From the Publisher
August 2024
As much as we all love what SW Florida has to offer it’s still nice to get away and breathe some different air occasionally. It’s also been a while since I’ve had some of that “different air” so last month I asked my wife to pack a bag and expect to be gone for a few days. I prearranged a live-in house-sitter for the pets, and as always, she knew nothing about where we were going.
I surprise my wife with trips like this often, and she knows nothing about where we’re going till we turn south or north when we get to I-75. North may lead to Arcadia on our way to Vero Beach, or perhaps continue north to the Georgia mountains, while a turn to the south would likely end up in Key West.
We left at 11pm, turned north at I-75, and drove through the night to Charleston where we spent a couple days visiting parks, forts, and even the USS Yorktown Carrier.
About an hour away in S. Carolina we visited a couple of movie scenes from Forrest Gump including the house property in Yamassee, and then to Varnville where young Forrest got his foot stuck in the street gutter. Off to Asheville for a few days where we toured the Biltmore, we drove the Blue Ridge Pkwy to Mt. Mitchell, and we took a helicopter ride through the mountains, then off to Murphy NC for a couple days. Off to Ellijay where I met up with a retired Lee County Deputy friend and spent the day floating on Blue Ridge Lake.
I’ve always been a fan of the Smokey & The Bandit movies and couldn’t help looking for one more movie filming location. This one was just south of Jonesboro GA where they picked up the 400 cases of Coors where Jerry Reed was writing the note to pay for the beer, “Send the bill to Big Enos Bu, Bur, Ber, Br…… Hell I got ta go!” It’s an art gallery now, and they don’t sell Coors.
Jonesboro was a quick stop while driving from northern GA to Vero Beach where we enjoyed a few days at the Costa d’Esta Resort before returning to SW Florida.
Key West is my favorite place to go, but the Costa d’Esta Resort is by far my favorite place to stay in Florida. It’s owned by Gloria Estefan known for the 80’s band, “The Miami Sound Machine.” The sound of the Atlantic is the easiest thing to sleep to and the resort has by far the best service and hospitality you’ll find. There’s a shipwreck you can kayak to from their beach and 5-star restaurants surround the place including “The Wave” inside the resort.
A block from the resort is Casey’s who was voted top-5 burger in the state, and few blocks away is Riverside, one of the most visited restaurants in Vero Beach and owned by the same people who own Micelis here in Matlacha.
When staying at this resort you can park the car and everything you could want is within a couple blocks. One of the GMs, Rob, personally makes his rounds each morning greeting the guests and you can tell the staff has had extensive training in hospitality. If you consider a stay, it’s only 3 hours across the state, ask for the top floor facing the ocean. The sound of the ocean and watching the sun rise out of the Atlantic from 50-feet above the beach every morning is priceless.
While away we spent very little time online and only turned on a TV once while we were gone, which happened to be minutes after President Trump was shot. It’s what we can expect a week after the leader of the free world publicly says “It’s time to put a bulls-eye on his back.”
Since Joe quit, what are they going to do with all of those pre-printed ballots with his name on them? Thankfully here in Florida we have DeSantis protecting us from turning into what California has become.
While I was away Nautical Mile sightings came in from Kansas to Massachusetts, and apparently I’ve been missing out of one of the best Tarpon seasons we’ve had in years. If a Tarpon is on your bucket list, this may be your year.
Be safe and stay hydrated!
Jim Griffiths
Publisher, Nautical Mile
Publisher, Destination Pine Island
Author, "Don't Tell Me I Can't Do It"