Well, I'm finally getting around to following up on my vacation blog. I have returned, and rumors that I was eaten by jellyfish are greatly exaggerated! I had had, however, second thoughts about returning. The beach was very refreshing, and it only rained ONE TIME while we were there - at around 10:30 CDT our third night there, so I was asleep through most of it! YEA!
We left home in Plano Saturday morning around 10:30 Am, with the idea that we had to be in Pensacola Monday afternoon. So we drove around 8 1/2 hours, till we got to Monroe, Louisiana. We were surprised that, even though there was some distance between them, that Monroe didn't smell like dead fish. West Monroe has a large paper factory, so the town always smells because of it. Exactly like dead fish rotting on the bank on a hot sunny day. Oh, and don't go to the Cracker Barrel there - the service was slow and half-assed and the food came out mostly cold. But the Hampton Inn had some very nice people there - friendly and courteous. And very accommodating.
Our original plan was to sail through Mississippi to Mobile, Alabama. We decided Sunday morning as we crossed the state borders from Louisiana to Mississippi to stay in Gulfport or Biloxi, because we figured the time frame was close to the preveious day and we'd be cranky and hungry (the latter condition exacerbating the former). And we decided to take the
Natchez Trace Parkway there. It was really kinda cool - most of it was shady and natural, and there were several places you could stop and read about the settlers travelling north to Tennessee or south to the Biloxi area, some of the inns and historical landmarks along the original Trace, even a place you could actully walk where all those settlers travelled. Neat trip for hikers, nature lovers and history buffs! And those who are crippled...
We stayed in Gulport - eating at an IHOP, after the lousy meal we had in Monroe - at the Gulport Hampton Inn. It was as nice a room as Monroe, and still no smell, but they were repaving the parking lot right in front of our room first thing in the morning, so we couldn't park there! We had to drag all the stuff we needed what seemed like 3 blocks (but was probably only about two houses equivalent)! They weren't quite as nice as the Monroe 'Inn, either, but they weren't bad.
We set out Monday morning bright and early, around 7:30. I suppose I should have stayed and helped pack everything back in the Envoy, but I was told to keep my nephew occupied, so we went to eat breakfast. The eating area was nice, and there were 3 sections, each with its own big-screen HDTV. I should have paid more attention to the channel before we "men" sat down, but I didn't. I looked up at the TV mid-bite of biscuits and gravy and saw Fox News. I am a big fan of Anderson Cooper, American Morning and Keith Olberman - the people keeping the world honest. Unlike Fox Noise-er, News. So I picked up my plate and got up to leave. Michael, my nephew asked where I was going, and I said to another table, and gestured with my head toward the TV. He saw the program and said, "Oh, yuck!" and got up to follow.
We went Monday to Mobile and drove around downtown (after calling my aunt to say we were there, when we were supposed to have STAYED there and called her the night before! Oops... She's a worry wart anyway... needn't cloud her with trifles like that...) for about 4 hours. We followed a really cool map showing some of the historical homes and interesting architecture in the town. We had a lot of fun trying to decide which one we each wanted to live in!
We finally rolled into Pensacola around 3:00 pm, and drove another 40 minutes to Pensacola Beach. We crossed that last bridge and went to check in - at yet another Hampton Inn. This one was special, though. We went specifically to watch the Blue Angels perform aerobatics for the public - and this was their hometown! And right in front of that Hampton Inn is where they perform! So we get checked in, made plans to visit the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola - and then went to Wal-Mart. (Insert your joke here - I had ALL KINDS of smart-assed comments about that one...) Then we ate and watched the water - yes, we had an ocean view room! What can I say - my mother is spoiled! - until around 10:30, when one by one, we snuggled up in bed.
Tuesday was interesting - we went to the
National Museum of Naval Aviation located on Pensacola Naval Air Station . This was a cool flight museum showing the involvement of the Navy in flight since Worl War I - different styles and makes of planes from the
Sopwith Camel (like the one Snoopy claimed to fly in the comic strip and in "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown") to the F4U Corsair flown by
USMC Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington and his Black Sheep to the F/A-18 HornetS flown by the Navy's Blue Angels stunt team. They also had a few enemy planes, such as the Fokker DR.1 triplane (as flown by
Manfred von Richtoffen, AKA
Der Rote Freiherr, "The Red Baron") in WWI to the Messerschmidt ME262 A-1A "Swallow" - the world's first production turbojet-powered air fighter, and one of the main influences in modern aircraft design and avionics after World War II - to the Japanese "Zero", the dive-bombing "kamikaze" planes. The museum was really cool! I was more than a little tired, but my knee (very achy up to that time) didn't ache quite so much later. After the museum, we went to the beach shops across the road from the hotel. There were several, and we hit the biggest 3, looking for hats, souvenirs, shirts, beach toys, whatever. Then we ate and watched the people walk on the beach after dark for a couple of hours, then crashed.
