Boarding first, we were followed by four bicyclists. After the gates closed, a pick-up truck arrived and the crew opened up again, doubling the motorized vehicle load.
Leaving Dauphin Island we get a good view of the public boat launches from the water side.
Fort Gaines slips into the distance.
Underway with lots of unused capacity.
The $40 fee was collected mid-bay. The Crew on the Mobile Bay Ferry were friendly and efficient.
We passed several rigs that provide natural gas. I wouldn’t want to be sailing around here in the fog without good radar.
Our captain announced that we would be turning the ferry around and running across the bay backwards. This allowed them to shut down the aft engine so they could change a belt while underway.
Jon J, “Crewman No. 2” unlocked the door to the engine room below us. He was back in twenty minutes and we had two working engines again.
Crew duties are posted.
People often ask lots of questions about our van. Beth gave a tour to a curious cyclist during our crossing.
Passing another gas rig.
A freighter crosses our stern as it heads out into the Gulf of Mexico.
These interesting folks are taking a break from peddling. Leaving San Diego a month ago, they expect to reach Fernandina Beach in another ten days to complete a coast-to-coast journey.
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Disembarking from the ferry, we drove around the grounds of Fort Morgan and checked out a Kayak launch site.
28,238 11:40AM 80°F
Arriving in Florida, we stopped at the Perdido Beach Visitor’s Center where friendly volunteers urged us to stay in the area and enjoy the local cuisine.
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Arrived at Big Lagoon State Park. Our site has privacy, is close to the bath house (which has screens in the windows), and backs to a small pond. Sites with electric and water are $22.30 per night.
We like the view out our back window at Big Lagoon. The site has a nice fence that will keep us safe from the alligators and other local fauna that live in the pond.
Still early in the day, we drove into Pensacola for lunch. Passing the crowded parking lot at Joe Patti’s Seafood, we did a U-turn to see what was so popular. Turns out that the restaurant is closed on Sundays, but the seafood market is open every day. The counter had a HUGE selection of fresh fish and shellfish.
We didn’t leave hungry, as there is a both selling made-to-order beignets. These deep fried pastries dusted with powdered sugar were a treat.
Driving into downtown Pensacola, we did find a few restaurants open in the historic district. With the warm weather we opted for a sidewalk table at Hub Stacey’s. Tasty, large sandwiches were big enough to save half for later.
Much of the historic district is closed on Sunday, but the Wentworth History Museum was open.
This unique map shows Lake Superior with an inset of Florida and the Bahamas. Published in Venice, Italy in 1778, it shows for islands in Lake Superior that don’t really exist.
Not quite sure why this was in the museum collection, but it hails from my home stomping grounds in northern New York. My sister, who still lives in the area, reports that she has seen a few folks try Saratoga spring water out of a fountain and immediately spit it out.
Finding the other parts of the district, including the railroad museum, closed up for the day, we headed back to Big Lagoon.
A part of the Florida Bird Watching trail runs through the park and culminates at this tower. Beth, who isn’t fond of heights, made it to the top.
The view is worth climbing the stairs. Back towards shore we could see Intuition alone in the parking lot.
Looking seaward, we could see boats traversing the Intracoastal Waterway, protected barrier islands, and the Gulf of Mexico beyond. The sailors liked the spot, taking down their sails and anchoring shortly after the shutter snapped this photo.
Back down the stairs on her own, Beth thought the views of boats and birds were worth the climb.
A kayaker fishes between a barrier island and the park.
We love watching pelicans glide and dive. In addition to the birds, we observed a few planes, flying in pairs from the nearby Pensacola Navel Air Station, our destination for tomorrow.