Ft Pickens (National Seashore) - Gulf Breeze, FL

Bike trail to Fort Pickens

We have been traveling a hard three days driving south and finally heading west along the Gulf of Mexico.  It’s time for a break!  Ft Pickens is a narrow sandbar off the coast of Pensacola.  It has been fortified from the Revolutionary War until World War II.  Strangely, it was a Union stronghold during the Civil War.  There is a plaque to some poor soldier, the only person ever killed by any of the guns here when one of the howitzers came loose from its mount during a practice firing and crushed him.

Almost all of the campsites are out in the sun with little shade.  By luck, we scored a fantastic site, the closest to the beach, with the shade of a small live oak.  We found out that if put one rear wheel right on the edge of the tarmac, our awning will miss one of the branches by at least half an inch.

So we started our day-off with teriyaki chicken, rice and a Greek salad sans olives.  In the morning, a bike ride to Ft Pickens which is the northern terminus of the Florida Trail, a 1,300 mile path to Key West.  With that trip, we have a mile under our belt...only 1,299 to go.  Back at camp, things were getting exciting when an armadillo wandered through.  I suppose for Floridians, they are like squirrels, but we thought it was interesting. After lunch, we strolled the beach, no dogs allowed.  Drex stayed in the air conditioning.  Back at camp Deb made Crock-pot meatloaf...we’ll see how that comes out!

Our first trip here, there was a camp store that sold ice cream...IT’S CLOSED!  we thought they might sell it at the Camper Registration Center, which was a mile away.  So back on the Florida Trail...now only 1,298 miles to go, but still no ice cream...maybe tomorrow in Baton Rouge.