Day 29 - Welcome to Florida!!

Welcome to Florida - where the weather is always sunny and warm.  Right!

It poured rain last night, part of the storm system moving across the country.  The sun came out for a very brief time early, but soon disappeared and the clouds returned.  We cooked some breakfast and were on our way to Pensacola by 10:30am.  The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) widened out as we passed through various bays.  Homes, many with covered boat docks, line the shores.  There are some midrise hotels/condos on the Gulf shore.  As we got close to the Florida state line, Randy saw 2 porpoises cross under the boat.

 

The ICW narrowed again as we passed Banana Bay, a complex of multi-colored townhomes, and Perdito Cove.  Up ahead we saw the Welcome to Florida sign.  At this point, there is just a narrow strip of land separating us from the Gulf of Mexico.  The Gulf is very rough today and we can see the waves breaking over the land where a staircase leads down to the Gulf.  Near the Perdido Key we saw more porpoises – of course they were gone before I could get a picture – but it is fun to see them.  We saw the remains of an old fort to the south.  Pensacola is a deep harbor with Gulf access, and was fought over by Spain, France and Great Britain in the 1780s.  We arrive at Palafox Pier and Yacht Harbor at 12:45pm.  The wind is blowing hard again and the temperature has fallen.  Brrr!!  I have to say that this lousy weather is starting to get to us – we thought we left the cold behind in Chicago.

After getting settled in the slip, we walk up Palafox Street to downtown Pensacola.  The city was founded in 1559 and has a number of historic buildings.  There is a heavy Spanish influence, with archways and balconies, which we now realize is part of the Gulf coast heritage.  We tour the T.T. Wentworth, Jr., Florida State Museum.  You don’t hear much about Pensacola as an important battle site of the Revolutionary War, but in fact, it was key in diverting British forces from Virginia.  I love that I am constantly learning on this trip!  I was able to get very close to an egret on the dock, so took his picture.

 

Due to the cold and rain we did not want to walk far for dinner.  Luckily, there is a nice restaurant at the marina on the pier, Jaco’s.  It is named after the owner’s dog (whose picture is on the sign and their card).  We decided to rent a car for tomorrow, so we can tour the area a bit.  There is a naval air station here that we want to see, plus we would like to drive to Pensacola Beach.