Goodbye FL, Hello Home

This morning we woke up with the sun.  We finished getting the camper prepped and ready for a day of travel.  We bid Gram and Papa farewell (they stayed a few days longer) and we got back on the road, Texas bound!  It was a full day of travel and we made it home without an hiccups.

It was another great trip in the books!  We are always thankful for the opportunity to explore this great land that God created!  It's not always easy to travel across the country with 6 people, 2 dogs, and an RV, but the memories and experiences are always worth it!  Getting to vacation alongside Papa and Gram was a sweet bonus!

Pensacola,FL

We started our morning off with breakfast at the camper.  We all got ready and went to get in line for lunch at Peg Leg Pete's for lunch.  It was a delicious seafood lunch!

From there we went to the Naval Air Station.  We were hoping to get to see the Blue Angels practice, but they were off at a show.  We got to see a couple of the trader jets fly over for their practice time.  These are the jets they use before they move up to the actual Blue Angel jets.

NAS Pensacola was the first Naval Air Station commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1914. Tens of thousands Naval Aviators have received their training here. 

There are more than 150 aircraft and exhibits at the museum that cover from the early days of flight to the present.  

The Raft exhibit was fascinating to us.  Three Navy men were adrift on after their plane and made an emergency landing in the Pacific Ocean during WWII.  They ended up on the raft with no food or water and only a pistol and knife.  During their 34 days at sea they lived on birds, fish and coconuts until they drifted to some islands.   A book was written about this ordeal  that we listened to in the truck on our way home the following day.

It was a worthwhile trip to visit this interesting museum!  

We always like to visit a local coffee place, so we through The Drowsy Poet Coffee Company on our way back to camp to grab a cup of coffee.

We were back at camp for dinner and visiting in our lawn chairs on our camp patio until bedtime.

Goodbye St. Augustine

Today we hooked back up to the RV and hit the road again.  Anastasia State Park, although rainy and sandy, made the perfect base camp for our time at the beach and exploring the historic city of St. Augustine.  Today we had another 380 miles on the road as we traveled back to Milton/Pensacola.

We stayed at the same RV park we frequent each time we come to FL (Avalon Landing).  We usually just stop for a night as our halfway point on our way to somewhere else. This time we wanted to spend a couple of nights here so we could explore an area we haven't yet taken the time to see.

Pensacola Beach is a very touristy area, but has an amazing beach vibe and beautiful sand and sea.

After our day on the road and a trip to Alvin's Island Shop, we cooked dinner at the camper, walked the dogs, and enjoyed sitting out on our camp patio (our first evening with no rain!).

St. George Street

Today we decided to go back into town to walk the other end of St. George Street that we didn't make it to the other day.

Gopher tortoises are long-lived reptiles that occupy upland habitat throughout Florida including forests, pastures, and yards. They dig deep burrows for shelter and forage on low-growing plants. Gopher tortoises share their burrows with more than 350 other species, and are therefore referred to as a keystone species. In Florida, the gopher tortoise is listed as Threatened. Both the tortoise and its burrow are protected under state law.  We enjoyed looking for these guys as we came in and out of the park.

The background isn't as pretty as our group picture the other day, but at least we are all in this one!

St. George Street

Lightner Museum

For lunch we ate pizza at Pizzalley's.  Our favorite was Three Little Pigs.  It had sliced sausage, bacon, Canadian bacon, smoked cheddar & mozzarella.

The kids got gourmet popsicles at Hyppo.

“The idea behind the pops was simple - fresh fruit, cane sugar, and whatever other interesting things might go along with those.”

— STEPHEN DIMARE

Gram and I got delicious coffee at City Perks Coffee Co.

We went back to the camper to start packing up camp in order to head out first thing in the morning.

Beach Day

We hit the beach at our state park again today.

We came ready to spend the day.  The kids boogie boarded, skim boarded, dug in the sand, and metal detected with Papa.  We ate fish and chips at the snack bar for lunch and then headed back out to the beach.  We stayed as long as we could watching the storm clouds roll in.  We were hoping they may go around us, but they didn't.  So back to the camper we went for an evening in while we waited it out.

When it stopped raining, we went for a soggy hike on the Ancient Dunes Trail.  Blake and Quinlan had to walk it quickly because the mosquitos were so bad.  The rest of us were able to walk it and enjoy the variety of vegetation.

St. Augustine

Today our agenda included going to visit St. Augustine, the nation's oldest city.

Its unique scenery and history set this city apart from any other in the country. This old city has a quaint feel but boasts a big appeal. Visitors can see why when they stroll along the brick-lined streets and delight in the city's European flavor, with centuries-old buildings, horse-drawn carriages, hidden courtyards, and so much more. Saint Augustine has plenty of history to explore — more than 450 years of it!

We started with a visit to Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.

Built by the Spanish in St. Augustine to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States and interprets more than 450 years of cultural intersections.

Who would think that a fort made of seashells would last 300 years? Who would think that a fort made out of seashells would last three days under cannon fire? But the Castillo de San Marcos, made of local coquina stone, did just that.  A strange thing happened when cannons were set up to bombard the fortress.  Instead of shattering, the coquina stone merely compressed and absorbed the shock of the hit. The cannon balls just bounced off or sunk in a few inches. The shell rock worked!

Lots of history and stories with Papa.

We got to watch their routine before, during, and after the firing of a cannon.  

We gathered for a family picture and asked a Park Ranger to take it for us.  Only days later did we realize that Barrett wasn't in the picture.  He was off looking at cannons and didn't know we were taking a picture.  None of us did a head count to notice, we just assumed we were all there.

The Old City Gates are a striking site toward the north end of St. George Street. The Old City Gates were at one time the only entrance into St. Augustine. The two ancient columns made of stone were built in 1808 as a line of defense for the city. Visiting the Oldest City in the United States would not be complete without taking a moment to see the Old City Gates. They are a symbol of the turbulent times faced by the original American colonists and a truly memorable landmark.

We got yummy snacks at Auggie's Mini Donuts.

We ate lunch at The Spanish Bakery & Cafe.

Whetstone Chocolate Factory was a good choice for dessert.

And then we had to head back to camp to hunker down for another storm.  We ate dinner in the camper again while we waited it out.  When it was over, we had the most beautiful rainbow.

We went for another post-storm evening walk on the beach.  The waves were so big and crashing in strong.

It was a fun day of sightseeing followed by our favorite way to end the day.