A small rant and some wild Bottlenose Dolphins!

I went up to Panama City this weekend; it's a far drive but the beaches there have always been worth it. White sand beaches and turquoise, crystal clear water; it was like going to the Bahamas, the water was pretty much the same color and it's cheaper! Well in case anyone is planning to visit there anytime soon, as a word of warning, the beaches are no longer as pretty as they used to be. Apparently, our brilliant public officials decided to dump Lake Okeechobee, one of the most polluted lakes in Florida, into the Gulf. This actually happened last year, but the beaches haven't recovered; I have doubts they ever will. It's pretty sad that we've polluted our oceans and lakes this much. I feel bad for the people that live in Panama City; in addition to the polluted water, they have to deal with tourists dumping trash all over the beach.
   I couldn't help comparing it to St. Augustine, the beach I usually go to because it's much closer. The beaches there are always clean and trash free. Anastasia State Park is well maintained and the restrooms/showers are pretty clean for public facilities. In Panama City, I stayed at St. Andrews State Park. There were piles of trash on the beach, the restrooms were filthy, and showers were so disgusting I almost skipped taking one. Seriously, someone had left a dirty diaper in one of the shower stalls, along with what looked like a week's worth of hairballs. Obviously, they hadn't been cleaned in awhile. While I fault the park for not making sure the facilities are clean, I blame the tourists more. What kind of person thinks it's ok to plop a dirty diaper on a shower floor? Do they do this in their own homes? Or do they figure since they're not at home someone else will clean up the mess, so why bother being neat? I don't understand this mentality and it's pretty disgusting. Plus, while I was waiting for a shower stall to open up, I watched numerous people come in, use the restroom, and then saunter out without washing their hands. Has personal hygiene gone the way of the Dodo bird, or what? Sorry for the rant, but it just kind of blew my mind. That's the last time I'll bother driving up to Panama City for the beaches, I'll stick with St. Augustine. On a less ranty note, I did take some pictures if anyone is interested. None of the dirty diaper though, I promise! :) I did get a few shots of some bottlenose dolphins; there were quite a few swimming around the pier. Apparently, they're used to being fed, as they kept sticking their heads out of the water to stare at the fishermen. It was pretty cute! (Yes, I know you shouldn't feed wildlife.)



 The water is fairly clear, no longer a turquoise color though.




 This shot took me awhile to get, so I was quite proud of it.  Next time I'll take a tripod!


 Bottlenose Dolphin!






















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