The sunshine state

Another couple of miles and time already for another state park! This time the land set aside for public enjoyment includes several miles of gleaming white sands that made Grayton Beach State Park a highlight of the trip.

You can find shade in the thick shrubs that grow atop the dunes, or you can hit the shore to soak up the sun. The beach was blissfully quiet with maybe two dozen sunseekers tops, including this fisherman.

It was a perfect day with no breeze, a light surf, bright sunshine and acres of space to wander barefoot along the shoreline.

Near this slice of natural perfection is an architect's idea of the perfect planned community, the resort of Seaside.

The designers of the town turned their backs on the car culture which has left so much of suburban America a bland conglomeration of strip malls, parking lots and tin shed shops.

Instead, one of the key features of Seaside is that everything is within walking distance. After parking up at the town square it was easy to stroll past the shops, into a cafe, along the beach and around the residential area.

Planning regulations are quite strict; buildings are restricted to specific colours and a limited number of architectural styles.

To me, this uniformity made the place feel even more like a suburban subdivision, albeit one with sand instead of sidewalks. No wonder it was the setting for The Truman Show!

Leaving Seaside, we hit terrible traffic and endured a long slog down Highway 98 past the enormous resorts around Destin. With the hot glare of the sun in my eyes, we could hardly spot the sea anymore for all the hotels and shopping malls.

At last we pulled into Pensacola, which to be honest was a bit of a letdown. It took ages to find the historic downtown, which was almost empty and not that attractive.

It was pretty in parts though and positively glowed in the late afternoon sun.

I am a sucker for raking light, when it makes even a department store's lettering look like this!

It's time at last to bid farewell to Florida and make tracks for the redneck Riviera of Alabama!