Well, we're off again. We're heading to the east coast for the realization of our quest to have traveled in all of the lower 48 states in our RV. We left home headed first for Mayport, Florida, reaching Biloxi, Mississippi for the first Walmart overnight. We usually stop at each states' Welcome Center which are located on Interstate highways, just inside the state line. Typically, they have free coffee, rest rooms, wifi, maps,etc, and friendly information (Texas doesn't have coffee!!). Florida's Wecome Center on I-10 didn't have coffee either... they offered, what else, Orange juice! And an actual orange! And orange colored sunglasses! This welcome center is very close to Pensacola and the Pensacola Naval Air Station, the 'Cradle of Naval Aviation' and home of the Blue Angels flying team. So this tribute to the Blue Angels is at the Welcome Center. Having time to kill before our event in Mayport, we detoured to the Ft. Pickens campground on the tip of a sandy barrier island across from Pensacola and part of Gulf Islands National Seashore. The beaches in this part of Florida are of loose sand, like granulated sugar. It's actually quartz particles from granite washed down from the Appalachian Mountains. It's very clean with no vegetation or even sea shells. Just an occasional 'beach bum'. Have you ever seen a one-legged Plover? He hops along just fine. Amazing balance! The tops of many trees here have Osprey nests and it is apparently nesting season. This end of the island is home to Ft. Pickens, completed in 1832 for the defense of Pensacola Bay. It took over 21.5 million hand made bricks and 5 years to build. The labor was done by slaves. Those with masonry and carpentry skills were brought from Louisiana plantations and other laborers were local. The government paid wages for this work, but it was paid to the owners of the slaves!! (click photos to enlarge) The fort is very complex with various passages, tunnels, and chambers, and ports for around 200 various cannons. Changes were made over the years in reponse to changes in weapons technology. While built to protect against foreign invaders, the only action was during the Civil War. The fort was held by Union forces, and did battle with Confederate forces holding Pensacola. We needed to check out of our campground by noon, but we heard that the Blue Angels practiced every week at 11:30, so we moved the RV to the seawall at the fort and watched the show! It's always awesome and inspiring to see precision flying. An unexpected treat!! So it's on to Jacksonville and nearby Mayport with an overnight stop along the way. Stay tuned.
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Who are we?Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling in their RV since 2002 and have lately been taking longer, extended trips. This is our way to share our experiences. Trip Reports
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