Author: mchazen

Another travel day.  Our destination is a place named Old Town in Dixie County along the Suwannee River.  I’m not making this up.

For the first part of the journey the narrow road hugged the coast and driving was a challenge in the gusting wind.  The second half of the trip was along an excellent four-lane road through wooded country.  We almost stopped to chase two turkeys foraging by the side of the highway.

By late afternoon we pulled into the campground, The Suwannee River Hideaway, which is a very secluded and well kept small campground about four miles from town. 

I think we’re going to like it here.

Today was a long drive to Mexico Beach, which is a small town on the Florida Gulf Coast.  We had expected this stretch of coast to be relatively deserted but surprisingly found areas to be highly developed.  The coast to the south of Pensacola included shopping centers, high-rise condominiums, hotels and planned communities.  It very much reminded us of parts of South Florida and was something to drive through as quickly as possible.  The development finally thinned out past Panama City.

Mexico Beach is a small community on the verge of large-scale development.  We stayed there for the night before moving on.

We certainly enjoyed our stay in the Pensacola, Florida area.

The major feature of the area is Pensacola Bay, which is a protected body of water and the beaches along the intercoastal.  The land surrounding the bay is typical of Florida — flat, wooded and sandy.  However, as you move inland the countryside features rolling hills and the soils become suited to farming. The area north of Pensacola has many outdoor opportunities, although it is dangerously close to Alabama.

Our first day was spent exploring the immediate area and running errands.  Fortunately, there was a Walmart Supercenter close by and we were able to stock up on supplies.  We also found a nearby small gym for our workout, since the weather foretasted rain.  By accident, we stumbled onto the Blackwater State Forest and State Park.  This is a huge area of wooded hills surrounding the Blackwater River.  We also discovered the Blackwater River was perfect for canoe and kayak trips and one of the local outfitters (for a fee, of course) will drop you off upstream.  This was certainly something we would want to do.

Jeanne kayaking on Blackwater River north of Pensacola.

Another picture of Jeanne on the river with typical vegetation in background.

Stopping on sandbar for lunch and a little rest.

The next day we packed the kayaks into the Jeep and headed for the Blackwater River for our “Deliverance” adventure.  After setting up the kayaks, the outfitter picked us up and dropped us off about ten miles upstream.  We were surprised at how beautiful and remote the area is.  Once we were separated from the very few people in our group, it was as if we were the only ones in the region.  Very little paddling was needed and most of the time we did little better than float with the gentle current.  It was a sunny day and we frequently stopped at one of the sand bars to relax and enjoy the experience and listen to the river sounds.  After five hours on the river we arrived at the Jeep, stowed the kayaks and headed to the coach to clean up.  The day was capped with an excellent dinner at a very crowded catfish restaurant.  It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

F4F Wildcat hanging in National Naval Air Museum at Pensacola Naval Air Station.

Jenny biplane on display with motor exposed for viewing.

Marty in front of Neuport biplane purchased by U.S. Navy for research and development.

Navy Skyraider on display. During the Viet Nam years, these were nicknamed "Spads".

Fully restored Avenger in simulated flight.

Corsair on display looked as if it were flying.

Marty with Aviation Storekeeper insignia designed exclusively for accountants.

Fully restored Jap Zero.

One day, we went to the National Museum of Naval Aviation located on the grounds of the Pensacola Naval Air Station.  The museum had an excellent display of aircraft and other artifacts from WWI to present.  Many of the aircraft were suspended from the museum building structure giving the planes the appearance of being in flight.  Viewing the suspended aircraft from the balcony was truly unique.  Jeanne enjoyed the period exhibits that features artifacts from the home front during the WWII era.  For anyone visiting this part of Florida, this museum is a Must See.  Plan on spending at least an entire day and maybe two days if you want to see the nearby lighthouse and fort.  Best of all, admission is free.

On Easter weekend, I tried fishing at a local park but came away empty handed.  The only successful angler was an old guy fishing for mullet using dog food as bait.  Honest.  Old Roy dog food from Walmart.  To our amazement, it worked.  We asked if he used cat food to catch catfish, but couldn’t decipher his answer.  Anyway, I’ll have to try the dog food trick sometime.

The rest of our time in Pensacola was spent either hiding from the rain or exploring the area.  In general, we were very much impressed with the friendliness of the people and quality of the countryside and plan to visit this area again.

We finally made it to Pensacola, Florida after two long days of driving. 

The original driving plan called for three days, but we wanted to outrun a storm system and combined the first and second days.  Except for some really lousy roads in Louisiana, the drive was just boring.  The highlights were buying diesel for $1.38 at a Flying J and having a pigeon glance off the coach near Pensacola.  The pigeon didn’t quite clear the top of the coach and caught the top right corner.  We were on a bridge when it happened and there was nowhere to maneuver.  We saw it coming, heard it hit and watched is go spinning into Pensacola Bay.  Dumb luck it didn’t hit the windshield.

