Slow Travel

Next destination was Fort Pickens Campground in the Gulf Island National Seashore.  Just 67 miles away.  Shouldn’t take very long, right?  Wrong.  We managed to leave on time, getting out of the campground while nearly everyone was still asleep.  Our clocks are still set to Eastern Time so we are doing everything an hour early.  We didn't arrive at Fort Pickens until after 4pm.

One thing we really didn’t think of when we left this morning: since it is so early, everything is closed.  We thought we would hit a couple thrift stores, just to check out what kind of stuff a thrift store in a swanky beach town would have.  The first store we passed opened at 9am.  We were there at 8am.

We stopped in Destin and took a walk on the beach.  We actually found a parking space big enough for the RV right along the public beach.  Another advantage of being early.

Beautiful morning and we had to shed layers of clothing as it was getting rather hot.  The forecast called for an overcast day, but we got a lot of sunshine.  That combined with a huge beach of white sand, emerald water lapping at the beach, and pleasant temperatures made for a pleasant walk.

We stopped at a nearby thrift store.  It was closed for maintenance.  Another one was closed for cleaning.  Looks like that’s not gonna happen on this trip.

We stopped briefly in HarborWalk. Very touristy street along the water that looked like it was getting ready for the crowds of Spring Break.  Right now, however, it was almost deserted except for the workers power washing the sidewalks.

Next stop was Navarre Beach where we went to the Sea Turtle Conservation Center to see Sweet Pea, a green sea turtle which can’t live in the wild because of a missing limb and shell damage.

We also launched the kayaks to see one of the artificial reefs nearby, however the water was getting rather choppy due to the freshening wind so we had to turn back.

Then it was on to Fort Pickens, part of the Gulf Shores National Seashore.  Took us a while as the speed limit outside of the National Seashore is 35 miles per hour and inside is 25.  We do like slow travel, but this kind of slow is not exactly what we’re about.

Fort Pickens is a massive fort built in 1834 to protect the Pensacola area.  It sits way at the end of a very long, skinny barrier island which is why it took so long to get here.   We rode our bikes to the fort from the campground and walked the interpretive tour.  One could easily get lost in this place.

After dinner we walked out to the beach to catch the sunset.  Again, Florida served up a beautiful sunset, and we can say with the Psalmist: 

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
Psalm 19:1-6