This past weekend, I took a little trip down to Panama City Beach. Yes, it was a little early for Spring Break, but the quick diversion from everyday life was pleasant. I was actually down there with Erika while she attended a conference. Unfortunately, the beach weather left a lot to be desired.

We didn't arrive in PCB until almost 5:00 PM. By that time a dense fog had rolled in and the sun was quickly setting. That didn't stop me from taking a quick trip to the beach. Walking out, I made a beeline to the ocean to find out it was quite frigid. I was glad that I had forgotten my swimming trunks. After wandering the beach and picking up some shells, we went back to the room to get ready for dinner.

We ate with some of Erika's colleagues at a restaurant called Montego Bay. I ordered some Jamaican spice wings and ribs, both of which were absolutely amazing. The wings could have stood a little more pepper, but the ribs were amazing. I've always heard of ribs so tender the meat just falls off the bone, but this was the first time I had ever experienced it. Every bite just melted in my mouth. After dinner we went to a little bar called Harpoon Harry's for a drink and good times. The highlight of the night was passing by The Horny Goat Bar (which was right next to Hooters). Alas, the bar was not open.

Saturday morning, I went back down to the beach for a walk. It was sunny, but the wind was blowing in at about 20 mph which dropped the wind chill down quite a bit. Along my walk I encountered some rare aquatic sea life. During high tide, several jellyfish had been stranded on the beach. Several of them were as big as dinner plates. One of the creatures may have even been a Portugese man-of-war. While this is a bit unlikely, the creature on the beach looked like a 20 pound granite rock sitting in the surf.

I wish I had been able to spend more time on the beach, but the little time I did get to spend there was nice. It reminded me of all the family vacations when I was younger which were some really good times. When it gets warmer, we will be visiting the beach again and staying a little longer.