Three months ago, I realized my calendar was empty for the October federal holiday weekend so I opened up my Hilton app and booked the cheapest hotel along the gulf coast of Alabama, Mississippi, or Florida with access to the beach. And then I mostly forgot about it until the week of the trip.
I almost cancelled it last week. I'm trying to save money for a potential move and there is a lot of uncertainty with the government shutdown. I also just didn't feel like I needed a weekend away which is was a very foreign feeling to me. But I think it boils down to the fact that I have so much fuller of a life now that these weekend trips are no longer about escaping but instead are an addition to my already interesting journey. In the end, I'm glad I didn't cancel.
I will admit this was one of my least planned trips ever. Besides booking the hotel, it wasn't until the night before that I started researching what I could do in the hours before check in time. And then from that point on, all my research on what to do next was happening in the moment. I kind of liked the spontaneity for a change.
I set my alarm for 5:15 a.m. but by the time I was showered, dressed, and then had dealt with low air pressure in my tires (if I had actually been thinking ahead, I would have dealt with this the night before), it was about 6:40 a.m. when I was finally on the road. My car tried to send me to a DC charger when my battery was only down to 48% so I had to manually put in a charger further down the road so I could make better use of my charging curve. I try to arrive at a charging station at 20% or less and leave by about 70%. Electricity pours into the battery at a much faster rate at a lower state of charge. I noticed that another time recently. It used to be better at making charging suggestions that better fit the charging curve. Maybe one of the latest updates messed that up.
I made it to John Beasley Park in Fort Walton Beach around 11:30 a.m., switched out my sandals, made myself a sandwich, and then headed out to the beach. Distracted by the feel of the sand, the sounds of the waves, the salty air, I had walked quite a ways before I realized I still had an uneaten sandwich in my hand and a rumbling stomach! But once I had taken care of that, I pulled out my camera and had so much fun observing and photographing the flocks of shorebirds! A couple hours passed so quickly I was lost in the moment.
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| Willet with Sanderlings in the background |
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| Sanderling (with a Laughing Gull in the background) |
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| Willet |
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| Sanderling and a Willet |
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| Willet |
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| Sanderlings |
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| Sanderlings with a Laughing Gull in the background |
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| Ruddy Turnstone |
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| Young Laughing Gull |
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| Sanderling - It was a really windy day blowing the sand around and even almost burying some of the resting birds! A few of my photos like this one were captured just as a wind gust kicked up a ton of sand. |
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| Two Laughing Gulls (left), 2 Willets (middle back and resting right), a Sanderling (resting front and center), and a Ruddy Turnstone |
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| These Sandwich Terns, in this photo and the next two, were so graceful as they soared, spotted fish, and then dove into the water. When it comes to grace while fishing, they are the opposite of a pelican! |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Laughing Gull |
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| Laughing Gull - I had never seen one with this much red on its legs before. The next photo shows this guy next to what is a more typical coloration. |
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| Laughing Gulls |
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| Laughing Gull |
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| Herring Gull and a Sandwich Tern |
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| Royal Terns with a smaller Sandwich Tern |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Royal Terns - One squawking away and the other too busy scratching an itch to listen! |
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| Sandwich Terns |
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| Laughing Gull |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Royal Tern |
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| Willets |
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| Willet - This guy wasn't shy at all and headed right towards me. He eventually got so close, my camera couldn't focus anymore! |
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| Ruddy Turnstone |
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| Butterflies like this one were everywhere! Clearly, they were migrating through. Sadly some of them even got caught up in the waves. |
When I thought I had reached my limit for sun and needed some shade, I headed to a couple of city parks. First I stopped at Captain Leonard Destin Park where there wasn't a lot to see. They have a colony of nesting Great Blue Herons at this park and at one point I heard one up in the tree but it was hard to find them. Then I continued through that neighborhood and found the pier across from Mattie Kelly Park and the space between that pier and the boat launch which had some bird activity including a couple Great Blue Herons not far off the shore. Unfortunately, the Mattie Kelly Nature Walk was closed.
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| Great Blue Heron |
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| Great Blue Heron |
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| Great Blue Heron |
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| Brown Pelican |
On my way to my hotel, I stopped at a DC charger in the parking lot of a Winn-Dixie. I used the time charging to pick up some food for the weekend along with a bottle of Chardonnay and some sparkling water.
On my way to my hotel, I drove past a Fairfield Inn that reminded me I actually had been to this beach before. When I booked, I thought I was trying out a new stretch of beach but had forgotten about this trip we made in 2023. A flood of memories rushed back as I remembered the sun-filled breakfast room where we started our days.
Continuing on a couple blocks further, I checked into my hotel,
Spark by Hilton Destin. This was a new chain to me, one that it appears only started opening up locations in late 2023. In this case, they had taken over an old Best Western. I can't say I was overly impressed with the renovations. It felt like a pretty run down hotel. The next morning, I also discovered it advertises a "bagel bar" for breakfast because it is a pretty barebones breakfast compared to other Hilton chains, although the bagels were fresher than normal.
