This made me remember. On my first visit to the south, friends took me (from Mobile, AL) to Florida to the beach.
The most stunningly beautiful place I had ever seen. The National Beach, Pensacola, FL.
The boardwalk part of this beach (with the hot dog stands and all the people) is maybe a mile from the National Beach, and was crowded and noisy.
Where we went, further on - was EMPTY. Nobody but us and a vast stretch of white sand and the sea, emerald green (from kelp) near shore and a deep dark sapphire further out.
I have pretty much spent my whole youth and adult life so far, at a beach of some kind. Some are better than others, but all offer the same solitude I desire.
Where I was born and raised was the Great Lakes region of Ontario Canada. There are literally hundreds of beaches to choose from, some more busy than others, some still totally undiscovered even on a long weekend.
How long it took to find such empty space was merely a matter of how long it would take to ride there on my motorcycle when I was a teen. But now, I know where they all are and it takes me less than 20 minutes to get there if I'm already in the area of my old stomping grounds back home!
