The Emerald Coast

For our visit to the Emerald Coast we stayed at Destin West RV Resort on Okaloosa Island, between Destin and Fort Walton Beach, FL.  The RV park is on Choctawhatchee Bay and across the street from the beach.  We didn't ride bikes there because there are no bike paths and traffic on the main street is fast and heavy but we walked on the beach almost every day. 

I had read that the sand on the Emerald Coast is sugar white but it was more beautiful than I imagined.  On a sunny day the sand is almost blinding and the color of the water is just gorgeous!  The sparkling emerald green water gets its color from the sun reflecting off algae.  On rainy days the water is not as green as on sunny days.  The water is so clear because there are no rivers in the vicinity to deposit sediment that would muddy the water.  The current runs counter clockwise which pushes the darker river water to the west, towards Texas. 

The beach is made of sand that is some of the whitest and cleanest in the world. The sand consists of small quartz particles.  The perfect oval shape of each grain of sand makes the beach "squeak" when you walk on it. 

It was partly cloudy most of the days we were there but that didn't stop us from enjoying long walks on the beach.  On sunny days we got a good start on our summer tan and the water was warm enough for us to splash in the surf.

A storm coming in across the bay

Goodbye Emerald Coast!

On February 19 we headed out.  There are two overnight stop before arriving in Pigeon Forge, TN for a one week stay.  Smoky Mountains here we come!