~Monday, February 6, 2023~
Day 968
Being close to the Air Force base of Pensacola, we have the advantage of hearing the thrilling sounds of jets flying overhead. In fact, just after sunrise, we think we felt what was a sonic wave from one of them. We’ve definitely heard sonic booms before, but never FELT one. This thing shook the trailer to the point we thought it was an earthquake. Jeff initially thought that something hit the trailer. Seeing other people exit their trailer to have a look around indicated we WEREN’T crazy. At the time, I thought it was one of two things….either a sonic boom or the affects of a sinkhole right under our trailer. Checking with park staff, they assured us that sinkholes should be the least of our worries. But seriously, did you know sinkholes are a common feature in Florida’s landscape? Apparently, the sonic booms are too. It was quite a freakish experience.
We wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather by giving Sadie some off-leash time. Since dogs are not allowed on Santa Rosa Beach, we drove about 5 minutes to Walton County Dog Park where we met several
dog owners and their sweet adorable pups. Since we haven’t done a lot of big hikes lately or had a place for Sadie to run, this was perfect. You could tell her endurance was a little off by her frequent trips to rest in the cold, wet muddy spot she seemed to favor after 20 laps of ball chasing. So we’ll have to build up her stamina over the next few weeks. And where there’s a ball, you can expect sharing is required.
Next….beach time and only a 5-minute bike ride from our campsite. I think the last time we were at a beach was in Homer, Alaska which seems like an eternity ago. The weather is nowhere near the same. It sure felt great to feel the soft, white sand between our toes again. Our entertainment of the crystal clear
waves coming up on shore was mesmerizing. A very high kite and hovering drone also were amusing (a Chinese spy drone perhaps? Ha, ha). We’ve never seen a drone that large. The sunset was lovely, though not super dramatic since there were very few clouds to speak of.
When we returned from the beach, we were starved, so Jeff made the most delicious crostini appetizers with avocado, garlic sauteed mushrooms,
cherry tomatoes and a pinch of parmesan cheese. As if that wasn’t a meal in itself, we still managed to have room for salmon and a side of black beans and rice and asparagus. Yum!