Gulf Island National Seashore--Fort Walton Beach Florida

So we drove through the panhandle section of Florida on our way to central Florida and stopped in Fort Walton Beach for two days. This is an area that I have always heard a lot about but have never actually been to. It was nice to see; they call it the Emerald Coast...probably because the sea water takes on a pale green or maybe because i is a little pricey. Well no matter, that's what they call it.

We got out one day for some bike riding; actually it is the first riding we have done this year. Fortunately it was flat. Little did we know the wind was at our backs when we first started, so it was real easy to fall into complacency. We rode for about 8 miles on the road in Gulf Islands National Seashore (it was closed to car traffic since there was still damage to be repaired from Katrina) and turned around to return and then realized that the wind was in our face and adding a little resistance for the second half. No matter, it was all good. Here are some shots I got along the way

Here is a pelican sitting on a post in a marina. He seems quite at ease.

A man fishing on the beautiful beaches here, I didn't see him catch anything except a litle sun.
Here they are plowing the sand. Yes it looks out of place, it should be snow but they don't know what that is down here...
Shells and more shells...I just couldn't help myself
The tracks of those who came before me...