Pensacola to Destin (Miramar Beach)
61 miles 827 feet of climb
I spent the night in Pensacola sleeping on a Golden Couch in the main youth room of the Methodist Church we were staying in. I shared the room with Steve, Bennie, Harris and Mark. Quite the crew. There were people staying upstairs, too. Chuck pitched his tent on a second story patio and slept outside. Dan pitched his tent in the back yard and then complained about loud motorcycles. For me, the couch was just fine. I didn't have to pitch a tent and I was close to a bathroom. Strategic.
Pensacola was pretty quiet on a Sunday morning as we rode out. We spent the day on long strips of land about a quarter mile wide, and white sand dunes. We rode through Gulfland National Seashore with brilliant white sand. We could see water on both sides of the road we were riding. Santa Rosa Sound to the North, and the Gulf on the South. There was little to stop the wind coming from the North and giving us a strong crosswind as we headed East. After the Gulfland National Park, we were directed to a bike trail that took us through an area that was sprouting beach homes and large condo buildings. It reminded me of HGTV's show "Beachfront Bargain Hunt." There was new construction all over the place.
James and I stopped for second breakfast at Juana's Pagota Sailor's Grill (part of a larger complex that is beach themed). The food was quite good and the view of the water was also a plus. The place actually had a bike rack, too. Yesterday, at The Crab Shack which was just over the Florida state line, we just wheeled our bikes right into the restaurant. We're getting a bit cheeky after almost two months on the road.
We crossed over an older bridge to Navarre (towards Ft. Walton). Our choices were bad or worse. James and I elected to take a very narrow pedestrian walkway (hardly wider than our bike handlebars) while Mark and Harris elected to go over on the traffic lane. Todays climb of 627 feet was almost all bridges that we crossed. By the time Harris and Mark reached the top of the bridge, traffic was backed up behind them all the way to the bottom. James and I took the pedestrian option. I bumped the traffic side with my left foot and almost went down. I scrapped my toes (what a day to wear my riding sandals) and also my right forearm. Not serious, just annoying.
After the bridge we were riding on Highway 98, which was extremely busy. J ames and I took a break when we saw that Mark and Harris had stopped at the Aegean Restaurant for an early lunch. We chatted with a woman whose family owned the restaurant and who was part of a large Greek community in the area. The food looked great, but James and I had just eaten not long before. This whole strip of land where we have been riding has tons of fast food and chain restaurant options, but this local Greek place made for a good dining option.
Highway 98 has a bike lane about three feet wide and traffic was heavy. Harris had warned us about people driving in Florida (not necessarily Floridians in this touristy area) as they tend to not move over and some RVs and boat trailers, not to mention trucks, actually fill the lane. We crossed a total of six bridges today. Most were older and had narrow walkways. One in particular had no wall between the traffic lane and the walkway. In addition, the walkway slanted towards the traffic lane. We chose to walk that particular bridge on the way up, though we did ride it part way down. When we go over these bridges, the water below looks emerald green in places. There are lots of people out in boats and even more people along the white sand beaches.
Tonight the group went to a restaurant called The Crazy Lobster Bar and Grille here in Miramar Beach, where we are also spending the night in a motel. It's nice to take a break from camping and camp food - two nights in a row is even better.
Tomorrow we have a 76 mile day to get to Mexico Beach. More time on Highway 98 for at least part of the day. It is supposed to start raining here around noon, so i hope we can beat the rain on our way East.
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