Florida 2004
Our last week of Snowbird 2004 was spent at the tightly packed Navarre Beach Campground. Jack ventured into the campground pool; first time he had been in a pool in two years. This campground is located ~ 20 miles East of Pensacola on the Santa Rosa Sound. All in all, this campground meets our need as a place to escape Maryland's Winter; we have made a reservation to return in December.
Bound by Pensacola Bay to the North and the Gulf of Mexico to the South, sand at the Gulf Islands National Seashore on Santa Rosa Island seems to be whiter than that on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We enjoyed our visit. Gulf of Mexico water here is a beautiful emerald/blue color.
The Campground had a Snowbird Ho-Bo going away party where they served beans with ham, cornbread, and cake. They also provided entertainment- "4 More" singing in a-capella; they were good. Everyone had a good time. Marge, the Social Director, and ex- truck driver when the trucks didn't have power steering, did a good job in putting the party together.
At Naval Air Station Pensacola, we enjoyed seeing the air craft at the Naval Aviation Museum and the IMAX film "The Magic of Flight."
On the 25th we went to Opal Beach at Gulf Islands National Seashore where we walked and had a picnic. Patricia said that the water was a little cool.
We leave early Saturday, the 26th, for home and thus bring Snowbird 2004 to an end. It has been a very interesting and enjoyable four months. The weather was good; no snowy or icy roads for us this year! Visiting family in Tennessee, Texas, and California was a definite plus. We saw many new places during our 12,000 mile plus trip from coast to coast and met a lot of nice people along the way. There was an Army Chaplain from FT Bliss, an Alaskan who worked on the North Slope Oil Field, several Canadians, a farming couple who sold their dairy farm in upstate New York and started full-timing, a camp host who helped us out immeasurably with little RV problems, and so many more very nice people. There were many pets RV'ing too. It was not uncommon to see several dogs occupying the front window in a motor home. There were cats and birds too. Additionally, we discovered how to operate the RV more effectively and go about the RV'ing life style .
We look forward to the next Sunline Adventure. Please keep in touch with our travels.
Patricia and Jack
