Jo and I went to Destin last week and had a blast. The ride out there was a trip...first of all, we talked the whole way...every minute...non-stop! It rained pretty hard in Mississippi and Alabama, and we could tell that it had been raining in Florida when we got there. In looking at the weather forecast, it looked like it was going to rain the whole time we were there...no big...Jo and I have spent time in the rain before on a vacation, and last time, we were in a tent for a week...we eventually ended up in the front seat of the Jeep playing cards because our backs were hurting from being hunched over sitting on our sleeping bags for so long. We figured that if we could have fun in the front of a Jeep in the rain, surely we could figure out how to have a good time in Destin!
There were lots of signs for hot, boiled nuts, but I never saw them fast enough to get the picture, so imagine a home painted sign on MDF here...
I also took the time to look at the map while Jo was driving, and got us both very excited because it looked like we were going to make it in 10 hours instead of 12 hours. We were elated, only to find out a while later that I hadn't looked on the next page...SO, instead of the 12 hours and 7 minutes that the map said, it took us 11 hours and 50 minutes...oh well!
When we got there, we checked into our hotel. I was a little surprised by the room, but hey...it was cheap, and it was in Destin...here's a view of the room. The bathroom was so tight that I could reach from the tub to the door with my little T Rex arms without bending over, and I sat up against the toilet paper roll every time I used the bathroom.
Here's our view from the room.
Once we threw our stuff down, we drove 5 minutes out to the Harbor Walk, and ate at Jester's Pizza and Margaritas. I didn't partake in the margaritas because we're trying to get pregnant, but the pizza was good, and so was my coke!
When dinner was over, we went back and crashed. After all, it's an hour later in Destin...right?TUESDAY
We woke up at 8:30 Florida time, 7:30 Texas time, to eat and get out to the beach. When we got there, it was pretty empty, and we parked right up near the entrance. The sand was just as white as everyone said, and the water was gorgeous...it was so clear that we could see our feet at the bottom, and the white sand underneath. It was also nice and soft. We didn't step on anything hard, so it was a nice entry in and out of the water. I loved playing in the waves, and could still feel them that night when we went to bed! There were a couple of moment when I shrieked and ran screaming from the water after being attacked by a tiny fish! It turns out that one "fish" that I saw near my feet a few times was a baby shark! Freaky!
Here's a picture of our spot, followed by pictures of the pier and the beach.
I chased the shade of the umbrella all day, only coming out from under it to get in the water. I wanted to make sure that I didn't burn! When we got back to the hotel, I was shocked to see that I was SUPER RED. I couldn't believe it...I was so careful! It turns out that because the sand is so white, the sun reflected off the sand and the water, and hit me even though I didn't notice because the shade was covering me...Nice!After showering (I found sea weed inside my swim suit even though it was barely noticeable in the water), and we went to the Harbor Walk for dinner again. We opted out of sitting outside because of my burn, and were shocked when we went in to the Crazy Lobster, and found it quite empty...I mean, it was 7:30 Florida time!
We came back and crashed again after dinner.WEDNESDAY
We didn't get up as early today to get out to the beach, and then were a little disappointed to find that sea weed came in over night, and the water was solid green. You couldn't see more than a couple of inches down, and it felt like we were wading through pulpy orange juice. We didn't last 5 minutes in the water, and still being VERY burned, I went up to the picnic tables for a couple of hours and read while Jo sat out on the beach. We decided to go see the dolphins that afternoon at 3:30, so we left the beach at 12:30, went back to the room to clean up a little, and rested for a while. We had to be there at 3 to get our tickets. When we got there, they told us that they would start boarding at 3:15, and it was 2:45, so we went to get coffee.
The coffee shop was really cool. It was WAY better than Starbucks in decor. When we got our drinks, Jo asked the girl what time it was, and she said 1:50...What?!? We're in Florida...my cousin lives in Florida, and she's an hour ahead of Texas. So, Jo asked what time zone they were in and they said central...SO, we were going around for 2 days thinking we were in the eastern time zone. We sat around at the coffee shop for about an hour and then went back to get in line for the boat.
Oddly enough, the boat took us back to the exact beach where we sat on Tuesday and Wednesday, just off the edge of the pier. Apparently that's where the dolphins like to hang out. The driver took the boat faster once we got a few dolphins around us, and they started jumping in and out of the wake of the boat. It was so beautiful!
After that, we went back to shower and go to dinner. We did some shopping on the Harbor Walk before dinner, then went to Harry T's for dinner. It was good, and since it was dark and breezy, we were able to sit outside on the pier and have a nice view.
After dinner, we headed back to bed because we had a long drive ahead of us the next morning.
We didn't get up as early today to get out to the beach, and then were a little disappointed to find that sea weed came in over night, and the water was solid green. You couldn't see more than a couple of inches down, and it felt like we were wading through pulpy orange juice. We didn't last 5 minutes in the water, and still being VERY burned, I went up to the picnic tables for a couple of hours and read while Jo sat out on the beach. We decided to go see the dolphins that afternoon at 3:30, so we left the beach at 12:30, went back to the room to clean up a little, and rested for a while. We had to be there at 3 to get our tickets. When we got there, they told us that they would start boarding at 3:15, and it was 2:45, so we went to get coffee.
The coffee shop was really cool. It was WAY better than Starbucks in decor. When we got our drinks, Jo asked the girl what time it was, and she said 1:50...What?!? We're in Florida...my cousin lives in Florida, and she's an hour ahead of Texas. So, Jo asked what time zone they were in and they said central...SO, we were going around for 2 days thinking we were in the eastern time zone. We sat around at the coffee shop for about an hour and then went back to get in line for the boat.
Oddly enough, the boat took us back to the exact beach where we sat on Tuesday and Wednesday, just off the edge of the pier. Apparently that's where the dolphins like to hang out. The driver took the boat faster once we got a few dolphins around us, and they started jumping in and out of the wake of the boat. It was so beautiful!
After that, we went back to shower and go to dinner. We did some shopping on the Harbor Walk before dinner, then went to Harry T's for dinner. It was good, and since it was dark and breezy, we were able to sit outside on the pier and have a nice view.After dinner, we headed back to bed because we had a long drive ahead of us the next morning.
THURSDAY
It was a long drive home, and although we talked most of the time, you could tell that we were both tired. We did take a different route home, so we had new views.
Here are a couple of pictures of our car snacks. The chip back was too big to reach in to, and I didn’t have scissors, so I ripped it open with my teeth, but couldn’t get the seam torn off. Also, I found these throw back cookies in the store and HAD to have them!
It was a long drive home, and although we talked most of the time, you could tell that we were both tired. We did take a different route home, so we had new views.
Here are a couple of pictures of our car snacks. The chip back was too big to reach in to, and I didn’t have scissors, so I ripped it open with my teeth, but couldn’t get the seam torn off. Also, I found these throw back cookies in the store and HAD to have them!
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