Ft Barrancus, NAS Pensacola

 Did you know there is a National Historic Site ran by the National Park Service on NAS Pensacola?? neither did we until we happened to drive by this old fort on a hill. Curiosity got the best of us, so the search was on. We found the visitors center for the old fort and found out it was Fort Barrancus, part of the National Park Service. It a Civil War era fort, built along with two others out on the barrier islands to protect Pensacola Bay and Naval Shipyard there. We took the guided tour, which the NPS always seems to do a great job with, learned alot about the 3 forts and the Civil War history surrounding them.

 Cross Fire Moat

 Hallway of Arches

 Gunpowder Room

 Drawbridge Mechanism

 Lone Cannon and Old Glory

Cannon and Glory

It was very interesting to learn the history of the area, so if you happen to find yourself at the primary tourist site (Museum of Naval Aviation) on NAS Pensacola, drive down the road just a bit farther and check out this Hidden Gem. 

Eglin AFB, FL. FamCamp,

 How about a quick review of the Eglin AFB FamCamp. We arrived yesterday afternoon, got settled in and then were off and running. We are only here for 2 nights while we visit one of Sheryls relative's, so no sight seeing this time around. I was stationed here back in the 90's and not much has changed since then both on and off base.

 Eglin has 2 Campgrounds, the one pictured here and one out on the bay. We wanted to stay in this one as it is just down the street from the Commissary and BX, convenient for stocking up for the next weeks travels. The sites are all gravel, very level and quite long, so no problems for big rigs and tow vehicles. The sites are well shaded, pretty much just cut out of the North Florida woods.

Amenities include your standard shower house and laundry. $1.25 each to wash and dry. I however was kinda disappointed in the cleanliness, for such a new shower house. There is no WiFi or Cable, but you can get a few local stations over air. They do have a small clubhouse area in the office, but it's only open during office hours. Guess we got spoiled in Pensacola with the extra friendly camp host and activities there.
Wanted to get this up as we are off and running in the morning, headed to Apalachicola for fresh oysters on the half shell at our favorite place Papa Joe's, yes they are that good!!!

Thanksgiving at NAS Pensacola RV Park

 In 4 years of Fulltiming, this is the first time we have been away from family for the holidays. When we checked into NAS Pensacola the folks were so nice and told us they were putting on a Thanksgiving pot luck if we were going to be here. We had originally planned to leave on Wednesday, but decided to stay for the Thanksgiving event and we're glad we did. Most of the park turned out, all with goodies in hand. Sheryl made her world famous Candied Yams and Embrosa Salad, neither of which lasted very long.

 Turkey abounded, with at least 4 different types, smoked, deep fried and baked....yummmmm.

 Sides galore, it was quite the feast and more deserts than you could shake a stick at!!!

 Dinner was at 2:00, at 4:30 there was a Pickin and Grinin Jam. A couple of the RV's brought their guitars, even a professional signer showed up for the first couple of hours, so it was quite the show.

 The local Pro.

Our RV Park duo. A great time was had by one and all. We made some new friends and really enjoyed ourselves, sure helped keep us in the spirit, since we weren't able to be with family. Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving holiday!!! We are headed out tomorrow and will be spending a couple of days at Eglin AFB FamCamp before continuing our journey south. With that being said, we'll see you fine folks back here again before long.

Sunset Romp!!!

Scrappy just loves the Beach!!!

Kayaks and Tiki Bars, Whats not to Love!!!

 Saturday the weather finally cooperated and gave us a calm day. We had been wanting to get the kayaks out in the bay since we've been here, however the tropical breezes had a different plan. There is a small marina just down from the park here on base, it was perfect because it's located in a cove just off the main bay. So it was time to get the kayaks wet (us too) and get out on the water. We paddled around the cove, mainly exploring the shoreline and seeing what wildlife we could.

 Scrappy Doo even got in on the action, he's loves the water and really took to riding in the Kayak with me. At one time he decided to try and ride the bow, but with my cat like reflexes and a quick grab of the tail kept him inside the boat and not furry fish bait....lol.

 The water was calm enough we decided to paddle out into the bay a little. Ok, not actually the bay, but a channel right outside the cove. With the white sand beaches of the base on one side and a deserted barrier island on the other it was just beautiful paddling. Of course the camera died right after this shot, so you'll have to imagine the dolphins swimming in the channel just to the left. We also paddled on over to the island to the right and explored the beaches. What a great time out on the water and finally getting the kayaks wet!!!

 Of course whats a little work, with out a little fun??? We were invited down to the Enlisted Club tonight for $10.00 all you can eat and drink BBQ. It was the last day of the season for the Tiki Bar to be open, so they go out with a bang. We were surprised that more folks didn't show up, but then, Hey, more for us!!! The Tiki Bar as you can see is located right on the beach, what a great little find!!!

The Pensacola Light house as seen from the Tiki Bar, not my best night shot, but you get the idea. So another great day of fun and making new friends has come to a close. Take Care and we'll see you back here again.

