On 4/14/2024 8:33 PM, Mike Van Pelt wrote:
Crowds is a big negative. A bigger negative for me is water
so cold that I'd expire of hypothermia in five minutes,
which rules out any beaches at least from Carmel, CA northward.
Crowded beaches were fun when I was younger and craving beautiful female
bods to look at. Now they're just annoying.
We like going to Sheboygan Wisconsin to Kohler-Andrae State Park on Lake Michigan. Last year it was a little cold the times we were there, just
barely getting over 60F. The atmosphere is fantastic, though. Normal
people, mostly families, all kind of ethnic groups, but no rowdiness.
Rarely does it get crowded.
I grew up near Pensacola, so the sorts of beaches I grew up
with were Gulf Shores, AL, Pensacola Beach, and a bit east
of there. Every beach I've ever been to (with the exception
of Hawaii, of which getting to is distinctly non-RV-friendly)
has been a huge disappointment.
Was at Panama city Beach two years ago in mid April. I was surprised,
we actually really enjoyed it. Temps were in the low 70's in the water,
and swimming was good if you're not afraid and know how to handle the
rip tides.
This year we were down closer to Tamps in the end of February. Waters
were a little colder, even in the gulf, than I liked. Didn't go all in,
but just got the ankles wet.
Treasure Island beach north end of St. Pete Beach was a nice place to
spend a few hours. Huge beach with miles of walking along the coast. I
think it probably gets a lot more crowded than when we were there, but
it wasn't crowded at all in February.
We decided to try Honeymoon Island, which is a little north of
Clearwater. You have to cross the Dunedin Causeway to get there, and
there is a small fee IIRC. Huge parking lots that could hold a bunch of vehicles. Getting to the beach, it was apparent this is where the
locals go hang out, sipping their hidden adult beverage of choice. The
area around the parking lots and about 1/4 mile north out was jam
packed. We started hiking north along the shore and after about 1/2
mile we had the place to ourselves. It was just gorgeous. Went about
3.5-4 miles to the tip of the island and back and hardly saw anyone.
Mangroves and even a pine forest hidden up there. A really nice day.
I have heard good things about Padre Island Texas; it's on
my bucket list.
In the late 70's I was tenting out of a Honda 750 and made my way to
Galveston. I don't know if you can still do it there, but you could
actually drive right out onto the beach. I had never seen that before
and thought it was pretty wild.
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