Happy Anniversary to Bonnie

Happy Anniversary to you Bonnie. I hope you are enjoying this rainy, miserable weather in Pensacola, FL. Just remember we both agreed that this trip was our present to each other. Right?

The sleeping area leaked last night. It rained very hard all night long. Sleeping was not good. I spent 2 hours drying out the mattress and base while Bonnie did the laundry.

We were going to go out for breakfast this morning because you can't cook in the rain.

On the drive around Pensacola we saw that the city is really run down. The buildings are old and have not been kept well. There is a nice downtown area but as with most downtowns in the US there are a lot of empty store fronts. They have developed the water front with high end condos and posh office space. Unfortunately 60% of them are sitting empty. Too many pawn shops to keep track of. The 2000 census lists Pensacola as having a population of 54,897. Surely these numbers are higher today but no one lives near downtown as they have all moved to the outer edges of town. There are a large number of Christian Schools in Pensacola. I think there are more of them than I have ever seen. The Pensacola Christian Academy is absolutely huge. It looks like a college campus. The kids will remember that this is the place for ABEKA books and study guides. Didn't the Scheiders want to send Jessica there?

Anyway, we drove all around Pensacola in the rain looking for a breakfast place. The only one we found was an IHOP just outside the main gate. People were waiting outside for seating. Everyone knows I do not like to wait in line at all, especially at a restaurant so Bonnie and I drove towards Perdido Key. Surely an island with 2 state parks would have a quaint breakfast establishment. No, we did not find an acceptable place until Hazel's in Orange Beach, AL.

That's right, we had to drive to Alabama to find a decent breakfast place. We chose the buffet. The biscuits and gravy were great. The eggs, sausage and fried potatoes were good but the pancakes not so much. We sometimes use the premixed pancake mix in the plastic shaker container on our trips and let me tell you that is preferable to Hazel's buffet pancakes. Bonnie's camp stove pancakes are THE BEST!

On our way back to the campsite we drove past Perdido Key State Park and Big Lagoon State Park. We probably would have stopped at one or both of these if the weather had not been so yucky. The view of the Gulf of Mexico was outstanding. The wind had whipped up some 4' to 5' waves and the surfer dudes were out en masse.

Having spent some time on Sanibel Island, the Naples Beaches and Ft. Myers Beach, I can honestly say that the beaches along the Florida Panhandle from Panama City to Perdido Key are much, much nicer and a heck of a lot prettier too! Just my opinion, but what the heck, it IS my blog!

We didn't get to the National Aviation Museum because the of the weather but I found out that it is open from 9AM - 5PM daily. I promise I will get there tomorrow. I tried to download some stock pictures from their website but I am technologically challenged so I will take pictures tomorrow. I also promise that Bonnie and I will have different photos on our separate blogs.

Back to the Museum. The admission is free to the museum. There is an $8 cost to view an IMAX theater extravaganza. This month they are showing "The Magic of Flight" at 10AM and 4PM, "The Grand Canyon Adventure" at 11 AM, 1Pm and 3PM (Brad and Amanda this is not to be confused with OUR Grand Canyon Adventure), "Straight Up, Helicopters in Action" at Noon and "Fighter Pilot, Operation Red Flag" at 2PM.

I haven't gotten the practice schedule for the Blue Angels yet. If you google the "Blue Angels" and go to their official website you can click on their show schedule to find if they are coming to an airshow near you. If they are...DON'T MISS IT!

We Become Tourists - Day 4

It is so nice to not be on a schedule. We slept in today - until 7AM! What a life!

Bonnie and I walked on the mulch covered walking paths to the Pensacola Lighthouse. This base has miles of walking paths that are not on the roads so that runners/walkers and cars do not mix. Anyway, the Pensacola Lighthouse is an operational lighthouse. Construction of the edifice started in 1856 and was completed in 1858. The lamp was lit in 1859. The structure is 191 feet tall allowing the beam of light to be seen by sailors 27 miles to sea. It was the first lighthouse on the Florida Gulf Coast.

The lighthouse was not open for tours today. The camp host thinks tours start in March but even then there is no consistent schedule. It is a shame we couldn't tour the facility. There is a fee of $5 for adults, $3.50 for seniors (65+) and $3 for children under 12. There is an interesting rule for tours...No flip flops but you can go barefoot? Good luck on your tour...and don't look down.

Although this is a military base and access is limited, the non-military visitor has access through the main gate to the Ft. Barrancas National Cemetery, the National Aviation Museum, the Pensacola Lighthouse, Ft. Barrancas and its Redoubts and a limited number of very old buildings. If you are in the area a stop here would be worth it.

