Sally's Trips: Destin - 2016 Trip home and final thoughts

We have been home since Thursday afternoon. The trip was fairly uneventful except for the massive number of trucks we encountered. Not all the time but in spurts. The route through Montgomery, Alabama, was just fine. We hit heavy traffic in both Birmingham and Memphis, Tennessee. I do believe those areas are being worked on. We actually had to go off of limited access highways in both of those cities. Once through Memphis we were on I-55 for a while. That traffic was heading to St. Louis and was heavy with trucks. I'm glad we don't have to drive with them very often. As soon as we departed that route, traffic improved.

Things I wanted to say about the trip. We maybe had too much drive time. We needed more sightseeing time. I knew this when I scheduled the trip so my own fault. I did enjoy the drive through Mississippi and Alabama. Both were so green. These states have been hit hard with rain and storms. We were lucky not to encounter any of those. The rains have left the area extremely green. It is always nice to see the countryside of states we haven't visited before.

Destin was fantastic. I would not stay at the Sundestin Beach Resort again. Getting across Highway 98 was just in the way. I would definitely choose a different location. We were at a slow time of the year. That certainly made things better. We did have a beautiful view of the gulf which is the reason I chose this location. We had no people above or on either side of us until the final night. We then discovered how thin the walls are. We only had issues when the "neighbors" first checked in. They stood outside the entrance to our room. We could hear every word they said. Once they went in, things definitely improved. I also wasn't impressed with the condo except for the view. It was okay for us but if we would have had one more person it would have been crowded.

One of the things I did was forget to take my hairdryer. I usually forget this item and there is usually one available. There was in the hotels but certainly not in the condo. Bummer.

Would I go to Destin or Fort Walton Beach again? Yes. Just stay in a different location. Maybe along CR30-A.

I am going to include a few photos that I have not shared.

In Florida, sea turtles come ashore to nest beginning in May and hatching continues until late October. A female can lay several nests during one season and only nests every two or three years. The hard process of nesting takes hours. I sure wish we had been able to see some. Wrong time of the year.