What a beautiful area!  Easy access to 7 plus miles of remote, white sand beaches located near Pensacola Beach.  This was my third visit to the area and I will return again.  Camping is available with electric / water hookups as well as showers / laundry facilities.

Along with the beach, the roads / trails offer cycling and hiking opportunities.  At the end of the island is Fort Pickens which was used / upgraded from before the Revolutionary War through WWII.  Free tours are available at the Fort Pickens Visitor Center and provide an in-depth history of the fort.

One of my brothers introduced me (on-line) to a previous co-worker (Charlene). She and her husband now live on Pensacola Beach.  They invited me to join them for the local Mardis Gras parade.  I rode my bike in and met them at the Paradise Bar for the parade and pre / post parade beverages.  A major storm was set to roll through the area, so I pedaled back to camp before things got too crazy (celebration or weather wise).  What a neat couple.  During my visit, they invited me to their house for drinks, we went out for dinner one night, and breakfast the morning of my departure.

Some pics from the Mardi Gras parade:

Charlene and I at the parade:

A couple of stories:

Charlene and her husband took me to one of their favorite local bars one night.  I had a draft beer and was talking to others.  My beer never seemed to empty.  I turned one time and “caught” the bartender refilling my glass.  We both smiled.  The next time I turned around there were two glasses of beer.  Fun night.

On my way back from the Mardi Gras parade, I had no where to store the beads from the parade.  So, I wore them during the ride back to camp.  There is a Ranger Station as you enter the National Park.  The ranger got a real kick out of my “look”.  Normally when entering the park, you need to show your pass and ID.  For the rest of my visit, the ranger would just smile and wave me through.  I stopped one time to say hi and said  “I guess you remember me riding through after the Mardi Gras parade”.  He said, “Oh, Yea”.

Some pics from Fort Pickens:

At one time, Geronimo was imprisoned at Fort Pickens, sad story.

Various cycling pics:

During each of my visits to Fort Pickens, it was recommended that I visit the National Museum of Naval Aviation located at the Pensacola Air Force Base.  The Base is also home to the Blue Angels.  I am told it is worth scheduling a visit during their training times.  A ranger at Fort Pickens noted that the fort is perfect for watching.

I recommend joining one of the free indoor tours.  The guides are former military pilots and very knowledgeable.  There is also a tour bus for the outdoor planes, also recommend.

Near the museum is the Pensacola lighthouse.  Pretty cool:

One final story:  There is a beach house within the National Park that is used for campground registration.  During various cycling ventures, I had noticed that a pair of Osprey had built a nest in the chimney of the building.  During one of my rides, I noticed that the female was at the nest, standing proud.

I was looking for the male and found him on a small pole away from the house.  He seemed to have his head down.

Now, I do not know much about bird psychology but it did seem like Mr. Bird was on the “dog-pole” for some reason.

Various Pics:

Off to Austin for South by Southwest!

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is a large / well run / organized state park with over 40 volunteers on site at a given time (more on volunteers later).  The park is set up with RV sites, tent sites and cabins.  A shuttle runs from the camping areas to the beach area on a paved road.  Hikers and cyclists also use the road.  The park has a number of hiking / cycling trails.

Pic of shuttle stop near beach and also bicycle parking in same area:

I reserved a tent site as all the RV sites were already taken at the time of my reservation.  This is a popular park and making reservations 6 months or more in advance is necessary.  I had friends (Jim and Rebecca) who were volunteering at the park during my visit.  As such, on my arrival I was greeted with a surprise.

It was great spending time with Jim and Rebecca.   They introduced me to other volunteers at nightly campfires, transported me to various music venues and cooked / joined me for meals.   Pic of them.

One venue was the Music & Coffee location.  In the evening, the 30A Songwriters Radio Station broadcasted live music.  Some nights it was an open mike and other nights invited acts.

We spent two nights at this venue.  One night we saw two brothers from Santa Fe play, called the Prickly Pears.  Really good talent.  The second night Jim and Rebecca joined the open mike and did 3 songs, with Rebecca on guitar and vocals and Jim on harmonica.  They sounded awesome.

