I took a trip around two-thirds of the state of Florida this past week, clocking nearly 1,200 mile on my Hertz Jeep Compass, which served me well.

I started in Sarasota, landing early Saturday and picking up some provisions on the way to check out damage from Hurricane Milton on the office we have in Osprey. I am the president of the HOA, so I needed to get a first-hand look at the damage and work out a plan of repairs.

The following morning I departed for a drive to Indian Pass, Florida, seven hours from Sarasota. By about 12:30 p.m., I was in Apalachicola, Florida, the beginning of the Panhandle, and I stopped at some local shops to buy some t-shirts for my upcoming trip with our subscriber Global Traveler Globility Board on Windstar’s Star Breeze in Tahiti. My next stop was to the Hole in the Wall oyster bar and restaurant, which has the best oysters in the area, closely followed by the Gibson Inn and The Indian Pass Raw Bar. I enjoyed the plump, briny dozen as I sipped on a tasty 30A Beer. The restaurant has been sold recently, and the new owners have their act together. For those of you who have been to Hole in the Wall previously, you may remember the main characters, Barbara and Daryl. Barbara died just a short time ago, a real shock to the community and the patrons of Hole in the Wall who loved her brash treatment. It was part of the entertainment that brought people back (or scared them away). Daryl has since retired. The new group is doing a fine job, but my college baseball cap for St. Joseph’s University seems to have been removed from the baseball cap hall of fame at the establishment.

From Apalachicola, I followed route 30A toward Indian Pass and turned left onto Indian Pass Road, a small bit of land that nearly touches St. Vincent Island, a huge nature preserve. I was staying at Sacajawea by the Sea, a newly built, six-bedroom house on the Gulf of Mexico fronted by glorious, 25-foot dunes. The house is so new, it smells like a new car. All the appliances and furnishings were just completed, with design by Pieces Interiors (Audra Tucker) and construction by Crest Enterprises and the fine team headed up by Moses Medena. Early risers can catch the most beautiful sunrise from the double decks or from the beach below with sugar-white sand. The sun rises over St. Vincent Island as it moves across the Gulf, setting on the west and Indian Lagoon.

If the Gulf is not enough to call you, there is a private pool for sunning the day away. Two 85-inch TVs in the living space are perfectly placed for the big game and entertainment; the house has a total of 11 TVs. Five of the six bedrooms (all king beds) have their own distinct bathroom suites. The sixth bedroom has two sets of bunk beds and a hallway bathroom so those in the Game Room can also use the facilities. The Game Room has two gaming chairs and three mounted TVs, complete with an F1 Racing theme.

On the Gulf, you can take the new stairs over the dunes and relax on the beach, swim or fish. There is a public boat ramp about five to six houses from Sacajawea where you can launch your boat. Tours can be arranged at this spot for St. Vincent, and you can easily kayak to the island.

My only regret is my short time at the property, as I continued my trek to Orlando, Miami and back to Sarasota to complete my driving frenzy!

— Francis X. Gallagher, CEO and publisher