Gulf Islands National Seashore, FLOct 30, 2009
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Santa Rosa Sound and bridge to Pensacola Beach
quick change of vegetation from beach to oaks
I just loved this dead tree!
Camping World has to order the part needed to fix a tension spring in the awning, so they are sending it to Kissimmee, FL and I will get the awning fixed when I go there next week or so. I don't remember when the spring broke or how, but want to get it fixed before I can't use the awning at all. This morning I went to a mattress outlet store and bought a mattress for my bed to replace the one I was given last winter by Joanne and Chuck to replace the standard issue mattress that comes with motor homes. I can't wait to find out if it's perfect for me. I think it's hard to determine if the mattress is right by lying down on it for a minute or so in a store.
I traveled about an hour east and found myself at the visitor center for the Gulf Islands National Seashore in Pensacola Florida. From the National Lakeshore at the top of Michigan to the National Seashore at the Gulf of Mexico in one year - amazing journey! The Gulf Islands National Seashore extends from Cat Island in Mississippi for 160 miles to the Okaloosa area near Fort Walton Beach, FL. It is made up of 12 sections including islands, areas on the mainland, and under waters of a bayou, a sound, and a gulf!
Again, I learned alot. The main thing was about the live oak trees here. Big groves of them were found, cut down, and used to build boats because the wood could withstand bombardment by the weapons of the day. In fact, the Constitution - Old Ironsides - was built of live oak and got its name because of cannonballs bouncing off the side of the ship. Ship builders had crude drawings or patterns of the parts of the ship and went out and matched trees to the pieces needed! I read about that in the visitor's center, then walked the nature trail and saw signs showing how the tree matched the pattern needed!
I decided to stay in the campground because there was more to see, like forts and white sand. The visitor center is on the mainland in Pensacola, while the campground is about 10 miles away on Santa Rosa Island, near Fort Pickens. After crossing the bridge and turning right, the narrow island became a white wonderland. If I had been cold, I would swear it was snow on the ground, but instead it is white sand, washed down from the Appalachian Mountains! Yes, the crystallization that occurred from the Ice Age breaks up on its way here so that by the time it reaches the Gulf of Mexico, the quartz crystals are so fine and so white that it's amazing. Another tidbit is that the wind and sea keep changing the landscape, moving the island from east to west. When Fort Pickens was built, the western shore was 500 feet away. Now it is about 3/4 of a mile away! They don't talk about what was on the Eastern shore that got lost - I'll have to drive to the eastern shore (unless the island is too long or the road doesn't go far enough) to see what's there today. The island sure is skinny - I could see water on both sides of me as I was driving to the campground!
