Travel Log: Navarre Beach Trip - Sunday, August 30, 2020

This has been such a strange year. The COVID-19 pandemic has cancelled countless vacation plans, forced us both to switch to teleworking full time, eliminated most in-person social opportunities, and expanded online shopping as we all try to stay home as much as possible to decrease spread of this virus. But after five months, we needed to find a way to get away as safely as possible. So we booked a room at our favorite hotel right on Navarre Beach (one of the quieter beaches on the gulf within driving distance of our home) for weekdays after the start date of most schools in the south.

It wasn't as quiet as we had hoped and the hotel parking lot reflected a very geographically diverse group of tourists from Colorado to Michigan to New York and Pennsylvania and everything in between. And people on vacation (or maybe the type most likely to vacation during a pandemic) are in general a bit lax on mask wearing and such. But we were able to generally stay far away from other people.

We left home Sunday morning with plans to stop at the Gulf Breeze Zoo before checking into the hotel. This Zoo is a really unique zoo in that a large portion of it is only accessible by train and for that portion, the train drives right through the exhibits with ducks and animals regularly crossing the tracks.

Sometimes the most interesting animals in a zoo are the animals that choose to make it their home and are free to come and go. This great blue heron was sitting on the edge of the pond just feet from our train as we passed it. It must have been used to the trains passing by because it didn't even flinch and didn't seem too concerned with how close we were.

As we were getting ready to leave I spotted this green heron perched on the edge of the turtle pond. We saw him catch a fish or something and then eventually flew over to the duck pond and found a spot in the trees.

This snowy egret, a common Florida egret, was sitting in the duck pond.

I suppose zoos can be a great source of both food and protection (as long as they pick the right exhibit to make their home).

There were also a few interesting animals that actually belonged there.

This rhea was sitting on a nest of eggs.

There is something about pink birds that always catch my eye. Here is a scarlet ibis.

This Scottish Highland Cow knows how to cool off on a hot summer day - stand directly over the sprinkler!

Flamingos - another pink bird

These Axis Deer keep their spots for life.

After the Zoo, we picked up some food at a local grocery store and checked in to our hotel, the Springhill Suites Navarre Beach. We were able to get a balcony suite over looking the island. Here is our view.

I stepped out on the beach for a few minutes before relaxing and eating supper in the room and then we headed out to catch the sunset which did not disappoint.