MORE FROM THE BEACH AT DESTIN

2011 Wed. March 2
After breakfast, we went for a ride to the west, crossed the bridge over to Okaloosa Island toward Ft. Walton Beach. Across the bridge is the Gulf Islands National Seashore for several miles, so there is no commercial development there - just lots of sand dunes and beaches on both sides, north on Choctawhatchee Bay and south on the Gulf. Eventually, we arrived at the Boardwalk, which is very small with several restaurants and small shops. Also, a large fishing pier. You don’t need a license to fish here, but it costs over $6 to go on the pier to fish. For $2 each, you can just walk on the pier. We decided to leave here and go for lunch at a restaurant on Crystal Beach to the east of us where we had been two years ago. We really like that area because it is residential, quiet, and pretty. We stopped to look at an expensive pretty Bnb on the beach (unique idea) which has a restaurant in it for the public. The restaurant where we went to eat is called The Crab Trap, and we sat by an open window overlooking the beach. (See pictures) We both had fried scallops with garlic mashed potatoes and cole-slaw, and the scallops were excellent. They also had Yeungling (sp) beer, one of my favorites. Then we took a long walk on the beach here, and again we notice how beautiful the water color is. A few more people are out today, but it’s not crowded at all. Then we came back to the resort, we went to the community room by the lobby, I worked on the computer and Linda read. Lite supper and watched American Idol.


FL WEATHER: High 72, low 50. Very sunny all day, not a cloud in the sky. Nice breeze.


FL NEWS: Tourism officials worry as gas prices rise
For years, Northwest Florida has been one of the most popular drive-to destinations for many regions in the southeast. But with gas now averaging $3.38 a gallon throughout the state, and costing more than that at many local gas stations, tourism officials are wondering how high it could go and preparing for the worst-case scenario. “With 90 percent of our market being drive market I think we’re all watching very closely gas prices to see where they will end up,” said Dawn Moliterno, executive director of the Walton County Tourist Development Council. “I don’t think anyone knows what the impacts will be.”Moliterno said she and her staff are monitoring the situation daily. Gas prices, on average, fell slightly in January and have been rising throughout February. Jessica Brady, spokeswoman for AAA Auto Club South, said the increases started because of the unrest in Egypt and continued after Libya recently cut its oil exports by about 1 million barrels a day. In the past week, the average price of a gallon of gas in Florida increased by 23 cents, according to data released by AAA Auto Club South. Brady has heard rumors of gas prices reaching $5 a gallon this summer but does not anticipate that happening. “It’s very uncertain how things will unfold,” she said. “No one really knows which directions things will go, if things will continue to escalate and get worse or if some point, hopefully in the near future, start to settle. “I really wouldn’t worry about the $5 mark at this stage in the game,” Brady added. “It is incredibly difficult trying to predict where prices will be a month from now, much less three months from now when we hit peak summer time. I would say we’re much more likely to hit $4 than $5.”