Destin, FL

Mon., Dec. 6, 2021 thru Sat., Dec. 11, 2021

Today we had a fairly short drive of 122 miles from Eastpoint to Henderson Beach State Park in Destin, FL. We traveled along Highway 98 which is along the coast and goes through small towns so it was a nice drive. We’ve visited this state park before but never stayed here. It’s absolutely beautiful! Spacious private sites. A delight.

Tuesday, Dec. 7th, we did some errands in the morning then rode our bikes with Cheryl & Joe for about 4 1/2 miles around the state park to get a feel for the place. There is direct beach access here which is so nice. We also walked a 3/4 mile nature trail through the sand dunes, which was interesting as we hadn’t realized there was so much plant life in the dunes. Then we enjoyed a pre-dinner campfire. 

Wednesday, Dec. 8th, we explored Destin. First was Gator Beach where we saw tons of alligators, and learned lots of info about them. My favorite fun facts:

• Because of the shape of their teeth, they can’t chew their food. They have to swallow it whole.  
• They’ve also been known to hold food in their mouth until it deteriorates to the point that they can swallow it. 
• Although an alligator can capture food underwater, it must lift its head out of the water to swallow in order to avoid drowning.

Apparently I’m fascinated by their eating habits. 

After the gators, it was on to Destin Harbor Boardwalk. Destin Harbor is the home of Florida’s largest fishing fleet, charter boats and cruises. We even saw a yacht “dealership” and a brand new yacht being dropped into the water. That was a first. 

In the evening we had another delicious dinner at the Hannafords of peach pork chops with Uno Flip being played afterwards.

Thursday, Dec. 9th, we did a drive along Scenic Hwy 98 and saw gorgeous homes and equally gorgeous beaches. One sign on the beach directed us to walk along the shoreline but don’t think about sitting on the beach as it was “private” and owned by a Homeowners Association. 

We also saw surveyors on the beach and found out they were “measuring sand.” Oh-kay. We don’t see that up north. Afterwards we took a drive over the Mid-Bay Bridge which spans 3.6 miles across the Choctawhatchee Bay and explored Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park, checked out the campground, walked the Rocky Bayou Trail and ate our picnic lunch before wandering back home.

Friday & Saturday was a mixed bag of doing things around the campground. Gary & I worked on designing our Christmas Card. The photo was of the St. George Lighthouse. (You all received that via email back in December.) I managed to get in a 5 1/2 mile bike ride around the state park. Gary had to fix our toilet as we had no water coming through it. Turned out it was clogged with calcium debris. I’m fortunate to have a handy husband! And we played cornhole with Cheryl & Joe before packing up to head to Gulf Shores, Alabama on Sunday where we are due to spend two months!