DAY 3Once again I awoke as the dark of night was starting to give way to a new day. I debated about going to the beach to see the sunrise but the campground at Topsail Hill is a about a mile from the beach. During the day a shuttle carries visitors to and fro but it won’t start running until 9 AM. And looking out the window I can tell the sky is cloudy. So I tossed and turned a while longer. Aw, shoot! I don’t get the opportunity to walk a beach at sunrise very often. Might as well go see what I can see. So once again I dressed warmly, grabbed my camera, and set out. Of course my site was at the far corner of the campground from the road to the beach but I found my way without a problem. At the end of the road, a wooden boardwalk carried me across the dunes.
The sun had already risen by the time I glimpsed the beach but heavy clouds obscured the sunrise.
At the end of the boardwalk a pair of paddleboards are kept ready to rescue swimmers in trouble.
Looking down the beach, the end of the park is marked by a row of ghostly buildings barely visible through a foggy shroud.
On the beach at St George Island, I felt like it was just the beach and me. Here at Topsail I could feel the presence of the hordes of people just beyond the park boundary. But right then it was just me and the sea gulls.
Dropping my eyes from the air to the sand, I see the gelatinous mass of a jellyfish that has been stranded by a receding tide.
In another location I saw where some creature had excavated a home into the sandy expanse.
No critter here but I thought this windswept area of sand looked like snow blown over ice. (Ironically, I’m writing this as I sit at home after a winter storm.)
Looking down the beach towards the east, the horizon and rising sun is obscured by clouds.
So I continue to scan the sand at my feet and find this worn scallop shell.
And a number of dead starfish that are lying face-up … er … tentacles-up on the sand.
Another shell even more worn than the scallop.
I was about to give it up and go back to the camper for breakfast when I noticed some light shining through the clouds.
And as I watched, the sun started to rise above the clouds … a second sunrise!
Brighter and brighter it grew until I could no longer look at it. So instead I watched as the sea took on a silvery sheen.
Well, Dad’ll probably be up by now. Returning across the boardwalk I took some time to look at the various types of vegetation tough enough to survive on the dunes. Among the vegetation I saw where deer had crossed under the boardwalk as they traveled through the dunes.
After breakfast Dad wanted to move on towards Ft Walton Beach where he was to visit with the widow of one of his old high school chums. The lady, Fran, had also gone to high school with him. He wasn’t to meet with her until after lunch so we decided to stop at Henderson Beach State Park where we could park in view of the beach.
At the far end of the second parking lot there was only one vehicle, a motorhome that was parked across several sites at the far end. So we did the same across from the beach access where we had a good view of the ocean from the dinette.
We had a little time before lunch so we walked down onto the beach. It was still cool but I couldn’t help but stick my hands in the water. (Sorry for the washed out look in the photo but I’ve got a new camera and was trying out some of the settings on this and some of the other photos in this report. Using a photo editor I was able to salvage most with some coming out better than others.)
I found the water to be somewhat cold but that didn’t stop these kids from romping in the surf.
The park was swarming with birds so I had plenty of opportunities to practice capturing them on the wing.
Every now and then the birds were scattered by a tourist-carrying helicopter.
When we got hungry we made up some sandwiches and gazed out across the beach and the gulf. The sun peeked through a hole now and then but mostly it was just cloudy.
A trio of motorcycles cruised through the parking lot but didn’t stop.
After lunch we went for a walk. I found some brightly colored firewheel flowers up by the picnic shelters. It’s amazing and uplifting to see such beautiful flowers during the winter.
Driving in we’d passed a structure we wanted to investigate. It was obviously some sort of radar installation but the signs on the fence just say it belongs to the Air Force and, of course, No Trespassing! Looking it up on the
Henderson Beach State Park website
says this is a Clausen Tracking Site that was established in 1951 for national security and rocketry testing.
We still had a few minutes before we needed to leave for Ft Walton Beach so we drove to the end of the first large parking area we’d passed coming in and walked to the beach there.
Only a few folks were out on this warm but cloudy day.
The rest of the day was occupied by the visit with Fran and the drive to our campsite for the night. I did get a few photos of Fran and my Dad but won’t post them as I didn’t ask her permission to do so. So instead I’ll leave you with a photo of one of her beautiful camellia flowers.
Next up, our stop at Florida Caves State Park. Stay tuned!
See Page 4 for Day 4! Florida Caverns SP to FD Roosevelt SP 
