Walking, Exploring, Picnicking

Fort Pickens Campground — Gulf Islands National Seashore (GINS), Florida
Temps: Lo 67F / Hi 73F (19C / 23C)

We woke up to so much fog in the campground that we thought for sure the day was going to be a bust. Hah! An hour later, the sun had burned off the fog and was peeking through the mostly-cloudy skies. Of course that meant we just had to go out and explore — despite the 100% humidity (ugh!).

We decided to walk a bit down the way to explore one of the coastal artillery fortifications overlooking the Gulf of Mexico — Battery Langdon (1923; casemated 1943). As we wandered up and over the battery, the clouds provided welcome filtering of the strong sun; and the breeze cooled us down while we sat a while … enjoying the view and our snacks.

(The light was sort of blah most of the day … and it shows in the photos.)

I catch Mui atop Battery Langdon …

… he catches me with his camera as I come up to join him.

When the sun comes out briefly, the scenery is visibly brightened.

Two to Travel at Battery Langdon.

From Battery Langdon, we walked back to the campground, got on the short trail from Loop B, and went to explore Battery Worth (1899). I’m going to write about these fortifications in a later post, so just a photo for now.

Visitors are allowed to wander freely on the fortifications.

By the time we returned to the coach, we were drained from the humid heat. What to do? Easy solution for Mui was to go for another dip in the ocean. So, we grabbed some snacks and drove over to Langdon Beach. The water temp was 62F (17C) — just a degree or two warmer than when he went for a dip a few days ago. He doubled up on his snorkeling skin layer and felt more comfortable in the water this time. So much so that he didn’t want to come out until I finally prevailed.

33 seconds in the water!

Happy Crazy Man!

The rain threatened all day, but not a drop fell.

When we eventually returned home we had just enough time to shower, get changed, and get over to Fort Pickens for the only program they offer this time of the year — an hour-long ranger-led tour. Describing herself as a “baby ranger,” Elizabeth enthusiastically launched into the program, which included a 10-minute lecture about the history of the fort and a 65-minute tour. Yes, that adds up to more than 60 minutes!

Ranger Elizabeth and one of the few cannons remaining at Fort Pickens.

I’m going to post about Fort Pickens separately, so for now … moving on. Mui was ready to call it quits after the tour, but I wasn’t ready to head home yet. So, we compromised — he went home, promising to come and get me when I was ready; I headed over to the museum, which reopened last spring after having been closed for nearly eight years following storm surge damage from Hurricane Ivan. More on that when I post about Fort Pickens.

Climbing atop the seawall that was built to protect Fort Pickens from storms, I wandered along the perimeter of the grounds, eventually ending up at the beach. Spotting a Great Blue Heron standing statue-still as some fisher people went about their business nearby, I hopped down the wall and quietly approached it. This bird could have cared less about my presence. I sat down on a toppled tree for a while before inching my way across the sand to spend some quality time with the heron … a very special experience. And yes … lots of photos.

Noticing that this Great Blue Heron is missing a foot, I wonder how that impacts its life.
(I didn’t have to wonder long; after about 30 minutes, it hopped a little ways,
picked up a twig in its beak, and flew off to its nest. It returned before I left
the beach and started fishing further down the beach … it has adapted.)

(That’s a double-crested cormorant in the background.)

There were other birds around as well, but not many — a pelican, a willet, a loon. Of course I got pictures of them as well, but I’ll spare you and skip to the end of our day.

After the heron flew off to his nest, I called Mui and suggested he make a couple of sandwiches and join me to watch the sunset. When he arrived, we put our chairs atop Battery Payne — not another soul around — and settled down to enjoy the scenery as the setting sun changed the colors of the sky and the landscape.

A nice ending to the day ...