the best place on earth.   Morrison Spring Park was not crowded , but neither spring was crowded on either visit.   I was ready so I just jumped in.  Morrison Spring has restrooms, changing rooms, picnic facilities including a pavilion, a SCUBA station/shower to rinse off. A boardwalk and diving platforms.   It has a white sand beach and is surrounded by a cypress grove.  People were scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming, stand up paddle-boarding, kids playing in the sand, people picnicking. It was a groovy place for sure.  Kenny got in this time up to his butt.   I got straight in and forgot myself.   I disappeared into that blue water and swam with the fishes.  

There is a cave there in the spring, but I did not venture to it. I could probably enjoy SCUBA but cave diving is a nightmare to me.  No thanks.     The water seemed a trifle colder, but once I was in I was fine.  I went all in at once and didn't drag it out.   I felt like I was in a dream.  

above: Morrison Spring

Below: Underwater at Morrison Spring.  to the bottom right is some sort of manmade structure.

Below is a video of snorkeling at Morrison Spring. 

        Below: getting ready to leave Morrison Spring we had a passenger. A very pregnant Praying Mantis on the truck!   I love these little critters, but I don't pet them anymore like puppies after one bit me! I did not know they could bite  up until then.  😀

Seven Runs Park 

   Once we finally left Morrison Spring we headed back toward the campground. We had spotted an interesting place on the drive to the spring.  It was a public park.   We managed to find it and visit. It is called Seven Runs Park and is a Walton County park.   Click the heading link for info.  It is near the Muscogee Nation's Reservation!  It was very pretty and very different.  I am not exactly certain where the name comes from, but looking at the map I am betting it has to do with it being the confluence of so many streams .    It has restrooms, picnic facilities including grills, a boat ramp, a swinging rope, and swimming hole.  The stream is deeply stained with tannins from rotting plant matter.  It got in the river and waded around, but I am not sure I want to swim in it. I later read a fellow's trip report that showed the stream is home to numerous cottonmouth moccasins, gators and other wildlife.   He had a real Dana like experience with a water snake dropping into his lap in a kayak. Very pretty, but it would take some getting used to.  The water felt nice and wasn't chilly at all.   It is a little harder to swim in a body of water where you cannot see the bottom and the water is murky.   It was still a new, different experience and I liked it.  

above: Seven Runs is a tributary of the Choctawatchee River.  You can see because of the silver metal steps how the water really isn't that dark. 

Below is a short video clip of Seven Runs 

PCB-- Tuesday and Wednesday at the Beach! 

   Tuesday morning we went to Panama City and hit several of our favorite kids consignment stores and thrift stores.   We found all kinds of great kids clothing for the grands.  We also hit up Bealls where I found lots of great Fall home decorations and clothing for me.    I needed some wardrobe updates.  

We tried Tanya's Garden Produce stand and for the first time left without buying a single thing.  It wasn't too great this past time.   Tanya wasn't there that day also. We headed back to the campground and thankfully Crystal, Adam, Michael and Tessa finally arrived.  We were happy to see them.  Adam was still sleepy and went to lay down after they got settled.  The rest of us hit the beach. Thankfully the surf was a bit more gentle.  The yellow flags were still out, but no rip tide.  You'd best believe I was keeping a sharp eye out for signs of one.   We never had any trouble. No jelly fish. No sharks. No rip current!  It was very nice.   We were at the beach all day on Wednesday.  We had some tunes and all the trappings out on the beach.   We used the golf cart to get all our paraphernalia out there.  

Above: looking out at the Gulf of America. I'll never get used to that term. 

above and below:  beautiful puffy clouds above us on the beach.   I got so much sun this time, but for a change I did not burn OR peel!    

Below is a video of the beach and swimming in the surf.   

  Thursday -- Return Trip to Ponce De Leon and Morrison Springs With the Family

    Adam, Crystal, Michael and Tessa listened to us telling about how fun it was visiting the springs. They saw the photos and decided we should go back so they could experience it.  I was more than happy to make a return trip.  We went out there Thursday morning and packed a picnic lunch.   We started off at Ponce De Leon Spring State Park as before.  Myself, Crystal, Tessa and Adam got in.  Kenny and Michael declined.   They were a bit shocked at first about the water temperature, but they were sports about it.   Everyone agreed it was incredibly beautiful.

