March 19-26, 2010
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Our top priority for a weekend in Tallahassee was getting back on the saddle again --- what better way to celebrate the first day of spring? The abandoned railbed of the historic Tallahassee-St. Marks Railroad was as flat and as straight as anyone would expect in Florida:
A 7 mile ride brought us to the waterfront of St. Marks, on the St. Marks River --- a quaint place for sure --- just in time for lunch:
After eating at a waterside cafe, we enjoyed watching the boat traffic at the conjunction of the St. Marks and Wakulla Rivers:
(St. Marks is perhaps 8 miles upriver from the gulf.)
A stone’s throw away is the San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park, a reminder that Spanish explorers were here almost 500 years ago! In 1528, to be exact, the first group of 300 men arrived, tramping overland from Tampa. Eleven years later, Hernando de Soto reached here with 600 men using the same route. Finally, in 1679, the first of several forts was constructed on the site as the Spanish clearly intended to stay.
Before heading out of St. Marks we couldn’t resist posing for the paparazzi:
One section of the trail floods regularly, we were told. So, the photo below shows nothing unusual. Obviously, this is not the best place for a stop:
Our bike ride complete, we drove to nearby Wakulla Springs State Park to have a look. We were amazed at the crowds on this Saturday afternoon! The Wakulla Wildlife Festival was winding down as we arrived but plenty of music, entertainment and, of course, a few wild animals (mostly reptiles and birds) could still be enjoyed.
Away from the crowds, the beauty of this well-loved park was easy to appreciate:
The main springs area provides lodging, dining, swimming, a playground and boat rides. More remote areas as below are not so commercial:
The springs in this park are the major source of the Wakulla River.
Good thing we spent Saturday outdoors as our Sunday in Tallahassee was laced with showery weather and a stiff wind. Still, we managed to tour a bit of the FSU campus in between showers:
The chilly wind persisted into Monday in Panama City with skies remaining overcast. Great day for taking people-pictures, they say. However, we started with a portrait of this venerable old oak, aged about 250 years, in a city park:
That set the stage for more youthful beings, not nearly so venerable:
In the same park is a genuine abnormality: a four-headed palm --- the only known such palm in the world. It even survived transplanting in 1997!
Panama City hosts a number of serious fishing boats:
as well as a fleet designed for recreation:
Taking leave of Panama City, we headed for Pensacola under brightening skies. One of our stops on the way was Eden Gardens State Park, a pretty oasis of peacefulness that contains a renovated old mansion, huge oaks, attractive gardens and, even, a bayou:
Farther along, sunny conditions prompted us to walk the beaches, sharing a not-particularly warm day with dedicated beach lovers:
When the sun does shine, Florida panhandle beaches are certainly a bright white. We were impressed, too, with the sand’s fine, almost-powdery softness.
Finally settled into Pensacola, an evening activity we looked forward to and in which we were not disappointed was a dance held by the “Over 55 Dance Club.” The venue was a new and extremely large community center of over 17,000 square feet. Of that, about 6,000 is taken by one large hall with a view over Pensacola Bay. Returning to the hall the next afternoon with a camera, we found the dance hall deserted and disguised as a meeting room. Obviously, this spacious hall has many uses other than dances:
A Pensacola sight not-to-be-missed is the National Museum of Naval Aviation. Lucky us, we succeeded in coordinating our visit with a weather forecast that called for downpours. The first drops were falling as we entered and rain continued to drench the area for hours, making us in no hurry to leave. Fortunately, there is so much of educational and entertainment value inside, we were happy to spend most of the day there.
The museum contains an incredible number of aircraft, numerous cockpits for young folks of all ages to explore, recreations of WWII-era scenes, an IMAX theater and loads of information, much of which is by video. We were surprised that, unlike the Smithsonian Aviation Museums, there are few barriers to be seen surrounding the aircraft --- you can walk right up to just about all of them! Truth be told, you actually have to mind your head. The museum also has a very interesting cafe. It was transported piecemeal from the Philippines and reconstructed here after closure of the American base at Subic Bay. The “Cubi Bar Cafe” has good food, too.
Of the many unusual aircraft inside, this NC-4 was one of the most fascinating to us. This was the very first plane to complete a transatlantic journey (in several hops in May 1919). Now --- tell the truth --- have you ever heard of it before?
(Sorry a better shot wasn’t possible but there are so many planes in this museum, it is rather difficult to take shots of a single aircraft.)
Below is a revealing cutaway of a PBY-Catalina, a celebrated flying boat of the 30’s and 40’s:
That cutaway is below this yellow glider. An entire PBY-Catalina (partially visible) hangs between the two:
Of course, the famous Blue Angels flying team is also represented:
Not all vehicles on display are aircraft. For example, this 1941 Ford sedan in a WWII-era scene is in mint condition:
Having owned a 1940 Ford coupe for many years and having a brother who owned and customized a 1941 Mercury sedan, John had a hard time taking his eyes off this jewel.
Leaving the museum with the rainclouds spent, we briefly toured the historic part of Pensacola near the Seville Quarter:
Staring in disbelief at the incredible figure before us, “Could this be the infamous Nessie,” we wondered? If so, we were at a loss to explain how she could have gotten into Mobile Bay. Doubting Thomases might suggest that this was only flotsam or jetsam but, then, the world is sadly full of skeptics.
Our Nessie was photographed from the dock at Fairhope AL on a dreary kind of day. Taking a looping daytrip from Pensacola, we had headed west on the “Old Spanish Trail” to Mobile Bay, driven south and returned by way of Perdido Key. Too bad about the weather --- it was only suitable for taking monster photos.