We woke to 37 degrees today and were disappointed until we saw Fairport at 17.
We left Crawfordville around 8:00 and started our jaunt across the Gulf of Mexico on our way to Pensacola. We decided to take the coastal road instead of the highway (half the time) through quaint fishing villages and beach towns. The prettiest little town, (and the name we love to say) was Apalachicola, where 90% of Florida's oysters are harvested.
Thank goodness it was only 10:30 am ~ a little early for oysters (not that we would have eaten them anyway).
John got very excited as we drove by Tyndall Air Force Base and spotted several fighter jets in the landing pattern.
In Panama City we made a quick stop at Tito's Downtown Cafe and Bakery which is owned by Joan Holly, niece of John's friend, Andy Chmiel.
When Andy heard we would be crossing the Florida panhandle he suggested we stop to say hello to Joan. Luckily she was there when we arrived and we were able to sit and visit for a few minutes.
Looks like a great little restaurant and from online reviews the food is wonderful.
But John passed that up for his first corn dog of the trip, a few miles down the road.
From Panama City to Destin was VERY busy and congested. It almost made us sorry we had continued on the "scenic route."
We stopped at the visitors center for the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Another nationally protected area of white beaches, fertile coastal marches and pristine blue water. John was able to get another stamp in his National Parks Passport book and we looked around the area.
John had high expectations as we approached the Pensacola Beach area. He was expecting to recognize the area since being stationed there almost 50 years ago! Much to his dismay, nothing looked familiar except the bridge crossing over to the island.
The fairly scarce area he remembered is now lined with high rise hotels, restaurants, shops and tourist attractions. After talking to one of the locals he learned that the Spanish Village, a beach bar he frequented with Navy buddies, was long gone.
The only other thing remaining is the beautiful, soft, white sand.
We continued along to the National Seashore
where the crowds, shops, restaurants and hotels disappeared. Only the soft white sand continued forming, soft dunes and beautiful vistas.
Friday, March 15
We arrived at the Navel Air Station Pensacola Florida bright and early ready for a full day.
This is where John began his stint in the Navy at Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS) July 4th, 1966 (how much more patriotic can you get!). He has not been back since so he expected some changes especially after his experience at the beach yesterday. He spent approximately 9 months here ~ 13 weeks of officer training and about 6 months of ground training learning about basic aviation.
First we went to the National Naval Aviation Museum. Wow! We thought we would be there a couple of hours and ended up being there seven hours. The museum is a privately funded enterprise and completely free to the public; free parking, free entrance and free tours.
We took the trolley tour of the "flight line" which was actually a display of recovered aircraft waiting for restoration.
The driver was a retired Navy pilot who provided interesting and detailed information about the aircraft on display. He was enthusiastic, inspiring and patriotic. He almost made Lynn cry (of course that doesn't take much).
Next we went inside and took what turned out to be a three hour guided tour of the history of Naval aviation through the Korean War era. This guide was also a retired Naval aviator and was extremely knowledgeable about each aircraft on display. He told many anecdotal stories that kept us all interested.
John recognized the patch on his flight jacket indicating he was with the sister squadron to the squadron John was assigned to on the Kitty Hawk. When the tour ended we talked to the guide and discovered he had cruised on the Kitty Hawk two years after John however they knew some of the same people. One of them being the pilot John had flown with ~ small world.
Then we toured Hanger One which contained displays of Vietnam and post Vietnam era aircraft.
After that we experienced a simulation of flight operations on an aircraft carrier. It was very authentic including loud sound, wind in our face, vibration and the smell of jet fuel. Watching the aircraft land made us feel like we were right on deck.
By now we were starving so we got something to eat at Cubi Bar Cafe, a replica from the Cubi Point Officers Club in the Philippines. When Cubi Point Naval Air Station was closed in the Philippines, all of the squadrons plaques and artifacts were given to the museum and the replica was built.
Several of the planes flown by the famous Blue Angles, the Navy's flight
demonstration team, were on display. Included were the F18 Hornet and Fat Albert, the support air craft carrying the maintenance crew, equipment and parts to keep the Blue Angles in the air.
This was a "hands on" museum and many of the aircraft were accessible.
Throughout the museum, flight gear, uniforms and squadron patches were on display. John was able to find his VF-114 squadron patch along with the F4 Phantom, the type of aircraft he flew in.
We ended our day at the museum with an I MAX presentation of the Magic of flight. This was a GREAT museum and it brought back a lot of memories for John.
Finally we stopped at the Naval Cemetery. Similar to Arlington, it was very impressive.
Now being almost 5:00, we started our journey to New Orleans.
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