Ft. Pickens, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Gulf Breeze, FL, 138 mile jump
Leaving Davis Bayou is getting harder each year; it is a special place! We were lucky to get six nights allowing us to do most of the things we hoped to. On the way out, the alligator was laying in an unusual position; we were able to parallel park truck and trailer to get out and have a look. The gator was joined by her friends the heron, the turtles, the water moccasin, and the bullfrog. We appreciated the big send off!
Penny’s favorite bird is the sandhill crane, so I suggested stopping at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Refuge. It was in the direction we were heading. However, Suri totally failed us again. We wasted time looking for the actual Visitor’s Center, not the virtual one. Finally, we headed east on the I-10 toward Alabama. As we approached the next exit, we saw a huge sign for the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Refuge! We had the time so we turned in that direction. As I pulled into the actual Visitor’s Center, we were met by a closed iron gate; they are not open on Sunday!
On to Ft. Pickens! In doing so, I-10 arcs gently NE to Mobile, AL., which sits on the north end of Mobile Bay, some 30 miles from the Gulf. At that point, the interstate glides SE through forested swamp land to Pensacola, Fl. Being a Sunday, the traffic was light in Pensacola until we joined US 98 to cross Pensacola Bay. That bridge must have been five miles long, two lane bumper to bumper starting before the bridge. It is a toll bridge, so all those cars had to stop to pay the $1.00 fee before entering Gulf Breeze, a city on the tip of a thin peninsula on the east side of the mouth of Pensacola Bay. From there was a bridge crossing Santa Rosa Sound to Santa Rosa Island, still lots of traffic, but not bumper to bumper.
On the west end of this barrier island is Ft. Pickens, where a number of gun batteries were built in the late 1800s to defend the Naval Live Oaks grove from foreign powers seeking to use the remarkable wood for their own navies. Around the turn of that century, wooden ships became replaced by steel ships and the government abandoned the fortress in 1947. It is now a wonderful part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore run by the NPS.
Our first night campsite is directly under an expansive live oak! The site is a tad short, so we have one wheel off the pavement; a no-no! We are playing musical campsites again, taking what we can get. This is a lovely spot with paved roads and sites, water and electric hookups and nice coed showers. ($11/night) It’s an easy walk to either beach; the Gulf side is very wide, currently with gentle surf. We will see the other side at sunrise.