  It was fun, but I had to admit after this day that even if my family went along not everyone was going to experience it and love it as I did.   I still appreciated them giving it a try. It was even more fun with their companionship.   

 

    We also stopped by Morrison Springs and Crystal and me got in.  The rest of the family did not get in this go round.   Once again they appreciated the beauty of it.  It is quite a place.  

Above: Adam and Tessa on the beach at Morrison Spring

Below:  Backed up to show more of the surroundings

Below:  You can see the cypress grove and the water line on these trees.  This is a dry time that exposes the beach and parts of the forest.  Other times it is heavily flooded and partly underwater.

 Below is a video of Morrison Spring the day of the second visit. It is a better, more interesting video as I got to see an underwater diver who was metal detecting, treasure hunting, and a bunch of SCUBA cave divers as well as more fish! 

   We changed clothes afterward and they headed to do their thing. Kenny and I headed on to do what we wanted.  I stopped at a spot by the roadside to take photos of swamps and flowers.  I found two types of carnivorous plants. Two different forms of bladderwort.  One bloomed pink and other bloomed yellow.  I saw bog buttons as well.  Lots of beauty just by the road.  

Below is one roadside flower.  Some sort of coreopsis.

Below: a grasshopper and bog buttons

Below: pretty but swampy spot along the roadside heading to Ebro. 

I also enjoyed seeing some of the old abandoned or shuttered houses along the way.  I hope to go back and photograph them sometime. I like painting pictures and including those old houses in scenes. 

above: another view of the swampy roadside area. You can see the yellow flowers reflected in the water. You can see a white water lily blooming in the middle. 

Below:  some form of goldenrod

Below: a palmetto flat recovering from a prescribed burn

Below: a huge patch along the road of Deers Tongue. It smells wonderful with a light vanilla fragrance. 

Another name for it is vanilla leaf. The binomial for it is Carphephorus odoratissimus

Pine Log State State Forest Exploring 

 We swung by a state forest we were curious about on the way home.  It was Pine Log State Forest.    It is located between Ebro and Panama City Beach.   It is large and straddles both sides of  RT 79 which is the main road.  We started with the roads on the west and Sand Pond Recreation Area.  It was way too much to explore in a day.   We still enjoyed it.  It was very pretty and we were happy to have taken time to visit and begin learning about it.  I found lots of different and new to me wildflowers. 

Below is a species of bidens. I think it is Bidens alba.  

Below:  a new to me wildflower Pluchea odorata ... Sweetscent.  

Below: some type of Vervain

Below: a poor photo of one of the bladderworts. It is the one with a pink bloom.  

Below: one of the liatris species a blazing star of some type

Below: a new to me species of Liatris. I think this is Liatris elegans.. Elegant blazing star or pink scale blazing star.  













Below:  beauty berry in profusion!  Not new to me, but the most I believe I've seen in one spot! 

Below: another liatris species 

Below: another new to me species... Forked Blue Curls!  

Below is a new to me flower Calaminta coccinea or Red Basil.   I bet hummingbirds love these! 

Below: some sort of yellow aster. 

Below is a photo of Crotalaria or rattle pods.  Another new one for me!! 

Below:  Rhexia mariana not new to me. Maryland Meadow beauty

And finally an earth star fungus! 

 Once I'd had enough of botanizing and I could see Kenny was growing weary of it... we went on to the Sand Pond area.   It was very pretty. 

Below is a look out through Pine Log State Forest.   

Below: there are two ponds at Sand Pond Recreation Area.   This is the one on the east side.  It is supposed to be okay for swimming, but I'll be damned if I'd try it.  

Below: the pier and boardwalk out onto the eastern pond

Below: very flat, sandy road out through Pine Log State Forest

Three photos below are of the western pond which was darker, wilder looking and said NOT okay for swimming.  I put them BOTH into that category.  I'm not about to be gator bait. 

