Day 59: The Gulf of Mexico -- A Perfect Day in Paradise

I've risked life and limb on this trip to capture photos and videos of people, places, and cultural and physical landscapes so I can put together virtual field trips to share with students in my geography classes at the college. Sometimes geography field work can be grueling. Today was one of those days. I endured tropical weather, emerald green seas, and sugary white sands lined with palm trees and cabanas, and all in the name of geography education. My students deserve no less.

Seriously, today was basically a perfect day in paradise here in Pensacola Beach, Florida (right next to the town of Gulf Breeze). I did something I've never done in Oregon: played in the ocean for about an hour and a half straight. I suppose it can be done on the Oregon coast, but the risk of frostbite is simply too great. The water today was 76 degrees, about like a heated pool. My ten year old daughter and I bobbed up and down together in the waves about 25 yards offshore in water that was only about three to four feet deep. Just beyond us, surfers did their best to ride the small waves, but without much success. The day was simply too nice and the ocean waters too calm. The water felt great, as the air temperature reached the low 80s (the heat index was nearly 90).

Toward dusk we went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. We sat outside on the deck, enjoying the cooler evening air and beautiful sunset, hoping the dark, threatening clouds just to the north would stay there. They didn't, and midway through our meal we felt the first raindrops. We, along with two other tables of diners, quickly grabbed our plates and headed inside. By the time we were comfortably situated, the windows of heaven opened and sheets of rain poured down. It was still about 75 degrees, but breezy, and some thunder and lightning (not in that order) added excitement to the event. Within about 20 minutes, though, the rain stopped. Typical for this humid subtropical coastal climate.

It had rained overnight, and the day dawned with dark clouds.

The morning clouds gave way to afternoon sunshine.

Something you don't see on Oregon's beaches.

Houses on this barrier island are elevated due to the threat of flooding during hurricanes. This is what is called a structural approach to mitigating flood hazards, which aims to keep water away from people (in contrast to non-structural approaches, such as zoning restrictions, which focus on keeping people away from water).

Our view at dinner from the deck of Shaggy's a casual beach diner on the water.

Dark clouds rolling south from inland.