New Year’s Day in Florida was not much more than rain (heavy at times) and clouds. Probably a relief to those who partied a little too much last night, but pretty boring for those of us who didn’t. We took this opportunity to do some needed household chores. Not a very momentous way to begin the new year, but a necessary one. The following day was a complete opposite. Sunny, warm, and with only a light breeze. This is what I have been expecting ever since we ventured south of Tennessee! We packed up the dog and headed towards the towns of Ft. Walton Beach and Gulf Breeze. It is here that we wanted to travel some of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. This area runs along the shorelines and barrier islands of Mississippi and Florida. All of the sites in Florida are accessible by car, but most of those in Mississippi can only be reached via boat or ferry. They are characterized by pristine white sand beaches (many undeveloped), historic forts, and nature trails. Unfortunately, the Gulf Oil Spill of 2010 hit this area and there are still warnings not to swim or fish in the area. Evidence of the cleanup efforts are everywhere. Trucks and equipment stand in makeshift motorpools. As near as I could see, there are no mass areas of contamination. The beaches are clean and white. Only along the surf-line there appears to be small tar balls about the size of grains of rice.
It was amazingly quiet along the beaches. Not many tourists and many of the local shops were “Closed for the Season”. I hope that it is truly due to the season and not the horror stories of mass contamination of the beaches that the media is reporting. I did not see anything of the kind and the residents that we talked with all said that it wasn’t as bad as the media portrayed it. They are a little worried that the tourists won’t come back in the spring. I, for one, found the beaches to be very peaceful and relaxing and would recommend that anyone who is interested, “come on down”.
As we passed through, I got a chuckle out of the Pensacola Beach city Water Tower. Seems only fitting that it should be a beach ball...
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