Overnight, there was a lot of wind, the flags we had on the front of our campers were whipping and rocking the campers, so we had to take them down to get some sleep.
I couldn't sleep much, so on Wednesday, I was up before the sun. I headed to the bay to see if I could catch the sunrise; however, I was not prepared for how COLD it was! It was 50-55 degrees with blustery wind and probably a wind chill. I made it for the sunrise but as soon as it came up I bolted for the camper for more clothes. The pictures don't even capture the temperature, but the sky was beautiful!
This was a bummer since the sky was incredible and clear for the first time!
Since it was going to be even colder on the beach, I thought today would be a good day to pack a picnic and go to the Gulf Islands National Seashore near Pensacola, FL to visit Fort Pickens and get our National Park Passport stamps and also get Erich his first passport book.
I started mild Italian sausage and peppers in the crockpot for later and we were on our way.
It was about an hour drive there and we stopped to get a photo at the National Park Sign. A nice couple on a motorcycle took our picture for us and we reciprocated. It was luck that they pulled up just as we did and great to get a picture of all of us! Look at that sky!!
We were on schedule to arrive on time but when we got about a half mile from the park toll booth, the traffic was STOPPED! What could be going on!?
Turns out...the Blue Angels were having their first practice of the season and the park was packed with people watching. The gatekeepers...and I am serious about calling them that...told us to come back in an hour. THAT was NOT going to happen after waiting all this time...
We got through the toll booth, it's $25 for a carload and good for 7 days, by the way, and went as far as we could get before the road was blocked. We parked near the Battery Langdon, which was Fort Picken's most powerful gun emplacement during World War II, to watch the Blue Angels.
We dipped our feet in the water and looked for some shells on the National Seashore. We also saw a majestic Bald Eagle! It was amazing to see!
We finally made it to Fort Pickens to get our NPS Passport stamp and took a look around the fort. Erich got his first passport book and stamp! Mama Jackie was proud!
By then, our picnic lunch was calling! We found a nice shelter on the shore where we could see the beach and ate our sandwiches and snacks. It was frigid!! There were some people flying kites and fishing!
We made our way back to the camper, but first we stopped at Ace Hardware, which is a favorite stop for the guys, and also Camping World!
Once we made it back, we spent the rest of the day at the beach before heading back to have sausage sandwiches and fried potatoes from last night on the Blackstone! Maybe I'm the only one but I don't think there is any meal better than those we make while camping...including leftovers!!
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