Crossing the Mississippi at Baton Rouge on the way to Pensacola.

Passing through tunnel under Mobile Bay.

Driving on bridge over Pensacola Bay.

The countryside changed again and there is no doubt we’re in the South.  There are huge wetland areas surrounded by dense woods with lots of pine.

The campground is near Milton, Florida, which is a small town near Pensacola.  A grove of beautiful old oaks form a green canopy over our site.  After picking up a few things at the nearby Walmart Supercenter, we spent the rest of the evening at the coach and planned activities for the next few days.

What a night!

It was bad enough loosing an hour sleep due to daylight savings time, but around 3:00 AM we got hit with a severe thunderstorm.  Luckily we stowed the awnings before going to bed (standard procedure) but we had to pull in the slides when the winds kicked up.  The coach settled down and we salvaged what little sleep we could.  In the morning we surveyed the park and one of the neighboring RVs had the awning completely torn off.  Lesson learned.  We finally hit the road around 10:00 AM and were relieved to be out of the mud at this particular campground.

Except for the drive through Houston and some wind, the trip to Beaumont was uneventful.

The countryside seems to be changing.  The weather has been warmer in this part of the country and spring is clearly evident.  As we head east along the Gulf Coast, we’re seeing pine trees in the dense woods and there are many more marsh/swamp/wetland areas.

The campground we’re staying at is really nice with cement pads and roadways.  The town of Beaumont is not far and we were able to find a gym for our workout and stores for errands.

Tomorrow we finally leave Texas.

Jeanne was still not feeling 100% so we decided to lay low for one more day.

After I returned from the gym, we made a quick Borders run to update the computers and picked up a few things at Walmart.  The rest of the day was spent quietly watching TV and reading.  The main evening event was watching a movie before falling asleep.

The good news is Jeanne started feeling better and we hope to get out for a while tomorrow.

The highlight of the past few days was side-trip to the Johnson Space Center in Houston.  The tour showed us the historic Mission Control Center and the main training facility.  We had viewed all this before on television growing up, but actually being on the site was special.  The NASA facility in Houston is very different from Cape Canaveral.  It seems Houston is focused on research, training, administration and mission control.  Cape Canaveral is much bigger and focused on operations.  We hope to revisit Cape Canaveral on our trip through Florida.

Training are for operation of shuttle robotic arm.

Another view of NASA training facility.

NASA training facility used for shuttle flights and international space station.

Another view of historic MCC with emblems of Gemini and Apollo missions.

Looking into historic MCC.

At the Johnson Space Center in Houston, this is the building housing the historic Mission Control Center (MCC).

One day the weather forecast called for thunder storms, so we stayed close to Palacios.  Before the rain started, we explored the area and found several really nice homes along the bay shore.  The rest of the time was spent running errands and preparing to move on.

Our plans call for several travel days before landing in the Florida panhandle.

Getting off Mustang Island was a challenge.  At the north end of the island is a ferry that runs between Port Aransas and Aransas Pass.  We knew they would accommodate big rig trucks and RVs, but there was something about driving the coach onto a boat that I didn’t like.  Having the Jeep in tow didn’t help.  Taking it very slow, we managed to get on and off just fine and were soon on our way to Palacios.

The drive to Palacios was uneventful and we arrived to find a sleepy town along the South Texas coast.

Leaving Mustang Island, driving coach onto ferry between Port Aransas and Aransas Pass.

Ferry arriving at other side of channel.

Visit to nuclear power plant near Palacios.

Jeanne with power plant in distance.

View of coach in campground in Palacios.

Campground and marina.

Another view of campground and marina.

Park and walkway along bayshore in Palacios.

Hotel along bayshore. It looks better from a distance.

Jeanne with morning coffee.

Looking along bayshore in Palacios. Notice fishing pier with covered area.

You can see the town was once prosperous but had fallen on hard times.  The industries are ranching, fishing (mostly shrimp), oil and gas.  The place is mostly undiscovered, but the town looks like it’s making an attempt to pull in tourist dollars.  The waterfront is nicely developed with a long park, walkway and fishing piers.  This is a perfect venue for our workouts.  During the week these very nice facilities are mostly deserted.  The streets fall silent around 6:00 pm.  The residential areas are a mix of new, old and dilapidated.  Some of the old homes have been lovingly restored and the town is generally clean and well maintained.

The campground is a little unusual — the RV park is built around a small marina.  The campground was recently sold and the new owners are making a serious effort to improve the facility.  You can see a lot has already been done and there is activity all day long.  Next year, there should be a very nice place to stay.

Our first evening here, on the recommendation of locals, we dined at a Mexican restaurant that immediately goes on the ‘A’ list.  It was excellent and very reasonable.  We’ll definitely hit it again before leaving.

The first day was spent exploring the town, such as it is.  Afterwards, we headed for a visitor center at a nuclear power station about 20 miles from town.  We found the visitor center had been closed because of the 9/11 attack, but  we enjoyed the drive through the countryside.  We spent the remaining afternoon hours by the pool and were kept cool by the breeze off the bay.

