Florida's Panhandle The Emerald Coast

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March 30 - April 1 --- We really like this Panhandle "Emerald Coast" Beach area of NorthWest Florida. We are at Navarre Beach Campground, lovin' it! Very casual and fun; the sort of place where 12 year olds fish off the pier with grandpa. Wonderful site with a view of the bay, very soft, white sand, and close to other beaches. There's a community fire pit and the whole atmosphere is more like camping than some of the resort RV communities we've stayed in. Dinner (2X) at Cocodrie's on the deck - great seafood, great beach view. Wes used his skills as a bullhead fisherman to take a catfish off a line for a kid - saved the lure AND the fish swam away. Those catfish have mean barbs.
On Friday we drove to Destin (which is about halfway between Panama City and Pensacola). Very nice harbor town, known for fishing. Great beaches, restaurants, harbor atmosphere. Lunch at AJ's. Pompano Joe's is on our list when we ever get back here! Dinner "home." Wes grilled a steak.
On Saturday we crossed over to Navarre Beach - very wild and wonderful! Unfortunately, there is still lots of evidence of Hurricane Ivan (Sept. 2004). The road that used to run from this barrier island to Pensacola is no more!
Sunday, broke "camp" and headed to Pensacola on our first rainy day in ages. The AAA book rates the Nationall Museum of Naval Aviation as a "Gem" and it is. We would return just for the I-Max Blue Angels presentation and a Blue Angels Practice, scheduled (weather permitting) many Tuesdays and Wednesdays from March - November. We took a guided tour of the "flight line" on a trolley bus. The guide and driver were both retired Navy pilots. The spiel was genuine- lots of interesting stuff. The collection is enormous. Vintage planes hang from the rafters, there's good aviation art, and scale models of carriers and other related vessels. Wes is a Navy man. We were both impressed with this museum.
We're saving Pensacola Beach for next time. We're about to cross the Florida / Alabama state line; heading for Memphis sometime on Monday. Stay tuned for Elvis encounters and Beale Street.

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Photos

Destin - Angler
The cry went up - FISH - the men with poles literally surge down and then back up the pier. One of their number hooked a Cobia (we had happened upon a Cobia Tourney). Two "helpers" with trident gapling hooks and ALL of the other fishermen and women came to help and kabbitz! There was a surpsise ending!