I asked about access to the runways to watch takeoffs and landings. The Blue Angel Squadron, when in town, practices on Tuesday and/or Wednesday. Turns out the best place to watch is the National Aviation Museum. The runways are directly behind the building and they have erected a 4,000 seat viewing area. Some here think it is better to bring your own lawn chairs though.

Bonnie and I plan to visit the Aviation Museum tomorrow so I should have more info then.

For you military camping aficionados here is the latest info on the Oak Grove Park and Jackson Court camping facilities. In Oak Grove there are 51 sites with full hookups. Sites 1-45 are considered "long stay" sites. You can stay here for up to 3 months. Sites 46-51 are "short stay" and the limit here is 2 weeks.

Depending on availability you could move from ST site to ST site and stay for up to 3 months. Oh yeah...the ST sites are the waterfront sites and have the best view of the Bay/Intracoastal Waterway and Gulf of Mexico. There are also 8 tent sites with no hookups.

Jackson Court Overflow is just that, an overflow for Oak Grove Park. There are only 3 sites with full hookups and 20 "dry camping" sites. Dry camping means no electric, water or sewer. Again the maximum stay here is 3 months. In either case after staying for 3 months you are required to depart the camp for 2 weeks.
You can make reservations by calling 850-452-2535. The staff is wonderful and extremely helpful. And, the rest rooms are immaculate!

Pensacola Naval Air Station - Day 3

Okay...it gets cold in North Florida. It had to be in the high 30's when we awoke this AM. But the air was crisp and we were up and at' em before the sun came up.

As Bonnie cooked breakfast outside I made the coffee and watched the birds.

The sun came up at 6:30AM. I could hear the chirping of our avian friends but because they were between me and the sunrise I couldn't really see them. I saw what appeared to be a Scarlet Tanager or maybe some species long thought to be extinct. It was dark red with a beak like that of a Grosbeak. I ran to the trailer to get my camera so that I might capture this historic moment on film.

My search yielded...a common Cardinal. Had I listened to the call (a quick chip, chip) I would have known. With all the different birds here I am sorry that I put my Eastern Bird book in storage.

While breakfast was outstanding, we grilled Brats for lunch and Bonnie cooked a Peach cobbler in her new Dutch Oven. I love food experiments!

After breakfast we walked along the white sand beaches toward the East, past the Pensacola Lighthouse. The water was cold! One thing I didn't like about the Ft. Myers area was that the Gulf of Mexico was way too warm! Almost bath water in the summertime!

Fort Barrancas is on this base along with a separate Redoubt. I don't have the Points of Interest information yet but I'll have more later, with pictures, I hope. The National Aviation Museum is here and the base is home to the Navy's Blue Angel Squadron. Some of these buildings have to be from the Civil War era or at least the late 1800's. There is a National Cemetery here as well.

There is nothing more sobering than line after line of neatly placed headstones honoring all of our fallen military heroes and veterans.

The campground is very nice and is full. Everyone is quiet. I wish I could say the same for the aircraft. 7 a.m. launch time continues all day. But there is something to be said for the security of camping on a military base.

Last night Bonnie and I were driving on base at "Evening Colors". This is sunset when the National "Colors" are hauled down for the evening. It's a solemn moment when all vehicular traffic must stop and people walking on the street turn and salute the lowering of the flag, if in uniform, or uncover (remove hats) and cover their hearts in reverence to our nation's flag. I was pleasantly surprised when ALL of the young sailors, soldiers and airmen responded appropriately. After the signal to "carry on" there was a resounding "HOOO YAH"! I loved it!

The sailor today seems to be more physically fit and more concerned about his or her appearance then in my day. They certainly take more pride in their uniform than we did.

At 6:15PM the sky is dark and it is getting chilly. It will probably drop into the 30's again tonight.

The good, or bad depending on your point of view, thing about cold weather and pop-up camping is the cold. We have a heater and we could probably run it all night but I think I'll run it before we go to bed and then again in the morning to cut the chill.

I remember when we camped with Connie and Adam in Yellowstone National Park. They slept by the furnace and Bonnie and I slept by the thermostat. It was cold. Several times during the night Connie made Adam get up and turn off the heater by turning down the thermostat. That would wake me up and I would just reach out and reset the thermostat. Gee, what fun times! I think I'll break out the extra blanket tonight.

I'm going to talk Bonnie into visiting the lighthouse tomorrow. We'll take the walking path down and maybe even get some pictures.