Below: beautiful cypress trees rim the western pond. 

   Finally we wound up our rambling and headed back toward the campground.  We got a thunderstorm on the way home. 

Below is a pretty video of Sand Pond and both eastern and western sides.  

       On Friday it was Crystal and Adam's wedding anniversary.  We went to the beach in the morning. I stopped by the pool again for a dip and to offend any adults present with my antics of actually SWIMMING and playing in the pool.  We gave them a date night and took Michael and Tessa with us to   out to dinner and to spend some quality time with them.  We took the golf cart and went to Hungry Howie's Pizza. It was a first for us and we loved it! Some of the best pizza!  We went shopping at Pier Park and got Tessa a cute pair of fancy flip flops for a good deal. Found Michael a pair of Hey Dude loafers for a good price.  I wanted everything I saw in Marshalls.  I had Kenny along so I did not dare buy all that I wanted. He fusses at me for all the throw blankets I buy.  I deeply regret not just going for it now that we are home in Tennessee and it is turning cold.   I am a big old blanket baby.  We all are in this family.  Now all that is out are Christmas decorations already.  No more Fall stuff. 

The funniest part of the evening was riding the golf cart.  It had a governor on it and you'd get up to speed and it would die back. It was lurching along down the road.  On the return trip it back fired and we all just lost it laughing.  

above and below: Governor Golf Cart. LOL 

Below is a short video of our idiotic Golf Cart and its governor.  You can hear it winding out then dying back! 

  Saturday was our final day before heading home.   Everyone went to the beach except me which is unusual.   It was windy with sand blowing all around and stinging. The surf was choppy as heck.   No rip tide, but flags out still.   Once in the water you were fine temperature wise, but getting out in that wind and sand was uncomfortable.   I opted to do something else instead. I stayed in the camper and read some new books, napped, and worked on my painting of a childrens book I'm putting together. It is water color which I do NOT like that much, but I started out using this medium and I am determined to finish it that way.   I am doing the lettering in old timey pen and ink with a calligraphy pen.   I made some progress on it.  I'll be so glad when it is done. 

Below is one of the new illustrations.  

   Sunday Morning 

We rolled out and headed home, but before we did I got out and took a walk.  I knew I'd be crazy spending some much time in that truck having to be still.   I photographed some of the stuff around the campground and at the rear of it.   My favorite book of all time is Duma Key by Stephen King.   This house and the grounds remind me of Heron's Roost the home of Miss Libby Eastlake in the book.   It is set in Florida in the Keys.  Duma Key is fictional, but it is based on Casey Key.    

above and below:  I think this house is vacant.  Looks like Heron's Roost Palacio de Asesinos

above; rank vegetation like the story describes. "The rest of that shit has no business growing here without irrigation" 

above: a glimpse of what is left of Racoon River. 

above: a monarch butterfly.  We got to see the migration again this year!  

   We finally made it home Sunday evening quite exhausted. I was happy to be home. I was happy to see my own bed and my cats.   It was a blessing to be able to go.   Tennessee was on the chilly side after Florida.   

Things I realized on this trip. 

After the Ponce de Leon Spring and Morrison Spring and Seven Runs Park that there are many more places in Florida I want to experience. Not just the beach. I want to really get to know Florida.  

No matter where I go I am going to enjoy the same sorts of things. Nature and exploring. Botany. 

I want to find carnivorous plants and cool, beautiful wildflowers. 

I am NOT going to the beach in Florida in October next year. I felt too robbed of Autumn. We will go in May as a whole family, Lord willing.   I'll be happier to do it that way. I love that my grandchildren and children all love AND like each other and I love the interactions.  It is sweet and funny.   

  Next trip I want to visit Williford Spring, Pitt and Sylvan Spring and Econofina Creek which is a forty minute drive southeast. 

Cypress Spring is a bit further NE from Ebro at Vernon Florida. about 10 miles further east.  I'd love to experience it also. 

Below is a video of Taylor Swift singing "Florida" with Florence and the Machine. 

I love it! Florida really is one helluva drug!