Homes perch at the edge of the sand along Alabama’s coast where inhabitants enjoy the sun, sand, and the sea.
Age, nearly 20,000 years ago. Through the millennia, the crystals that have formed the protective dunes and sandy shores have been ground down to fine particles by the surf and storms. “At least one side of every grain of sand is flat. So, when you walk on it, those flat sides slide against each other causing the sound,” explains KathyMarler Blue, executive director of the Destin History and Fishing Museum, an attraction along Florida’s so-called Emerald Coast. “When you’re walking on the sand here, you’re actually walking on very ancient Appalachian Mountains.” I’m now on a journey skirting these pristine shores and their surrounding bustling communities that draw visitors year-round. I begin along Alabama’s 32 miles of beachfront stretching from the Florida state line to the sun-scorched brick walls and earthen ramparts of historic Fort Morgan on the barrier island’s edge. Wait a minute. Alabama has beaches? Who knew. “In some ways, we’re still a best-kept secret because the vast majority of the country has no idea that we’re here,” says Kay Maghan with Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism. “But for others, we’re the favorite place they’ve been coming to for the last 10 or 20 years, some being second- and third-plus generation visitors from
Fudpucker’s Beachside Bar and Grill is noted for its free alligator exhibit.
Exploring The Emerald Coast Story and photos by Richard Varr
I found the perfect sand dunes—sparsely grassed, wind-rippled pure white mounds gently rolling along the beach—without a single footprint. I’m standing along a secluded beachfront on Alabama’s Fort Morgan peninsula—so perfect it seems that I dare not take another step. But when I do, I can hear the sand squeaking beneath my feet. What? Squeaking sand? Yes, in fact this stretch of Gulf of Mexico beaches—from the blue-green waters of Gulf Shores to Florida’s brilliant green-tinted Pensacola, Destin, and Panama City Beach coastlines—is all about the sand. It has one of the purest white beachfronts anywhere in the world, and there’s a geological explanation. Made of tiny quartz particles, the fine-powder sand flushed down through rivers and streams from the Appalachian Mountains to the Gulf during the last Ice
EMERALD COAST
COAST TO COAST FALL MAGAZINE 2017
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