Beachfront homes in Navarre Beach, Florida.

The good news is that it was beginning to lighten up, and the weather looked like it was going to improve.

I hit the road again and stopped at the previously mentioned Navarre Beach Fishing Pier.

The Navarre Beach Fishing Pier sits at the end of the appropriately named Navarre Beach Causeway, (the Florida Route 399 bridge over Santa Rosa Sound to the island).

The Navarre Beach pier sits next to heavily developed areas.

One of the Summerwind condo complex buildings.

Visitors like myself who want to walk the pier looking to catch only pictures pay a $1 fee to access the pier.

I paid my dollar and off I went.

The pier offered a great view of the beach park area.

I actually parked closer to the picnic pavilions than to the pier.

Looking east toward Navarre Beach Marine Park and Okaloosa Island.

There is a lot of development in the area to the west of the Marine Park. The three identical towers seen on the right side of the photo above are part of the Summerwind condominium complex.

In fact, I believe all of the tall buildings seen in the photo above are condominiums.

I continued onward on the longest fishing pier in the Gulf. This pier is officially listed at 1,545 feet in length, making it the longest fishing pier in the State of Florida, and the longest on the Gulf of Mexico.

At 30 feet above the surface of the water, the pier also offers great views of the beach.

The small building seen in the center of the photo above is actually a midway restroom. So I've still got a ways to go.

Heading further out onto the pier offers a better view of all the beach condos.

And there are A LOT of beach condos here.

It's not all condos, though. There is a Springhill Suites buried somewhere in the photo above.

Looking back at Navarre Beach Marine Park.

Navarre Beach Marine Park is a public recreation area that sits next to the fishing pier property. All of the typical beach activities - beach access, picnic pavilions, snorkeling, walking, etc. - are present and accounted for.

The property in between the Marine Park and Okaloosa Island is part of nearby Elgin Air Force Base. The three towers seen in the photo above are all located within.

I encountered some security on the pier. I think they were checking receipts to make sure everyone paid.

The building in the center of the pier in the photo above is a midpoint restroom, not a bad idea considering the length of the pier.

Santa Rosa Sound can be seen in the photo above, as well as the Navarre Beach Causeway, (Florida Rt. 399).

Well now ! This looks interesting.

This guy seemed to be on the lookout for fish dropped by clumsy fishermen.

He scrutinized everyone as they passed by, especially those with rod and reel in hand.

Obviously, he was quite used to being around people.

Posing for tourists also seemed to be part of his daily routine.

I finally made it to the end of the pier, and area known as "The Octagon."

The views from The Octagon were spectacular, as expected. The photo above looks west at Navarre Beach.

The longest fishing pier in the Gulf.

Another pier visitor got the attention of all the tourists, including myself.

After a few minutes, a fisherman threw him a snack.

It's almost as if they have us trained.

The photo above is another shot of the condos and beach homes of Navarre Beach. The point where development ends and the protected area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore begins is visible in the photo above. The large buildings in the distance on the far left of the photo above are part of nearby Pensacola Beach.

Looking back 1,545 feet to Navarre Beach.

Beach access at the Fishing Pier.

Another view of Navarre Beach Marine Park with Santa Rosa Sound in the background.

A passerby.

The primary activity that takes place on this pier is looking for stuff. People who are fishing are looking to catch dinner. Tourists like myself are looking for anything to delight the camera lens. Marine animals of any kind are a favorite subject. A lot of Oohing and Aahing is usually heard when something is spotted.

In this case, I heard someone yell, "There's a sea turtle !" But I was a little too late with the camera. I did capture a small wave, though.

But after a few minutes, something surfaced a few yards away from the pier.

There's the sea turtle everyone was yelling about.

He was actually getting closer to the base of the pier.

It's hard to judge the size of these animals. But he was pretty close to the base of the pier and looked every bit as big as the sea turtles I saw when I visited the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island a few years ago.