Grayton Beach State Park

Sunday afternoon saw us with the camper loaded and pulling out for a new destination, Grayton Beach State Park.  We had originally planned a trip to a Corps of Engineers park in Alabama with Joe and Judy, but Joe's shoulder surgery and Judy's broken foot have put them out of commission for a while.  We will surely miss them, but will save some of the more adventuresome trips until they can go with us.

We arrived at the park and were checked in by 3:00.  The newer section of the campground has full hook-ups which means I can have my long hot showers without worrying about filling up our holding tank -- that is definitely a plus.

We were looking forward to the weather being warmer so that we could enjoy some time in our chairs soaking up the sunshine.

For the first time ever, we stayed in a park with no wild life -- no squirrels or deer.  We can't figure out why but we missed them.

Grayton Beach consistently ranks as one of the most beautiful beaches in the country.  

We were able to make a two mile walk on Monday and Tuesday just walking down to the beach and back.

You know that this summer this beach will probably be covered with umbrellas, coolers, beach towels, and lots of people.  Today it was just Bubba and me.

All that walking was making me thirsty.  I'm glad we stopped for a break.

Across from our campsite, we could see a bridge that seemed to have a steady stream of traffic all day long.  We decided to ride that way and see where everyone was going.

We discovered the communities of Watercolor, Alys Beach, and Rosemary Beach.  I had heard of these places before but had no idea what a big deal they were.  This is obviously where the rich and famous live.  There were lots of people walking the streets and riding bicycles.  There was shopping and restaurants.  The houses were large and impressive.  After returning home I "googled" the area and found that people like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Amy Grant and Vince Gill, Bette Middler, Goldie Hawn, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods to name a few have homes there.  I should have paid more attention when we were passing people; I might have spotted a celebrity.

Downtown there were a number of food trailers.  The one that caught my eye specialized in Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

I would have enjoyed having lunch there, but unfortunately Bubba and I were not dressed in "resort wear" so I don't think we would have fit in.

On Tuesday we went into Destin to do a little shopping.  (What camping trip is complete without shopping?)  We ate lunch at Chili's because I got to choose.  We had Chicken and Ranch Quesadillas and they were delicious.  I may have converted Bubba.  He said he would like to eat there again.  We picked up steaks to grill for supper and headed back to our campsite where we enjoyed reading and taking it easy until time to cook.

I liked the park and would definitely be interested in going there again.  The tv reception was good and we were able to watch the Olympics each night.  If you want a more secluded campsite, I would advise that you get one in the older section.  Be warned that the road in that section is full of potholes.  It was great to get out after all the cold weather and made us excited about future trips in the spring and summer.