In 1994, my husband and I took off on a road trip to Florida. We stopped and stayed in Fort Lauderdale first. We hung out and dreamed of becoming beach bums. We rode up and down the streets, checking out the beach houses, and then spent one night on the beach. We thought about being one of those people renting out chairs and umbrellas. I was adding up in my head how much profit it would be. Those people make a lot of money during the season.
We got up the next morning and ate at Whataburger’s, and I bought that little bear for safekeeping, and then we moved on to Pensacola. We got over to Pensacola and went down to The National Sea Shore. No buildings! No people! Just water and white sand. I got out and thought how much of a city girl I was. That was the scariest sight I ever saw. The white sand blinded me, and the turquoise water mesmerized my mind. They came together so perfectly, with nothing distracting them. No people or buildings!! The thought was terrifying, and then I thought how scared I would be in the mountains in a snow blizzard. Just mountains and snow. How natural that is but it terrified me. My husband laughed at me. Yes, I am a city girl. I love the traffic and buildings with shopping and restaurants.
We stayed in this horrible hotel for one night. Gang members had written on the walls, and it was just nasty. We slept on the floor to rest until morning light. We tried to find vacant rooms everywhere, but there wasn’t one, and we were too tired to go any further. We just slept on the floor and left as soon as we woke up.
Gulf Shores had nothing available, and neither did Pensacola except this hotel. It was the beginning of Summer, and everyone was booked for vacation.
So, the following day, we drove to Jacksonville Beach. Nothing was going on. Way down the beach, we found an older hotel for $29.00 a night. It was old but clean. We were right there on the beach. You could walk out and have sand on your toes. We had a couple of chairs and a grill, which was perfect. Nothing was going on as far as tourism. It was secluded. We bought some juicy steaks to cook on the grill with a loaded baked potato and salad. We also bought some drinks and had a great time. The next day, we walked down the beach, sat at the only open bar, and had lunch: a burger and fries. This was a memory I will never forget. Nothing was planned. Nothing was fancy—just two young adults enjoying marriage at the beach.
Jacksonville Beach was not that grown back then and I will never forget this memory with my husband. Some of the best times are the ones you do not plan. Me and Ricky had several of those. We just got up and went.
Years later, I returned to JAX, which has grown with condos, restaurants, and shops with venues. Is the little hotel still there? One of my customers from my cleaning company played venues in JAX for years, “Blackberry Smoke.” They are a great Southern Rock band. Their drummer just passed away which is sad.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=YOJnrTmcIYA&feature=sha
Since my son moved there for work, Jacksonville has been a great vacation spot for me for years. So, I had four years of fun there.
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