Day 22: Midway to Covington LA

We left Midway early and continued our journey on I-10 toward Pensacola. This area has a lot of limestone, springs, sink holes and caves. My geology book had a picture of a 100 foot sink hole that has a waterfall going down into it -- strange looking.

As we got closer to Pensacola, we appeared to be going up hill (slightly) and discovered that we were following the Old Spanish Trail which went along the Florida "high ground." We near the DeFuniak Springs exit, we passed by the highest natural point in Florida -- 345 feet. Then we went over a high overpass and wondered if that might be the highest unnatural point in Florida.

We passed into the Central Time Zone and having gained an hour decided to make a detour. We got off the freeway and took highway 85 through the Eglin air Force base. This road goes to "Nicefille" which I'm adding to my list of place names. Also, at one of the rest stops they displayed a brochure for a town named "Kissimmee" -- that's going on the list too. Niceville and Kissimmee FL.

We went through Fort Walton Beach then followed highway 98 along a 40+ mile peninsula that forms the south border of Pensacola Bay (Gulf on the left, bay on the right). We passed a large gate to get into the AFB and an Air Force housing area that was right on the Gulf. We really liked the area, reminded us a little of Bremerton.

Pretty soon we could see a large island on the Gulf side with dunes of white sand resembling snow drifts, Santa Rosa Island. When I was young, my family came to Pensacola Beach on this island several times. My father trained at the Pensacola Air Base then flew a sea plane in the Pacific during WWII. He brought the family back here for summer vacations and I have fond memories of the white, squeaky sand beaches and playing in the ocean. Since I grew up in Kansas, this was the first time I saw the ocean.

We finally reached the end of the peninsula and crossed the toll bridge to reach Pensacola Beach. We immediately saw a heron on the bay-side of the road (must be good luck).

The ocean was so blue; the sand was white as snow. The sand here consists of 99% pure quartz. It has the texture of sugar, unlike sand anywhere else I've seen.The area has three roads. The one you come in on T's into a road to the right an a road to the left. From either road you can see the Gulf on one side and bay on the other. Along each road are a combination of hotels, homes, condos, marinas and miles and miles of beaches. The whole area is a public beach and just beautiful.

We stopped at several beaches and drove up to where the road was closed due to hurricane damage in 2004 and the fact that it was sea turtle nesting season. I can't get over how much the sand looks like snow, especially in this area.

We hated to leave and vowed to return. We both really liked this area. It is an ideal beach. So reluctantly, we crossed the bridge back to the mainland. Then headed for the bridge to Pensacola (6 miles long) -- they have long bridges in Florida.

Pensacola (population 56,255, elevation 39 feet) was settled in 1698. During the years since then, it flew the flags of Spain, France, England, the Confederate States, and the United States. The government changed hands 13 times. Much of the city is along the bay. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of the city as the highway (I-110) is elevated most of the way back to I-10.

Pensacola is on the border with Alabama. We went through Alabama in less than an hour. Noticed that Mobile had a cruise ship docked in the harbor. The swamp land now is more of a bayou or marsh along the coast. We got through Mississippi in about an hour and ended up in Covington, Louisiana -- north of New Orleans on Interstate-12.

We were planning on stopping at a Best Western Motel. We exited from the freeway and ended up on a six-lane highway -- noticed the BW sign up ahead on the left. We managed to get over into the left turn lane and turned. Ended up on a road that had access to a Super 8 Motel, gas station, and "Waffle House"(we've seen a lot of these in the south). BUT no frontage road or side road leading over to the BW. There was no way to go around the block either. So we tried going through the parking lots, ended up going over the curb at the Waffle House and were faced by posts with chains between them between us and the BW. So we parked in the Burger King lot and Jim went in to ask how to get there from here.

The clerk told him to get back on the six-lane road (which was packed with cars) quickly jump over three lanes and make a U turn at the Burger King sign. Then go past the hotel and make a U turn at the next intersection. We gingerly went back over the curb at the Waffle House, and decided the Super 8 looked really good. So here we are. Dinner at the Waffle House and on to Texas tomorrow.