The other venue was Stinky’s Bait Shop:

We saw TKO’ed with Mark.  They are a local band and are very good.

The majority of my time was spent at the beach or hiking / cycling the trails.

My tent site worked well, until the 7th day.  I received a call from a Ranger.   Since I was at a tent site, I needed to have a tent and also needed to sleep in the tent.  Hmm, well what to do.  Luckily, Jim had found an abandoned tent earlier in the month stuffed in the bushes.   With a little ingenuity and duct tape, I was able to have a standing tent.  My camping neighbors had fun watching me piece the tent together.  A ranger stopped by while I was putting on the finishing touches and gave me a thumbs up.  Problem solved.

A picture of my “tent” and my site.  The pic with the van is “pre-tent”. The tent sites do have electric which allowed me to charge various items during my 10 days.

I mentioned earlier in the post about park volunteers.  By volunteering, a person can camp for free in exchange for a certain number of hours per week (usually in the 14 to 20 hour range).  Requirements are different at each park.  In some cases, only one person needs to work (if a couple).  Other locations require both to work.  Volunteers are assigned to all types of work (usually one type of assignment per stay).  I guess you can include campground hosts under the volunteer umbrella.  Depending on the park, there is backlog (years sometimes) for a spot.  Most will require you to stay as a volunteer for at least a month or more.

From the park, you can cycle on a paved pathway along highway 30-A for 20 or more miles.  A great ride.  My favorite stop was at Red Fish Taco’s. Yummy!

In October of 2018, Hurricane Michael marched through the Florida Panhandle, with winds greater than 150 mph.  I was amazed to see the amount of devastation that still exists six months later.  In many areas, one would think the hurricane happened less than a week ago.  My heart goes out to all those impacted.  So sad!

The damage is visible soon after crossing the state line from Alabama into Florida.  At first, the main damage is from fallen trees (many times splitting a house in half).  In most cases, the trees still sit where they fell.  I am not sure where the occupants now reside.

This part of Florida has “tree farms” and the trees all snapped off at the same height.  You can track the path of of the storm through the area given the direction in which the snapped trees point.

As one moves closer to the coast, the damage comes not only from fallen trees but directly from the wind itself.  Blue tarps covering roofs are still visible in very direction. Makeshift signs are tacked up every where for mold removal, tree service, roof repair, demolition, and so forth.  Mexico Beach and then areas outward took the worst hit.  Piles of debris were still stacked near the roads.  Many roads are under repair and down to one lane with guided passage.

The signs that really catch your attention while driving through the area are the big billboard signs.  They are rented out by lawyers advertising that they will get you a just settlement from your insurance company.  More on this later.

I spent the night in Apalachicola. FL.  Hurricane damage in Apalachicola was primarily limited to a six foot storm surge that moved up the Apalachicola river (which the town sits next to).

I really like the feel of this town.  It is now know for its oysters.  It has a few brewery’s, music venue (open 5 nights a week), restaurants, artists, and so forth.

At one time, the town was the second busiest port on the gulf coast.  As the Apalachicola river flows deep into Georgia and then through Alabama and Florida, cotton crops were sent downriver for shipment out of Apalachicola’s port.  This brought dollars into the city in the 1800’s and the commercial and residential buildings still reflect this.

You can park your camper on main street for a night without any problems.  After parking, I walked around town and ending up talking with a shop owner for almost 2 hours about various subjects.  It was near closing time, I mentioned I was hungry and we then had dinner together.

What an interesting evening of conversation.  We covered the impact of the recent hurricane, small business survival in general, town politics, personal backgrounds and much more.

The take on insurance was agree on a “low-ball” number and avoid the ongoing hassle or get a lawyer and go for the “long run” and hope of a better payout.  An individual working directly with the insurance company was not going to get a fair settlement.

Small shop survival in Apalachicola is hard given small profit margins, internet shopping, economic ups and downs, and natural disasters.

Town politics is probably the same as most places, growth vs. no change.

Impact of the hurricane was primarily on businesses in low lying areas near the river.  Many of the business had or were liquidating.  A few were moving to higher ground.

Some pics from Apalachicola: