Brrr…in the 30s this morning and windy! The waves were slapping the boat and moving
us into the dock all night which kept waking us up. We decided to rent a car and drive the area because
it is too cold to walk far. This turned
out well as we were able to see a lot. First
stop was Target to get Captain Randy’s Christmas tree and a few ornaments. Then we drove to the Gulf Shore National
Seashore on Santa Rosa Island past Pensacola Beach. This is a rustic area with white sand dunes
and not much else. As cold as it was, it
seemed that we were driving n the snow rather than sand! After about 20 miles, we got to Navarre
Beach, a small village with beach homes and a few midrise hotel/condos. We passed a few round homes on stilts that
reminded us of igloos.
Next, we went back to Pensacola and a stop at West
Marine for a few things. From there we went
to the Pensacola National Naval Air Base and Museum. Very nice museum with lots of planes and
exhibits, including the Blue Angels. The
lighthouse that we saw from the Intracoastal (ICW) is located here and we
climbed to the top. What a view of the
ICW, Santa Rosa Island and Perdido Key!!
Tired and hungry, we found our way to Fisherman’s
Corner on Perdido Key where we had seafood gumbo loaded with shrimp, sausage
and okra, soft shell crab and shrimp wrap sandwiches, and Cajun mac and cheese
– delicious!! The restaurant has a “pet”
blue heron named Harry, who stands outside the kitchen door waiting for scraps
of fish. He is quite tame and I was able
to get quite close for a picture with him.
Further down the Key is Flora-bama, a well-known lounge that sits on the border of Florida and Alabama. The main décor here is handwritten notes and signatures on both the interior and exterior walls. We go in for a drink. A local musician, from Fairhope, AL, is performing in the main bar. The bartender gave us a sample of a “Bushwhacker” – tastes like a rum milkshake!
By now it was getting dark and we are ready to make our way back to town. On our way, we stopped into the Pensacola Yacht Club. It was started in 1908, has a membership of 600, and a full service bar and restaurant. The club house was a private home built in 1903 and donated to the yacht club in 1948. The club manager greeted us and we traded burgees with him. We talked with a club member who told us about the club and his days of racing sailboats. He would like to “crew” with a Looper if he gets the chance.
Back at the marina we realize that they have shut off the water because there are freeze warnings out for the night. Our broken water pump comes back to haunt us as we now have no water on the boat! Luckily we have a couple of gallon containers to get us through the night. We plan to leave Pensacola tomorrow on Thanksgiving morning. Hopefully it will warm up so we do not encounter the lack of “city water” in our next port in Destin (Niceville actually)!
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