Quick Stop at Nokomis Beach

While visiting Hollywood, a city situated on the southeastern coast of Florida between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, for the last few days, I had fleeting thoughts about visiting the beach there.  I wasn't planning on going out into the ocean, though...no, I just thought it would be nice to stand out there on the sandy beach and look out at it.  Besides, the last few times I had been out on an Atlantic beach, the waters were turbulent, to put it mildly.  I opted out of the beach experience, though, when I considered the $5 parking fee just to set foot out there.  No problem, though: the beach ( a different one) may be in the offings next week!

As I wrote a few days ago, I had decided to use I-75, which hugs the western side of the Florida peninsula, for my drives downstate.  Going back this way today, I noticed a small stretch of the Interstate that came relatively close to the Gulf of Mexico.  So I got off at an exit (#196, I believe) which goes straight out to Nokomis Beach.  There was plenty of free parking, although the large beach was pretty crowded.  And the water was very, very calm: I could envision myself floating on my back and getting in some pretty good swims had I carried swimwear with me.  Still, for the future it's a good stop-off point to take a little break and enjoy the scenery...

Here are a couple of photos I took of the beach.  I'm a little self-conscious, though, about bringing a camera in closer in this crowded area, so the pics are a little "f-a-a-r out", as the late John Denver might have said...