28-31DEC08 - Biloxi, MS & Pensacola, FL (happy new years!)

Sunday morning, 28DEC, we departed Rebecca’s and Raymond’s driveway enroute to the Atlantic Ocean beaches of Florida. Since most of our route eastward was on Interstate I-10, this gave us an opportunity to once again check out the casinos in Biloxi. Knowing that we might lose some money on the games of chance, we decided to minimize our expenses as much as possible. So we stopped at the Mississippi tourist center and checked out what freebie coupons the casinos were offering; and rather than pay to stay in a RV Park, we dry camped in one of the casino parking lots. With our two for one meal coupon, and minimal gambling loss, it turned out to be one of our cheapest days RV’ing.

The next morning we pulled into the military RV Park at Naval Air Station Pensacola. This was very nice, small, RV facility located on a beautiful beach on Pensacola Bay. NAS Pensacola is known as the cradle of Naval Aviation, and the home of Blue Angels. It is viewed as the cradle because it was the first Naval Air Station and for decades all Naval, Marine Corps and CG Aviators received their initial flight training here. Before the Air Station, the location was one of the first Naval Yards in the USA. After parking the RV we rode our bikes around the base. We found it to be a beautiful location with oak lined roads and large brick housing from the early 1900s. Unfortunately many of the brick buildings of the original Naval Yard were leveled by Hurricane Ivan.

http://www.naspensacola.navy.mil/

http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/

First thing Tuesday morning we were at the Naval Air Museum located on base. Not only is this the number one Naval Air Museum in the world, it probably is one of the top five Air Museums. The number of aircraft on display, the dioramas, the things to do, etc, are overwhelming. Corrie lasted until lunch, Dan went until closing and could have spent two more days. There is an IMAX theater, motion based flight simulators, space exhibit, POW exhibit, WWI exhibit, WWII exhibit, mock-up of USS CABOT flight deck, art gallery, lighter than air display, etc. And the always popular CG aviation exhibit! In the CG aviation exhibit you will learn that LT Elmer Stone, USCG, was a very important person in the development of USN aviation – being one of two pilots to fly the first trans-Atlantic flight in the NC-4 in MAY 1919 (Lindberg was the first solo, but he wasn’t the first!), and later developing catapult and arresting gear systems for the first USN carriers.

One of the most interesting exhibits was the Cubi Bar Café, where we had lunch. The Cubi Bar was the Officers Club at the Navy Base Subic Bay, Phillipines, until Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991. After the eruption the USA decided to abandon Subic Bay and Clark Air Base. A group of individuals banded together to disassemble the Officer’s Club and rebuild it in the Naval Air Museum. So? you ask. Well it turns out that different naval aviation squadrons that were deployed on carriers on what is known as WestPac patrols (ie Western Pacific) would leave unit plaques to be place on the bar’s walls. What started out as the standard unit plaque, soon turned into a competition to see what squadron could be the most creative. Eventually the plagues turned into statues, and one was even done on a full size surf board. Apparently there are thousands of plagues that they don’t have room for in storage, and many of them are deemed too risqué for a family attraction?

http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/

Next day we drove into Pensacola for breakfast at the Coffee Cup Café, supposedly THE place to have breakfast in town. Sadly, it was closed in preparation for New Years eve. Luckily Dan had researched similar eateries and had a standby. So our next stop was Jerrys. Good thing we knew it was a café, because from the outside it looked like a bar with neon beer signs in the window. But once inside we discovered a neighborhood café quickly filling up with locals for breakfast. Of course Dan had being the more adventurous had to try the chicken liver omelet.

From Jerrys we headed to downtown Pensacola for some sightseeing. Turns out that most of the town was closed also in preparation for New Years. This year Pensacola was going to have their first ever lowering of giant pelican at midnight. Turns out that pelicans are the symbol of the city and there are many uniquely painted pelican statues throughout the city. Since most of the stores were closed and the police were blocking the streets in preparation for the lowering of the pelican, we headed back to the RV.

Next Dan headed down the road on his bike to tour Fort Barrancas & its Advanced Redoubt parts of the Gulf Island National Seashore. He was lucky enough to catch the daily Ranger tour. Turns out these coastal defenses were part of a national system of coastal forts called the “Third System” built between 1816 to 1867. It took 4 million hand laid bricks to build Fort Barrancas, and the labor of 60 men (slaves) over five years to build. As usual with static military defenses, they were obsolete upon completion.

http://www.nps.gov/guis/planyourvisit/fort-barrancas.htm

As has been the case for the last several years, we didn’t make it until midnight to ring in the New Year. In any case may 2009 be a good one for you and yours!!!

Trivia: There were 14 British colonies in the New World, why do we only learn about 13 in USA history? The first battle of the Civil War was at Fort Sumter; but where were the first shots fired? What does the Thach Weave have to do with Naval Aviation?