St Michael Cemetery, one of the Oldest in Florida.

 Yesterday was a day of just hanging out and resting (pardon the pun to the subject matter....lol) so as Sheryl was resting, I took a trip down to check out a local Photo Shop. After looking around a bit and chatting with the owner, it was time to head back to the house. As I was leaving the shop, I noticed this old cemetery just down the street, so I thought I'd have a look around. I grabbed my camera and was looking from outside the fence when I noticed an information kiosk inside. I found a gate and went in, once at the kiosk, I found the cemetery was set up for visitors and is actually one of the oldest established cemetery's in Florida.
Now some may say taking pictures at a cemetery is morbid, however as long as you are respectful to the grounds and the photos being taken, then as far as I'm concerned, it's ok. Besides, you just don't see cemetery's this ornate anymore, unless of course it's in a very well to do area.
So, I'll leave you with a few shots...............

You probably noticed they are all in B&W, something about a cemetery, they just seem to lend themselves to be photographed that way. Hope you enjoyed the shots and we'll see you back here soon.

Naval Aviation Museum and the Blue Angels

 While here at NAS Pensacola, Sheryl and I just had to take in the National Museum of Naval Aviation. This is by far one of the best done museums we have ever been to. There are are two large building housing more displays than you can shake a stick at (yes I tried.....lol) as well as several outdoor displays. We were told by the folks at the RV Park to allow 2 days to see it properly, of course we thought that was kinda extreme, but they were more than right. We only spent a couple of hours and barely scratched the surface. One thing we can recommend is to take one of the guided tours, which we did. Our tour guide was a retired Navy Capt who was a Naval Pilot for 32 years, which was great as could inject a lot of personal experience in his tours. Long story short, if you ever get a chance to stay in Pensacola, FL. either on or off base, make it a point to go to the museum, you won't be disappointed...........heck, if nothing else it's free!!!

Today we heard what seemed like more than the normal aircraft noise that you come to expect at airbases. Stepped out of the rig to find the Navy Blue Angels were having a practice session. I grabbed the camera, went out to the road and manage to get a couple of good shots. One of the great parts about about the RV Park here on the base, is it's right across the street from the Blue Angels practice area.......how lucky were we, nothing like a private airshow with out the crowds!!!
That's been our last couple of days, so I think we'll take a day off to just chill. We wanted to get the kayaks out in the water here but the winds have bad the seas just alittle to rough for that, were hoping for a calm day before we head out though.
Ok, so until next time....................see ya back here soon!!!

Pensacola Sunset

The clouds finally cooperated and gave us a nice sunset last night.

Oak Grove RV Park, NAS Pensacola, FL.

 Oak Grove RV Park is aboard NAS Pensacola in Pensacola, FL. and what a nice park it is. The park has all the usual amenities and is just a stones throw from the beach. A short walk down the path will bring you to the beach which gets little to no use, so you can more often than not, have it to yourself. The showers house and laundry have got to be the cleanest I've ever seen at any RV Park, you can tell they take pride in their work.

We are in Site 5 which faces the gulf with only another RV row and cabins blocking the view, however you can still easily see the water. Large oak trees provide plenty of shade during the hot days. The lots are large and level, with each having a concrete pad.

We had only planned to stay here for a week, then move on down the road for another week, however the people here made us feel so welcome we decided to stay for two. The folks here at the park are also having a Thanksgiving dinner in the clubhouse (bring a dish) and that did sound better then spending it alone.
Last night was Karaoke night in the park and boy do they have some good singers (which we were not one of) but we did listen and make new friends, just had a good time.
We're enjoying our time here, the weather has been pretty cloudy with sprinkles here and there, but who can complain, great people at a great location.................we're Happy Campers!!!

Plans Changed on the Fly

 There we were hanging out in OKC, when an executive decision was made, hey!, lets go to Florida and see our new grand son Mason. As written before we had put off our plans due to the short time we would have to go, but then the more we thought, the more we said, let's just do it!!!
So after a few days on the road, we arrived here in the Florida Panhandle. We've taken up residence at the NAS Pensacola Campground for the next two weeks. We were trying to decide how long to stay here, the two weeks or split it up with a week here and a week further down the road. The folks were so nice when we pulled in, with lots of campground activities, along with so much to see in this area, we decided to go ahead and stay for the two. The weather turned a little gloomy on us, but we were still able to take a walk on the beach, after all, that's what Snow Birds do in the winter in Florida....lol

This was Scrappy's first time at the beach and he just loves it, bounces everywhere and digs his little nose in the sand, then of course can't figure out why he's goes into a sneezing fit when he's done.....lol.

More to come on the campground and area as we get out and explore, so until then, we'll see you back here before long!!!

Fall Plant Life

Took a little photo walk around the RV park yesterday. The wind was screaming so it made it pretty difficult to get any good shots, however, I did manage to get a couple.

 Colorful Stem

 Blue Berry Pine

 Red Berries

White

Hope you enjoyed and thanks for looking. We'll see you back here again before long.