Emerald Coast (day three)
Post-Nate on the Emerald Coast
Should I just admit that day three really started shortly after midnight? Being a family who goes to bed between 8-9 each night (with a husband who has a 4:30am alarm clock for work), we were in bed early on Day Two. However, we knew that Day Three could start early. In fact, when going to bed, a tornado warning (or two) had just ended (and we did stay up later than normal).
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Sleep… zzzzzz….
We were all up at various times of the night. One screenshot I took on my phone of my Radar app let me know we were definitely receiving the rain!
My husband and I just peeked out the windows when the sounds had woken us up, but my parents said they had slipped outside. The north side of our condo building was relatively calm with some winds, but once reaching the end of the building between the Central and West buildings, the hurricane winds were very noticeable. They shared that the palm trees were saying so hard versus being in an upright position, and the winds were considerably strong. I regret we did not walk outside, but then that would have meant putting on respectable PJs or at least a bra, and we women get comfy in our PJs! Thankfully the water did not go over the sand dunes, and we now understand the great purpose they serve!
Breakfast
We had a group breakfast booked as part of the reunion at Anglers, a short five-minute drive away, so we made sure we were ready to be there by 10:00am. Unfortunately Anglers had
sustained some damage, so our back porch area facing the water was off-limits and the section of the restaurant we were in had several buckets set up for leaks. However, we were thankful as they were that no further damage had been sustained and we had a great time at breakfast anyway.
Cleaning the Beach
Once back to the condo, we waited for the rain to slacken up and provide a chance to grab our grocery sacks and clean the beaches. One thing we instill in our children is serving others and doing what is right. If we were going to be walking on the beach anyway, why not grab a bag to help clean the beaches as well? As PADI SCUBA divers, we respect our oceans and know how important it is for our marine life to help protect them, so we had a little fun on the beach with friends while helping the environment and oceans. As Human Beings, we also have that same respect for our environment, and instill that with our children — our future generations to come — so they will actually have an environment to be able to respect!
Much to our surprise, when our youngest was walking with her bag to pick up debris, a lot of birds began
following her – in the air and on ground. They thought she had food for them! Of course she did not, but it was enough to make her a little taken aback. We also noted how much sand was covering up the “Keep Off Dunes” sign nearby and had increased near the white storage bins on the beach – quite the change from the previous day! The pickets and sign are quite tall, which shows how tall the sand dunes were.
Knowing the ocean was still angry (Red Over Red flag), we let all the kids take a swim in one of the swimming
pools instead. One last opportunity to use the water to rinse off the sand from the beach, and head towards the pool. The shuffleboard mats were still messed up, but that was fine. It was just another reminder of how powerful the winds had been the previous night. It was a great way to end the day for our last full day in Florida before heading back to the airport the following day by 10am checkout time.
Day Four and Checkout
Checkout was a breeze as we made sure the condo was as clean as we left it. The “Red Over Red” flag was changed to just one red, so surfers were emerging again. One noticeable difference was the heat and humidity were back. Oy! We did not even venture down to the beach that morning on Day Four… but it was definitely more humid than our wonderful beach day on Day One but certainly calmer winds than on Day Two. Seeing lots of people returning to the beach was a great sign! As with all storms that we encounter, we know there is regrowth after the storm whether it be the plant life coming back in it’s beautiful green, sands being replenished on the beaches, and local wildlife returning to visibility.
Postponing the Education
While we had some Junior Ranger packets to work on with a goal to turn them in after completion of on-site visitor centers on Monday, we ended up not getting to visit these due to park office closures as a result of Hurricane Nate. Therefore, our plans for Day Four changed. With our favorite airline, Southwest Airlines, allowing changes in bookings for no additional fee, we changed our flight to a 4:00pm flight home on Monday (Columbus Day) after driving back from Florida to New Orleans. The drive back was not bad, and we were on the lookout for hurricane damage as we made it through the Biloxi, Mississippi exits on I-10. We also had time for a quick stop at the Alabama Visitor Center as we collect local maps to look at in the car while driving (educational!) and donate to our school library once back.
Flying Home
Knowing the weather could be bad and going through the fuel shortages in September back home, we chose to pre-purchase a tank of gas at $2.31 per gallon. In 17 years of traveling together, we have never ever done that! Luckily it was a fuel efficient car and we were able to drive roundtrip from New Orleans MSY to Fort Walton Beach on one tank of gas, and roll in on fumes with no problem (and no fill-up!). Considering we arrived at the car rental return just after 3:00pm for a 4:00pm flight, that may have been cutting it close, but once again we were thankful for our TSA Pre-check clearance that came with the Global Entry cards we each have! Plus having confirmed tickets, we just printed a copy of our boarding pass from the kiosk from the change over the phone that morning and made it to our gate with time to spare.
While our children were first asking why we were still going if there was a hurricane coming, we assured them we were monitoring the radar and weather forecasts frequently (including those “spaghetti string” forecasts) and tied it into an educational learning opportunity. Although we did still have that slight fear in the back of our minds and having that plan for safety, we chose to stay and ride it out. Not only was it a great weekend to spend with the grandparents who joined us and to also see all of our friends at the reunion (even the ones back home we don’t get to see often enough or outside of work), but we learned a lot and made the MostPerMile out of our adventure as always! As I stated previously, please help keep our oceans and beaches clean by picking up litter, and it is easy to incorporate into a trip in educating our next generation!
Possible Curriculum Correlations in Texas:
** Hurricane Nate added some learning opportunities to this three-day trip!
Elementary Science – multiple grade levels
(b) Knowledge and skills.
(1) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student conducts classroom and outdoor investigations following school and home safety procedures and environmentally appropriate practices. The student is expected to:
(A) demonstrate safe practices as described in the Texas Safety Standards during classroom and outdoor investigations, including observing a schoolyard habitat; and
(B) make informed choices in the use and conservation of natural resources by recycling or reusing materials such as paper, aluminum cans, and plastics.
(b) Knowledge and skills.
(1) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student, for at least 40% of instructional time, conducts laboratory and field investigations following safety procedures and environmentally appropriate and ethical practices. The student is expected to:
(A) demonstrate safe practices during laboratory and field investigations as outlined in the Texas Safety Standards; and
(B) practice appropriate use and conservation of resources, including disposal, reuse, or recycling of materials.
High School Earth and Space Science
(15) Fluid Earth. The student knows that interactions among Earth’s five subsystems influence climate and resource availability, which affect Earth’s habitability. The student is expected to:
(A) describe how changing surface-ocean conditions, including El Niño-Southern Oscillation, affect global weather and climate patterns;
(B) investigate evidence such as ice cores, glacial striations, and fossils for climate variability and its use in developing computer models to explain present and predict future climates;
(C) quantify the dynamics of surface and groundwater movement such as recharge, discharge, evapotranspiration, storage, residence time, and sustainability;
(D) explain the global carbon cycle, including how carbon exists in different forms within the five subsystems and how these forms affect life; and
(E) analyze recent global ocean temperature data to predict the consequences of changing ocean temperature on evaporation, sea level, algal growth, coral bleaching, hurricane intensity, and biodiversity.
High School Environmental Systems
(8) Science concepts. The student knows that environments change naturally. The student is expected to:
(A) analyze and describe the effects on areas impacted by natural events such as tectonic movement, volcanic events, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, tsunamis, and population growth;
(B) explain how regional changes in the environment may have a global effect;
