Ft. Walton Beach, FL

Tuesday, April 4th.

 

Made it to Ft. Walton Beach, FL.  Bringing back lots of memories from when I lived here, first job out of school.  Good times.  Ate a Fud Spud at Fudpucker's for dinner.  Then I hung out on the pier and watched the surf and the stars. 

 

Today was perhaps the most beautiful of the tour.  I rode along the coast all the way from Gulf Shores to Ft. Walton Beach.  Blue water, white sand, sunny clear blue skies.  This area is beautiful.  Passed lots of old familiar stomping grounds along the way.  The Florabama bar, Seville Quarter in Pensacola, the El Matador and Somerset apt complexes on the island in Ft Walton, the spot where MJ took a nap in the grass on the side of the bridge...  Somerset is now painted a horrible sea-foam green (what were they thinking?).  There's no more toll booth on the bridge to Navarre Beach.  I tried to ride the road along the beach from Pensacola Beach to Navarre, but mid-way it's washed out from the hurricanes.  The asphalt crumbles and eventually gives way to nothing but sand.  There's still a lot of damage from the Ivan and Denis hurricanes, especially in Gulf Shores and Pensacola.  Lots of construction going on, both repairs and new structures.  Don't they know more hurricanes are coming?