Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
To see the first post in this series, visit Dodging the Deep Freeze 2020.

Welcome to Florida!

After a short visit with friends in South Carolina (hi Laurie!), we set up shop for two weeks in Panama City Beach (PCB). PCB is located on the Emerald Coast – the hundred-mile stretch of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico from Pensacola to Panama City. It was so interesting to see the different hues of “emerald” presented to us each day, depending on the sun, the wind and the surf.

Thanks to Hurricane Michael, the Landmark Holiday Beach Resort was under construction for our entire stay, and at times it was unbearable. We usually spend a fair amount of time away from “home” anyway, so we were gone (or we left) during work hours whenever we could and returned to the quiet of our two-bedroom condo after the workers were done for the day. Under normal circumstances this resort would be perfect – right on the beach and close to restaurants, shopping, attractions, and some beautiful state parks. It was a great location to see the sights in and around PCB and short distances in each direction along the coast.

A Little Chilly

We unloaded in light rain and temps were in the forties. Although most-times twice the temperature of home, it was still pretty nippy, so we waited a few days before we got our feet wet in the gorgeous waters of the Gulf. The sound of the waves crashing is one of my favorite things about the beach and that would have to do for the first couple of days. One morning steam was rising from the warmer waters into this particularly cold morning air, which was pretty ominous.

Go Pack Go?

We arrived just in time to rush on over to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Green Bay Packers dash their Super Bowl dreams, so unfortunately the first photo below wasn’t a prediction as we had hoped. I suppose that was a lot to ask from a first-year coach, no matter how good-looking he is! The Landmark is the darker brown building on this end in the second photo.

I Don’t Think We’re Far Enough South

Our first day trip took us along the gulf coast toward Destin on Hwy 98, with a stop at Grayton Beach State Park. With the temp a chilly 43°, we walked along the beach in our winter coats and gloves. We had them stowed in the car with hopes of not seeing them again for at least another ten weeks – but looking on the bright side – the sun was shining brightly and we were on the Emerald Coast in Florida for heaven’s sake. We sucked it up, moved on, and let a beautiful boardwalk guide us down to the beach.

At first glance, we could have been back in Wisconsin by Lake Michigan with a dusting of snow on either side of our walkway but on further review, it was the pure white sands blown into dunes from the coastal winds. There was a fair amount of dune and beach erosion going on at most of our stops throughout this trip. Fences provided barriers in some spots which kept stomping feet away from the rebuilding progress of the dunes.

Gross? or Cool!

We came upon three jellyfish that had washed ashore, which was quite an adventure. When I posted these photos on Facebook, I got all kinds of replies from gross to beautiful to alien-like. Whatever you see in these washed-up creatures, you have to marvel at the complexity of nature. I was amazed and took a lot of pictures to get good ones, since the waves kept washing them up and back.

Why No Gators?

On our way back to the car, we noticed another area of the park that had some nice water views, so Jim navigated us over to it. Signs about gators were posted here – and pretty much everywhere in Florida. Since a significant portion of this state is boggy with tall grasses all around, who knows when they’ll show up, right?

I was hoping (yet not hoping) to see one after seeing our first sign and with all the places we visited at the beginning of our trip, I didn’t really understand why we didn’t even catch a glimpse of one. Then my cousin (from gator country) offered an explanation, which was confirmed by our tour guide on a later outing: Alligators stop feeding when temperatures dip below 70. When it’s much colder, they dig out a den in the bank of a pond or river and go dormant until it warms up again.

Since there wasn’t much chance of seeing gators on a chilly day like today, we’ll just have to be patient till temperatures warm up as we head farther south.

Lovely Beach

A little further down the road, we came upon the South Walton neighborhood of Miramar Beach. We opted for inside seating at The Whales Tail – a great stop for lunch – and a stroll on the beach afterwards. The water was an extraordinary blue and the pure white sand made this place pretty appealing for a big event that may be on your calendar. Yes, it’s a designated wedding area and I can see why!

Definitely Worth a Return

With brisk winds prevailing, we made a quick stop at Mattie Kelly Pier – a fishing/crabbing pier in Destin. Located at a bayou wetlands preserve, the pier offered great water views of Choctawhatchee Bay. Had this been a warmer day, we may have paused a little longer on the boardwalk or visited the small park and nature trail that was across the street. Although the trail is not very long, it comes with very few tourists and that’s always a bonus to us.

The pier is named after Mattie May Kelly – a Destin matriarch and founder of The Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation and Cultural Arts Village. The arts village provides a great location to celebrate cultural arts in Destin. One series that looks worth pursuing is the Concerts in the Village series. It has an awesome lineup on Thursday nights – after all the current social distancing is a distant memory, of course.

Great First Impression

Since it took us a while to get to Destin and the weather was pretty chilly, next trip we’ll spend more time here. Choctawhatchee Bay and the small towns surrounding it look like a fantastic way to spend a day. We delayed our trip through Point Washington State Forest to get to the warmth of our condo. We’ll come back another (warmer) day.

Today our goal was to see water and we definitely achieved that goal! Traveling along the gulf coast with stops at a few interesting spots where water was only part of the beautiful views, our first impression of this area is very favorable. Even though the temperatures weren’t as warm as we had hoped, the day was bright and sunny and the beautiful white sand beaches of the gulf, along with the gorgeous emerald waters offered a great alternative to the cold and snow of Wisconsin.

Next up: Pines, Swamps and Springs

Happy trails,
Barb