Ft. Walton/Destin, FL (10/28 - 11/11/23)

Moving to the east on the Gulf, we stopped in Ft. Walton, FL near Destin for a couple of weeks. Here we stayed at the Destin West RV Resort where we were also provided access to the amenities in the affiliated beachfront Island Resort at Fort Walton.

Our RV resort was right across the street from the beach where we could take a pedestrian bridge to the beach resort and the beach itself.

The RV Resort had its own quiet, smaller, and heated pool which was nice to lay by to get some sun.

East of Destin was the Timpoochee Trail where we were able to get some miles in. This trail wasn't a rail trail, but it did keep you off the road to allow you to ride through beach towns on the coast. There were quite a few road crossings, but the traffic wasn't heavy to cause too much disruption.

Like I mentioned earlier, we were in walking distance to the beach resort where spent some of our beach time.

We were not able to drive on the beach here, so we did have to carry our stuff over the dunes, but was worth it for this view of the white sand and emerald sea. Thus the reason this beach is part of the Emerald Coast.

Right on the beach was the resort's Tiki Hut beach bar where we could relax in the shade with a beverage or two with a great view.

Our favorite beach was the Opal Beach at the Gulf Island National Seashore. Although a little drive for us, it was worth the trip to see the less crowded/developed beaches and we were surprised to be joined by a "fever" of Stingrays. Watching the rays in motion flying through the water gives a great view of the experience.

• Stingrays in Action 1

• Stingrays in Action 2

• Stingrays in Action 3

The National Seashore was also a great place to ride as well. We rode from Navarre to Pensacola Beach along trails and quiet roads where we were able to get in 35 miles one afternoon.

One day we visited the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin AFB. Admission was free and had many exhibits both inside and out. This photo is of a B17 Flying Fortress which is what my grandfather was a navigator on while serving two tours during WWII. The museum had many more planes of both past and present to see up close.

We also visited another bit of history at the civil war era Fort Pickens close to Pensacola. This fort was a strategic location designed to protect the Pensacola Bay. It was also across the water from the Pensacola Naval Air Station, home of the Blue Angels. The day we visited we just happened to arrive right when they were practicing right over our heads.

We also just happened to be staying in the area when the Pensacola NAS was hosting an annual air show. Another free event, we watched various aerial acts throughout the four hour event.

This is one of the military's latest fighters (F35C) that demonstrated the power of this latest technology. Seeing these shows in person are really a must do.

The finale of course was the Blue Angels flying in precision formations.

This was the third time we had seen them in the last three weeks, but it never gets boring.

There are six of them, but most formations were of these 4 core jets together with the other two jets performing either paired or single acts.

Here they are all in formation together.

After we left West Destin, we headed to Clearwater, FL staying at a Harvest Host along the way near Tallahassee. This host was at the Tallahassee Automobile & Collectibles Museum. If you are ever in the area, this place is a great venue to see some automobile history.