The Great (North) American Road Trip: It's Pensacola Not Pepsi Cola (Florida)

Pensacola, FL

The night of sleeping in the front seat of the car left us with some creaky bones. I had a moment where I thought to myself that Danny Glover said it best with “I’m gettin’ too old for this shit!” Then I stood up and stretched, and my youth came back to me just like the skills of riding a bike do. We were not in the best of moods, but after a quick teeth brushing and the knowledge that we were no longer near New Orleans made us feel much better. The day was already better than the previous.

I called my great aunt Joan to see when she was going to be home in Columbus, Georgia and was informed that she would be home around four in the afternoon. We took it upon ourselves to kill time by exploring the gulf coast. We cruised along the scenic drive and enjoyed the view out the window as we passed through lovely neighborhoods filled with nice houses on streets that were laced with trees that spread across the roads. It was a great way to start the day and Florida was in our sights which promised to make it even better.

We made to the panhandle with the state beach in Pensacola as our first destination for the day. We made a quick stop at the Pensacola Beach visitor’s center for the standard bathroom use and quick scan of the brochures and maps and such. I saw a flyer concerning the recent oil spill and took it upon myself to ask the lady at the counter if the area had been affected. She let us know that a couple of weeks prior they had shut down one beach near the area, but it was a false alarm as the beach was up and running later that same day. This was good news to us, because swimming sounded fantastic. The lady was very nice and informative as she also filled us in with some information concerning Fort Pickens. The fort was part of the national park that also contained a few state beaches.

The sand in Pensacola is unlike any beach I have ever seen. The sand was so white it was almost blinding and all the while it was really something to gawk at. We arrived at the park kiosk and talked to the park ranger. She let us know that the fort had guided tours at ten and two. It was ten thirty. The ranger then told us that the beaches in the area were under watch for rip tides. Her next question was to where we came from. We told her we were from Vegas and she told us that we needed to swim at the beach with a lifeguard as if we have never swam in salt water before. I sort of laughed and played along. We then drove down to the Fort Pickens.

Fort Pickens was built from 1829-1834 and served its use all the way up to the 1940’s. It was used during the Civil War amongst other disputes and was always being renovated to keep up with the ever changing arms races. We picked up the self guided brochure, which walked you through the fort with little excerpts about each room and section. Even though it was early in the day the place was really creepy. It was filled with all sorts of tiny dark rooms and long, empty and dimly lit hallways. The place looked like it could have been the set for a horror movie. There were also original canons and lookouts and all sorts of other weaponry. We found out that Geronimo was even held prisoner in the fort for about a year in the late 1800’s.

The fort was designed in the shape of a pentagon and is now open on one side due to a fire breaking out and reaching a supply of gunpowder, thus causing the wall to explode. From the exterior of the fort a decent amount of the fort was hidden like a bunker in the sand. There were all sorts of interesting looking doors that popped up out of the ground, much like the TV show Lost. It was all really interesting and we spent the better part of an hour and half exploring the grounds.

The sun kept getting stronger and stronger and since we were so close to the gulf we put on our bathing suits and made our way for the beach. The beach was fantastic. The white sand was gorgeous and the water was fantastically warm. It was probably around the low to mid 80’s, but since it was so damn hot out it was still refreshing. The gulf was calmer than an ocean, but still had some waves; they just were no bigger than a foot at most. After spending the better part of an hour at the beach we realized that it was later than expected and we needed to get on the road. We still had a couple hours drive to make it to Columbus, Georgia and it was around three o’clock.

We made it to the car and something funny happened. I turned the keys and nothing happened. The onset of panic started to set in. The wagon had done so well and had made it this far, it would be a shame if something went wrong now. I quickly jumped into troubleshooting mode. I took the keys out and tried again. Nothing. I had forgotten to take the keys out of my pocket when we were swimming, so I thought maybe we should try Jen’s keys. Nothing. The headlights and radio still worked so the battery was obviously good. I then popped the hood and had Jen try to start it so I could listen to the starter. It wasn’t even cranking. This would signal the possibility of it being dead, but it would have been waning over the past couple of starts and it had always started strong, so that was a bit curious. I then popped off the fuse box just to check things out. A fuse was blown so I replaced it, but it was not anything that would cause the car not to start. Jen tried again and nothing happened. This is where the possibility of it not starting was serious. I then sat down in the front seat and due to luck I noticed that the car had been left in reverse instead of park. I shifted into park and the car started right up. Good old forgetfulness caused the failure to start. We were ridiculously relieved and let out a huge sigh of relief and shared a kiss and high five in celebration. On to Columbus we went, where a nice bed and my great aunt Joan was waiting for us.