Gulf Islands National Seashore
Fort Pickens Campground
(Part One)
The plan was to stay in hotels half-way down and back, and to camp along the Gulf. Camping was by far the better part of the plan. The hotels weren't awful, but they just didn't seem to be up to par. Due to the CEO's aversion to long car rides, we kept the travel times down to under six hours road-time each day.
As the saying goes, you can always improve you fighting position. So, in preparation for this trip, I ordered in some new hardware. I purchased a Maxxtow Towing Products Dual Hitch Extension, and three MaxxHaul Towing Products 2-Bolt Sturdy Anti-Wobble 2" x 2" Hitch Locking Stabilizers. The extension allowed me to both tow my trailer and carry the bike rack. The stabilizers took the rattle out of the now-four-piece hitch. I enjoyed not having any extra noise from the rear. The minions enjoyed having their bikes at camp again. I had previously been in some trouble, as the bike rack and the trailer both used the hitch, and the minions didn't feel they should have to sacrifice their rides for my stupid trailer. Now everyone was happy.
Bringing the bikes and adding the extension worried the CEO a lot. She was worried that something would break loose and blow away, or that the trailer would come off and we'd all die in a fiery explosion. These fears were put to rest some 2,000 miles later when everything worked as I said it would. It even seems I am supposed to figure out how to make the second bike rack work, or at least figure out how to transport two more bikes...the CEO was envious of the minions biking freedom. She was caught several times stealing the oldest minion's bike!!
The trip started Tuesday afternoon. The CEO had all bags, boxes, coolers, and crates packed for out trip down south. So after sitting through that last important conference at work, I raced home attempting to not burn too much light. In the end, I didn't make it. We loaded and hitched in the dark. Since it was dark, I wasn't sure but what I should just go to sleep and hitch in the morning. The CEO insisted that we do it that night, and as usual, I'm glad we did it her way. Once all the new hitch hardware had been added, I found out that the chains were too short. We had to run to Lowes and get some extra chain. With the trailer packed, hitched, and ready to go, we went to bed, ready for the 0400 wake-up.
WEDNESDAY:
It was 0430 before my feet made it to the floor. With the camper ready to go, all we had to do was buckle the minions in the Envoy and give it some gas. We were rolling by 0515. By 0645, we'd made it to Cape Girardeau. My Envoy was feeling the effects of towing the Viking; it was down to a half tank! Oh boy! And so began, the every two hour gas-up routine. My gas efficiency dropped to a lowly 11 mi/gal. I knew from previous trips that gas would go faster, but this time, I could measure it with scientific accuracy. No matter how many times I reset the tripometer and recorded the gallons filled, the situation didn't improve. 11 mi/gal. Done and done.
We made it all the way to Corinth, MS, by 1115. We were able to catch up with my aunt for lunch. Fried chicken sounded good, so we went to Zaxby's. Being from a divided State, we'd never had Zaxby's before. The CEO and I particularly enjoyed the buffalo sauce, but the middle minion's stomach became very ill. He was sick for 48 hours, with spiking pain in his gut and frequent trips to the restroom. Thankfully, the frequent gas-and-goes matched his need for the restroom. I don't think the restaurant did anything wrong. Instead, the middle minion seems to have his grandfather's odd food-aversion to fried chicken. Poor kid!
We arrived in Tupelo, MS, by early afternoon. We stopped by Walmart and Barnes & Noble. Then we went swimming in the hotel pool, and had a camping dinner of cheddar cheese, green grapes, summer sausage, and crackers. With the minions well worn out, bathed, and bedded. We prepared for another 0430 wake up.
THURSDAY:
Thursday morning, we got rolling early again, and stopped at the McDonald's in my ancestral home of West Point, MS. Oh the shock, when it took 30 minutes to get coffee. I dropped the CEO at the front door of McD's at 0530. It was 0600 before she emerged very frustrated. Apparently, Yankee terms like "mocha" and "frappe" were unknown to the good people of West Point. "Some coffee" as the only available item, despite whatever might be listed on the menu board.
By 0930 we'd made it down to the Gulf, and we had spotted our first Mobile, AL, palm trees. The last 20 AL miles of US Highway 45 were surprisingly rough, given the wide-open four-lane MS road. But, the view of the Mobile Bay and the USS Alabama were welcome sights, and the minions immediately began to ask how to the USS Alabama (BB-60), a South Dakota-class battleship, stacked up against the USS Missouri (BB-63), an Iowa-class battleship. Well, the "Lucky A" received 9 battle stars in battles across the globe and was retired in 1962. She displaces 35,000 tons and carries nine 16 inch/45 cal Mark 6 guns. But the "Mighty MO" served until 1998, receiving 11 battle stars. The MO displaces 45,000 tons and carries nine 16 inch/50 cal Mark 7 guns. Suffice to say, the Might MO is just in a whole different class.
By 1100 we were at the Florida Welcome Center. The rest stop proudly displayed a F-9 Cougar Blue Angel. The minions loved the jet planes, and the CEO enjoyed the fresh, free Florida orange juice thoughtfully provided by the people of Florida. I was amused at how my newer larger camping trailer ranked against the others in the parking lot...it was obvious that we were not the biggest game in town...
By 1400 we were at the Gulf Islands National Seashore: Fort Pickens Area. OH YEAH!!! Sand, waves, sea gulls. It was awesome! There are two bridges from the mainland to the Santa Rosa island. The first is free and takes you to the island city of Gulf Breezes, which is an aptly named place. There are plenty of gas stations and grocery stores. It was at the Walmart Neighborhood Market that I bought the world's best firewood bundle. I wouldn't discover it until later that night, but the bundle came with a chemical fire starter brick. (The fire was guarunteed to light, not matter the dampness thrown up by the waves. Once again, Florida is awesome. I wish Missouri firewood bundlers would do the same thing!!) The second bridge takes you out to Island of Santa Rosa. It is a toll bridge. Whatever Wikipedia may or may not say, it is a toll bridge. It costs $1.00 to get off the bridge. You can drive onto the bridge for free. I have no idea what happens if you get to the far side, have no where to turn around, and can't pay the eight bits. Don't be THAT guy.
We quickly set up camp. Unhitching was pretty easy. There was no screaming or crying this time. So, we must be getting better at it. Partly, I think the bikes were the key to the no screaming thing. The minions begged for their bikes, and began to circle the campground while the CEO and I encamped. Once we were unhitched, chocked-in, popped-up, tied-down, and folded-away, we decided to go to the fort. The minions wanted to ride the mile from the campground to the fort. The CEO slowly followed in the pace car while our boys willingly gave themselves some good exercise.
We ended up in the Fort Pickens Visitor Center at 4:29 pm, which was sadly 1 minute before the Ranger closed the shop. The Volunteer quickly handed us the Junior Ranger program guides and advised us to come back tomorrow. So, we left the shop and took the self-guided tour. The Santa Rosa island beaches were just too beautiful, and the fort was pretty awesome. Shortly before sundown, the boys reversed course and pedaled back to the campground.
We stopped halfway back to enjoy the beach. I could tell that the CEO wanted to see some waves. She didn't say anything, but I can feel the vibe that we should stop. This was not an occasion where waiting until the next day was going to be acceptable. It had been several years since her beautiful toes had been in the ocean, and she just wasn't going to wait any more. It was a treat to watch her enjoy the Gulf. It was even more amazing to watch our youngest two boys. This was their first time at the ocean. They hadn't seen waves or white sand before. Our youngest began to whoop and holler and run up and down the beach. Our middle boy began dodging in and out of the water as the waves rolled up onto the sand. Their smiles were huge.
The Fort Pickens Campground was awesome. There was only one set of tent campers. We were the only pop-up campers. Everyone else outclassed us in both RVs and decades, but that was great. They loved talking with our motor-mouths, didn't seem bothered by kids on bikes, and were super helpful. The shower houses were as clean as at home. The showers had plenty of hot water. The weather was ideal. At sundown, every went to bed pretty quickly. There were no obnoxious neighbors. No loud party crowds. No arguements to heard from across the grounds. It was just quiet. There was no road noise either. Because of the perfect Florida weather, no one ran any A/C or heater equipment. As the CEO and I went to bed, all we heard were the constant Gulf breezes and the waves. I slept deep that night. My back pain stopped. I didn't even snore. I was the least tense I'd ever been in a long, long time. It was like magic.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Campground:
Loops -
There are five loops (A, B, C, D, and E) and a group camping area. Loop A is on its own, while loops B through E are part of a larger connected area.
Shower Houses -
There were four shower houses. Ours had full-sized restrooms on one side and four individual shower rooms on the other side. The facilities were kept very clean. The dumpsters were kept at the far ends of the loops, far away from the shower houses.
Playgrounds -
There were no playgrounds. There were two fantastic, huge beaches within a few hundred feet of camp.
Trails -
There were several boardwalks from the main road to the beaches. There were several bike trails that crisscrossed the area, including one trail which lead from the campground to the fort.
Campsites:
Terrain -
The ground is flat and level. White sand and dune grasses are common. Pine trees provide some shade for the camp. The main road and campground roads are all asphalt. Some parking areas are gravel. Generally speaking, in your vehicle, you want to stay on the road, and off the sand.
Pad Space -
The pads are short. Each is big enough to fit a camping trailer or RV, but the towing vehicle has to be parked sideways across the pad to avoid having to park in over-flow parking. However, that seems to be the intent of the design, to allow camping equipment on the pad, but to push vehicles to the gravel lots.
Amenities -
Each campsite comes with one picnic table (not chained down), one fire pit, one electrical post, and one water spigot...and lots of gorgeous FL weather.
Camp Staff:
Check-in Hosts -
There were two check-ins: one for the park entry, and one for the campground. Each is manned by a combination of National Park Ranger and Volunteer. Everyone was great. They all seemed to especially like grandkids!
Campsite Hosts -
There were three sets of hosts on duty while we camped. One host came prepared with a folder entirely dedicated to local restaurants, arranged by catagory. He was like our very own concierge. One host gave us the guided tour of the place, when we asked her to simply guide us to the trash dumpsters.
Rangers -
The Rangers were awesome. Every Ranger or Volunteered seemed genuinely excited to talk with and teach our boys about the area. Everyone was tickled when our boys were sworn is as official Junior Rangers...they were big stuff, let me tell you!!
Programs -
The National Park offers Ranger-guided tours and self-guided tours of the old Fort Pickens. There is a Junior Ranger program, where youngsters fill-in an activity booklet and participate in activities. At the end of they get badges, patches, and a huge feeling of accomplishment.
Fun and exciting
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