Visiting and hiking Fort Pickens, FL

As anticipated, storms rolled in around midnight, followed by strong winds and cold temps. I plugged in my bigger heater which did the job of keeping Millie and I warm. Woke up to 39 degrees, gusting winds and a wind chill of 22. Brr ... but it was bright and sunny and the clouds were beautiful as seen in the photos below.

I had to check out of site 24 by 11 am and check into site 9 at 2 pm (could not get 3 nights at 24). Decided to drive to the fort area; despite the weather, there were visitors at the Fort. I sat in on a ranger's talk about the role of Fort Pickens during the Civil War and its connection to the underground railroad, fascinating. Then, despite the cold and winds, took a walk around the fort and climbed part of the wall. By the time I got back to Millie, I was chilled to the bones

Next, drove over to the fishing pier. Not surpringly, a few hardy fishermen were there gamely fishing on. The tide was high and the water looked very different from the previous day.

Checked in early to my new site. had lunch in the minivan: roast chicken salad and hot tea in my thermos from yesterday when I cooked dinner. Did some crochet, then stepped out of the van, said hello to my new camping neighbors and decided that the weather has warmed up enough (like in the 40s) to stretch my legs. Hiked part of the Florida Nature Trail next to the campground. It was a nice hike; the Park Service posted signs on the land features and vegetation, especially on the Blackbird Marsh Trail.

I discovered an unmarked sandy path to the lovely beach off the trail below. Have to come back this way in the future when it is warmer to enjoy the water - it was so close to the campground.

3/13/22. P.S.1: Sitting at a Panera Bread in Gulf Breeze, posting this. Thanks to Jane for getting me hooked as a customer 😄. I subscribed to the unlimited coffee program which means I am often on the lookout for the Panera logo on the road and end up buying pastries or food when getting my free coffee or iced coffee. Smart marketing ploy. But they do have good Wi-Fi; I see a few customers working on their laptops. And the bathrooms are clean.

P.S.2: Typos on the blog posts is not a reflection on declinimg grammar/spelling skills! Typing on the cell phone is a challenge for those of a certain age, also hard to view the tiny screen even with reading glasses 😄