Woke up to 43 degree temps w/wind chill of 38. Felt great. Today was a "drive around and see what's what" kind of day. We started at at Ft Pickens which is about 2 miles west of the campground and at the end of Santa Rosa island and looked at the various battlements and historic spots along the way. From there, we went onto the mainland across Pensacola Bay and into Pensacola. We stopped at a visitor's center and got some brochures, then drove around the area and on to Scenic Rte 90 along the bluffs before heading back to our base camp and an early campfire. Tomorrow we will do more exploring.
Ft Pickens was built in 1834 using slave labor. It was in use from the Mexican American War in 1846 up until WWII. Approximately 21.5 million bricks were used by slave labor to build the fort. It was a Union fort during the Civil War, and one of the few that the Confederates did not capture. Geranimo was held captive here in 1886. Around the area are concrete bunkers now covered with vines and heavy artillery canons overlook the Gulf.
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| Bob and Charlie at Bayside Park Visitor Center |
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| The chimney is all that remains of a planing factory from 1862 under orders for the confederates to evacuate and destroy anything that could be useful to the enemy. The equipment was loaded on barges, but sunk in the bay that night during a thunderstorm. |
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| Sugar white sands on Santa Rosa Island |
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