Emerald Waters and Alligator Bites: Our St. Andrews Stay
Updated: Sep 10
June 22 – 26, 2025
📍Location: Panama Beach, Florida 🏕️Campground: St. Andrews State Park
We chose the longer but infinitely more scenic route toward Panama City Beach, and it paid off immediately. Highway 27 soon melted into Highway 98, and suddenly, we were cruising right along the ocean coast. We drove almost the entire rest of the way along the water, passing charming coastal towns and rows of cute little houses perched high on stilts. It is a clever architectural trick to survive possible floods and hurricanes, with the added bonus of doubling as a massive carport to park vehicles or trailers underneath!
The Booking Lottery & The Squeeze
We had our sights set on St. Andrews State Park for a while. Our friend Robin (thank you for all your valuable tips!) highly recommended it for its pristine beaches and budget-friendly rates. He was absolutely right: it offers standard state park pricing but comes loaded with private-park amenities, including the elusive sewer hookup! Add in a 25-minute walk to the beach, gorgeous bay views, and absolute tranquility, and it’s basically paradise.
Of course, paradise is popular. Securing a spot here requires a black belt in website refreshing; they are almost always booked solid. After constant checking, we finally snagged a two-night window that fit our schedule. A couple of days later, Liza worked some magic, noticed the exact same spot had opened up for the following two nights, and we pounced on it without a second thought. Four nights in St. Andrews? Yes, please.
There was just one tiny catch. The site we booked was rated for trailers up to 25 feet long. Minnie is 28 feet.
We were assured over the phone that we could make it work, but seeing the spot in person definitely spiked our heart rates. Enter Alex. He meticulously measured every angle and confidently backed Minnie, and then our truck, Fercho, perfectly into the provided site. Slowly but surely, our little team is getting faster at these campsite acrobatics. Routine is a beautiful thing.
TACTICS FROM THE ROAD ➡️Know Your Rig's True Footprint: A 25-foot site limit doesn't always mean a hard stop. Often, there is overhang space in the back for the trailer bumper to float over the grass or gravel. ➡️Call Ahead: If you are over the length limit, call the ranger station before booking. They know the exact layout of the trees and can tell you if your specific rig will actually squeeze in. ➡️Measure Twice, Back Up Once: When the margins are tight, get out of the truck, use a tape measure if you have to, and rely heavily on your spotter!
Time Travel & Tropical Wonders
Upon arriving, we were pleasantly surprised to discover we had crossed a time zone boundary! We had officially left the Eastern Time Zone for Central Time, magically gaining an extra hour for our day.
We kicked off the next morning with our usual yoga and fitness routine before heading to the beach. Let us tell you, the internet photos do not lie. It is arguably the most stunning beach we have ever seen—powdery white sand melting into crystal-clear, turquoise water. We took the long way back, walking the entire arc of the paradise-like peninsula. Above us, the sky put on a show with a rare phenomenon called "cloud iridescence"—a surreal, rainbow-colored halo bursting through a hole in the clouds. We had never seen anything like it.
The only downside? In our euphoria over the emerald water and rainbows, we completely forgot about the scorching Florida sun. We returned to the RV with a serious burn. Oh well, we’ll just call it the first layer of our future road-trip tan. 😉 We spent the evening nursing our skin, prepping fresh salads, and grilling sausages outside.
Alligator Bites & Making it Official
Tuesday started with a jog through the State Park and down the beach, rewarding ourselves with a morning swim (the sea is still brilliantly refreshing early on, though it turns into a warm jacuzzi by the afternoon). Afterward, we headed into Panama City Beach to run some errands and grab lunch. The shopping was a success—new bikinis, shorts, and a few Florida souvenirs acquired! For lunch, we hit up Sharky's and indulged in a massive seafood platter (partially fried, because that is the American way), an appetizer of alligator meat, and frozen Piña Coladas and Margaritas to beat the heat.
By Wednesday, we had officially fallen into a sweet, slow routine: morning yoga, booking our upcoming RV parks, and hitting the beach. But the afternoon brought a massive milestone: our license plates and registration papers for the truck and trailer finally arrived! It’s official. We are now legal Montanans. Well, if not us, at least Minnie and Fercho are!
To avoid falling too deeply into a routine, we are hitting the road on Thursday. We are saying goodbye to the state of Florida and heading through Alabama to Louisiana to explore New Orleans!
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