Contemporary note:  The ferry was an interesting experience.  To balance the load, the crew had a semi truck on one side and our rig on the other with few cars were loaded behind the larger vehicles.  I knew the the gross weight of the rig and jeep to be about 32,000 pounds and guessed the truck was about the same or heavier.  The ferry handled it fine.  When Jeanne asked what would happen if the rig fell overboard, I said “we call the insurance company.”  

We really enjoyed our last two days in Port Aransas.

One day it threatened rain and we even got hit with a few drops, but that didn’t put a damper on our fishing expedition.  Jeanne mostly stayed in the car reading but I fished using lures.  The hip boots we used to fish the streams in the Eastern Sierras were just as effective in tidal mud flats of South Texas.  Didn’t catch anything, but the fish kept biting off the ends of the plastic lures we were using.  The Getzit on light tackle was gone in one gulp.  Something out there has very sharp teeth.

Picture of pink birds taken by Jeanne in tidal area near Port Aransas.

More pink birds and a good example of how flat and exposed the tidal flats are. Notice approaching thunder storm.

Marty preparing to fish. Notice stylish look of hip boots.

Marty angling for the big ones. He left empty handed.

Without anything to show for our fishing expedition, we headed for one of the local fish restaurants in town.  We were somewhat disappointed by the meal but enjoyed the evening out nonetheless.

Our last day we drove back to Corpus Christi to run errands and stock up on supplies for the coming week.  That evening, the air cleared and we could see for miles on our evening walk along the beach.

We very much enjoyed our week on Mustang Island, but it is time to move on.  Our next destination is Palacios, which is a small town between Corpus Christi and Houston.  There is no particular reason we’re going there except that it is an easy drive, remote and I pointed to it on the map.  So, the adventure continues. . .

Our past few days in the Port Aransas area have been nothing but fun and sun.

Aside from a little wind, the weather has been perfect.  The days get into the high 70s and the nights cool into the 60s.  The air is a little heavy from humidity, but the breeze helps.

Port Aransas is a very small town at the northern tip of Mustang Island. Much of the business here centers on the tourism.  Port Aransas is an area where families from the Texas hill country own a vacation home or come to spend a week camping with the kids.  The place has also been discovered by Canadians as a winter getaway.  Best of all, there is a Walmart Supercenter just a short ferry trip across the channel in Aransas Pass.

Our first two days here we explored the area and discovered you can drive along the beach, right on the beach, for miles and miles.  The beaches are virtually deserted.  With a permit, you can camp on the beach and even take your motorhome on the sand if you are bold enough to do so.  For us, we’re very comfortable staying in the Pioneer RV Park, which has it’s own beach access about 200 yards from our site.

Due to the prevailing winds this time of year, vast amounts of sea grass and ‘treasure’ washes onto the beach.  Most of the ‘treasure’ eventually gets hauled to the dump but once in a while you get lucky.  One morning, we found a hardhat from someone named John Dominique.  I took a picture of it and will try to contact John to see if he wants it returned.  I hope he wasn’t wearing the hardhat when it went in.  I’ll let you know if we receive a response.

Jeanne on the jetty in Port Aransas, Texas.

Treasure found on the beach, hope to return this to the owner. Hope he wasn't wearing it when it went in!

Marty in sitting position with arrow found on beach.

Jeanne on the kayak trail near Port Aransas, Texas.

Jeanne taking a break from paddling against the wind.

Marty in the kayak gliding over the mud flats.

For our workout, we run along the beach ‘roadway’.  Even though the damp sand is packed enough to drive on, it still has a soft feel underfoot and running is a challenge.  The steady breeze keeps us cool.  After the run, a quick dip in the pool is very refreshing.  From the stares, I suspect some of the campers have no idea what Pilates is.

Talking with locals, we discovered there are kayak trails laid out through the tidal flats surrounding the area.  After obtaining a map and setting the waypoints in the GPS, we set off one morning.  The tidal areas support all sorts of wildlife, especially birds and fish.  Fish were jumping all over the place, even bumping into the kayaks from time to time.  We really did expect one could jump into the kayak at any time.  After stowing the kayaks, we hustled to Walmart for salt water tackle and to upgrade our fishing licenses.  We’ll try to haul in the big ones another day.

Disaster was narrowly averted.  Exploring the tidal flats requires crossing an occasional patch of water.  On one crossing, the water was deeper than expected and the far side was nothing but mud.  There were some tense moments, but the Jeep’s 4WD got us through.  Barely.  A trip to the spray wash removed most of the sand and slime.

Generally, we feel like two kids spending a week at the beach.  It is really fun and we look forward to our next few days here before moving on.

Contemporary Note:  This is the closest we ever came to ‘sticking’ the jeep.  The tidal flats really were nothing but mud with an occasional puddle of water with mud at the bottom.  By the time we broke free, the jeep was covered with a mixture of saltwater mud and slime that took some scrubbing to remove.