March 22, 2019 – vantravelusa2

In October of 2018, Hurricane Michael marched through the Florida Panhandle, with winds greater than 150 mph. I was amazed to see the amount of devastation that still exists six months later. In many areas, one would think the hurricane happened less than a week ago. My heart goes out to all those impacted. So sad!

The damage is visible soon after crossing the state line from Alabama into Florida. At first, the main damage is from fallen trees (many times splitting a house in half). In most cases, the trees still sit where they fell. I am not sure where the occupants now reside.

This part of Florida has “tree farms” and the trees all snapped off at the same height. You can track the path of of the storm through the area given the direction in which the snapped trees point.

As one moves closer to the coast, the damage comes not only from fallen trees but directly from the wind itself. Blue tarps covering roofs are still visible in very direction. Makeshift signs are tacked up every where for mold removal, tree service, roof repair, demolition, and so forth. Mexico Beach and then areas outward took the worst hit. Piles of debris were still stacked near the roads. Many roads are under repair and down to one lane with guided passage.

The signs that really catch your attention while driving through the area are the big billboard signs. They are rented out by lawyers advertising that they will get you a just settlement from your insurance company. More on this later.

I spent the night in Apalachicola. FL. Hurricane damage in Apalachicola was primarily limited to a six foot storm surge that moved up the Apalachicola river (which the town sits next to).

I really like the feel of this town. It is now know for its oysters. It has a few brewery’s, music venue (open 5 nights a week), restaurants, artists, and so forth.

At one time, the town was the second busiest port on the gulf coast. As the Apalachicola river flows deep into Georgia and then through Alabama and Florida, cotton crops were sent downriver for shipment out of Apalachicola’s port. This brought dollars into the city in the 1800’s and the commercial and residential buildings still reflect this.

You can park your camper on main street for a night without any problems. After parking, I walked around town and ending up talking with a shop owner for almost 2 hours about various subjects. It was near closing time, I mentioned I was hungry and we then had dinner together.

What an interesting evening of conversation. We covered the impact of the recent hurricane, small business survival in general, town politics, personal backgrounds and much more.

The take on insurance was agree on a “low-ball” number and avoid the ongoing hassle or get a lawyer and go for the “long run” and hope of a better payout. An individual working directly with the insurance company was not going to get a fair settlement.

Small shop survival in Apalachicola is hard given small profit margins, internet shopping, economic ups and downs, and natural disasters.

Town politics is probably the same as most places, growth vs. no change.

Impact of the hurricane was primarily on businesses in low lying areas near the river. Many of the business had or were liquidating. A few were moving to higher ground.

Some pics from Apalachicola:

After leaving Nashville, two nights were available for my drive to a Florida beach destination. My route took me into Alabama where I spent a night in the city of Troy. I stayed at the local Walmart. “Walmart Camping” always comes in handy when making a long drive between destinations. It is an Oasis on the concert desert. You can find fuel, water, nourishment, and even restrooms all at one spot.

While putting big mile days is not my favorite style of travel, sometimes it is necessary given priorities and timing. Under these circumstances, catching any local flavor is lost and it is only fuel up and restroom breaks. However, on my way into Troy, I saw a sign that caught my attention. Versus breaking camp and immediately hitting the road, I spent the morning at Troy State University.

The University has 200 full scale replicas of soldiers of the Terracotta Army found during the excavation of the burial site of China’s first emperor (Qin Shi Huang). The burial site held more than 8,000 Terracotta soldiers, 130 Terracotta chariots with 520 horses. Pretty cool display. The university itself is impressive with red brick buildings and a well landscaped campus, all sitting in a scenic area. The Terracotta display is located behind the University International Art Center.

Now I had the bug to check more of Alabama before crossing into Florida. Dothan, AL was my next stop for a cup of coffee and a look at the various murals scattered across the downtown area. Like many cities across America, Dothan spread to the suburbs and the downtown went into decline. However, the downtown area is starting to see a resurgence.