Wednesday we went out on the beach. Now, when I said we had an oceanview room, that is true. However, I don't believe I mentioned that the Hampton Inn at which we stayed is actually beachFRONT. You go out a gate out back (any of 3) and you're ON the beach! So we dragged 2 carts (that we bought at Wal-Mart Monday night - I'm still shaking my head over that) loaded with beach chairs and gear and ice chests and stuff down to the water's edge and set up "camp" (if you don't mark your "territory", you don't get a decent place, or people park where you wanted to be and move you out.) After this procedure, we all waited in the hotel room - the Blue Angels were to perform a practice run of their show! About 10:00 or so, I believe, this big Coast Guard ship came nearby and "parked" at the end of the nearby pier. Mom and Shelley said they believed it was used as a target or sight for the Blue Angels show, along with the pier, but I came up with another idea as the 'Angels flew later. About 11:00 this pair of prop planes, with WW II US Army Air Corps markings flew by and started doing an aerobatics show - I guess as an opener to the 'Angels. They were pretty good! Then this goofy stunt flier in a triplane began his part of the show - he did all kinds of cool tricks including flying sort of diagonally, stalls and recoveries and the like - he made my sister nauseous watching him! I was impressed - until the next group began their performance. They flew prop planes like the first group, but later models, and silver, not marked for service.
Then the next part of the show - The Blue Angels! OMFG They were AWESOME! Only 5 of the 6 pilots practiced, as one was feeling under the weather. They flew in toward shore from almost directly across the Gulf from our hotel. Four of the five split from the group, and the 5th (in Plane 7) flew straight ahead, in memory of the
pilot who died in April this year. They did some AMAZING stunts flying at SUCH HIGH speeds! If you didn't see them before, or know anything about them, you'd swear they'd hit each other far more often! Around 11:45 the C-130 transport that escorts the 'Angels' shows all over, known as "Fat Albert", showed up, and it was over.
Fat Albert
We ate, then went to our beach "camp". Everyone commented how Albert was late - he was supposed to precede the 'Angels
I decided I wanted to chance swimming, then snorkeling, so I got the snorkeling kit I bought at Alvin's Island Shop the night before and went out on a boogie board, kicking out about 100 yards or so with my face in the surf (such as it was), looking at the critters under the Gulf's surface. I mostly saw hermit crabs (about 2 dozen or so) and a couple of jellyfish. It was kinda nice, though, getting off from the rest of the people on the beach. I was SO SHOCKED at the number of people there were on the beach that day! I was assured that it was bare compared to Saturday, the day of the full show. Oy, vey... I spent about 2 hours trying to build a sand castle that turned out all right, just not what I'd wanted, then lent some of the toys I used to build said castle to some of the kids on the beach.
Thursday and Friday were a bit of a repeat of Wednesday, except I was more careful of the sun - I got sunburned Wednesday, and I'm STILL peeling today! :-P - and Fat Albert did precede the Angels. After the practice show Thursday, my nephew met a cute little girl close to his age, and they hit it off like they'd known each other forver! (Her mom and my sister had to introduce them, though...) They spent quite a while together Thursday, part of Friday and most of Saturday.
Saturday was THE show! All three of the opening acts performed all 4 days, but Saturday, all 6 of the Blue Angels performed!
The show was SO MUCH MORE intense and exciting with all 6 planes there! And considering the absolutely clear weather over Pensacola Beach that day, they were able to do some high-altitude stunts we didn't see the rest of the week! OMFG - if you ever get the chance, and you like these kinds of shows, you HAVE to see the Blue Angels at Pensacola Beach - it is, after all the team's home base, and they do more there than at any other location!
Sunday we packed up, disappointed that we couldn't stay longer - and swearing one of us HAD to win the Lotto Texas or Mega Millions lotto jackpots so we can move there - and headed home. Tired, but feeling better despite the long drive, we got home almost 12 hours later, and unpacked. And about half of it remained in the living room until Monday night. My sister decided it needed to go away so I wouldn't trip after having my surgery Tuesday - another blog subject altogether!
Rock on!
Durham