I was there almost an hour after check-in time and yet the room I had chosen when I had checked in the day before wasn't ready yet so they offered me the only room they had available in the category I had booked which turned out to be across from the ice machine. In the end, it was fine. I was tired enough to sleep well anyway but it was among the bottom of my Hilton brand experiences. I do have to say though that the desk chair, which is the same style that is used in their breakfast area, is one of the most uncomfortable chairs I have ever sat in. Fortunately, there was a round stool type chair under the night stand that I could move to the desk area.
I pulled out my aloe to cover the skin that was starting to turn a bit red, opened my bottle of wine and enjoyed an evening in, editing the almost 400 photos I had taken of the birds that day.
I thought about setting an alarm for sunrise the next morning but I just didn't want to so I didn't. I ended up sleeping in a bit, enjoying a leisurely breakfast while I did some writing, and then about 8:00 a.m. I headed out to the beach. It was a 7 block walk to the beach, across a major six lane road, and then through a residential neighborhood of condos and palm tree lined streets.
The public access point in that neighborhood is only wide enough to match the space between two condos and the condos on either side had roped off most of the sand for their guests. So I walked along the wet sandy area where the waves rushed in until I reached the sand in front of Henderson Beach State Park which was open to all. It was when I arrived in this space, that I had another flashback. When we had visited two years prior, we had entered the beach from the state park and turned around at this point where the public beach met the condo's private beach.
I found some space in the soft sand to lay down my towel and do some writing as I watched the waves come in and the sanderlings scurry by. The beach was mostly empty except for a man just off to my right with three fishing poles that had just set up for the morning.
Here is a poem I wrote in this space.
Shifting Sand, Moving Waters
sand slips through my fingers
waves rush about my feet
constantly moving waters
giving and taking
eroding and building
two years ago,
I stood where I stand now
although it’s new waters that rush
and sands that have shifted
the curve of the shoreline altered
I am not the same either
storms and sunshine
have eroded and rebuilt
a never ending process
with every step I take
Around 11:00 a.m., after several hours of sitting, writing, and observing, I got up and decided to walk aways further down the beach. Noticing the barely submerged sandbar not far out, I waded out to it and walked a ways along it.
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| These giant jellyfish were fairly prevalent, some of them washing up on the sand and dying. |
By this time, I was hungry, so I started making my way back to the hotel. When I reached the public access point of the beach, I came across wall-to-wall people which was hard to weave through to get to the road. I wonder if they realized there was a wide open empty beach with room to spread out just a couple blocks down.
Back in the hotel room, I ate more of the food I had bought the day before, finished my wine, relaxed, called my parents, and did more writing.
Late afternoon, I was ready to go out again and had an idea for dinner, but first I wanted to walk to the shopping mall next door and check out Ross Dress for Less. I walked out with a new pair of jeans, a beautiful dress, and some sleepwear. Then I walked past the Publix Liquor Store and so I stopped in to see if they had any good rum and they had Bumbu along with Zacapa 23 so I had choice! I walked out with a bottle of Bumbu which managed to make it home unopened!
I then got in my car and drove to Dewey's Destin Harborside. It was only about 5:00 p.m. but there were already a lot of cars in the parking lot. I took that as a good sign that the food would be good! I was seated at a table on the back deck overlooking the harbor with a palm tree in my view. I ordered a pineapple martini and one of the fresh catches of the day, Triple Tail. It was all really good!
I'm learning to find some balance with food while traveling. I will admit that on my first solo trips, I would forget to eat and then when I finally remembered, just get something really quick and cheap, not wanting to waste time or money on food. I plan for food better now and although I do have a tendency to grab quick, cheap things for a lot of the meals, I'm starting to look for a food experience on each trip - something local or something elevated. It's kind of nice.
Back at the hotel, I realized that I was about 20 minutes from sunset. And although I knew I probably would miss the sun dipping below the horizon by a minute or two because of the 7 block walk, what I really wanted most was the colors after sunset and the transition to complete darkness so I headed out once again. And what an experience it was!
The oranges and pinks in the sky gloriously reflected off the sand where the waves had just retreated. I caught sight of a flock of sanderlings scurrying forward and decided to follow them towards the colors in the sky. I continued following them until the last of the colors had faded to black and I could barely make out the little birds in front of me. By that time, the stars had started to come out. And then I turned around and walked back 1.25 miles in the darkness.
The air was starting to cool the sand under my bare feet although the waves would warm it back up each time they returned. Occasionally a large wave would catch me by surprise and splash the hem of my dress and I would smile. The waves crashing on the sand seemed even louder in the darkness, drowning out my thoughts. It was a really spiritual experience as my body and mind were present in the moment and connected deeply with Mother Nature who reminded me of my place in this world. I experienced awe.
I was just shy of 22,000 steps on Sunday and my body and feet could feel it! Back at the hotel, I again chose not to set an alarm for the next morning. I needed the rest.
I couldn't believe it was 7:00 a.m. when I woke up the next morning (I'm normally a very early riser)! I lingered over breakfast while I did some writing, packed up my stuff, checked out, and then headed home. It was a pretty uneventful drive home with one charging stop while I ate lunch and then a run through the carwash before I pulled into one of the charging spots at my home and plugged my car in.
As I was reflecting this morning at breakfast, I realize these weekend getaways have evolved from an escape, to an important part of my healing this year, to now a chance to grow. It was a really good trip.
