A Beautiful Sunday

We left Big Bass Campground near Ocala with the intention of arriving a few days later on the east coast of Texas..  guess what?   We're NOT THERE YET..  (smile).    Sheryl suggested we check out the Gulf Shores National Seashore near Pensacola Beach, Florida.   We found a National Park Seashore Campground at Fort Pickens with lots of space and surrounded by water.  

 

 

We got into the National Seashore free with our "America the Beautiful" pass-card.  Our pass-card also got us a 50% discount on the daily camping rate which went from $20 to $10 per night including  water and electric.   And as of today, you can stay 42 DAYS per year before having to move!  How great is that! 

We have been enjoying the sun, sand, and surf.

 

It's a six-mile drive from the city out a peninsula toward Fort Pickens and the campground.

There's water and sand on either side..  and what a sunset.

More about Fort Pickens in a later blog..

Today Sunday, January 28, 2012, began with a great sunrise, breakfast, and a fantastic church service at South Side Campus of the Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church.   It reminded us of being back at New Covenant - nice building, lots of people, a great worship team, timely video, and a great message..  all right here in the heart of Dixie...  well, the Pensacola, Florida area.

Before going back to the RV in the campground, we took a little sightseeing tour of downtown Pensacola.   And we love ships..  take a look at this one.

Our question was:  "What is it?"   We found out later that the Global 1200 is a pipeline laying ship capable of laying up to 60" concrete encased pipe.   Since we're on the Gulf of Mexico (BP OIL), a pipeline laying ship made perfect sense.   Speaking of ships, notice the bowsprit at the right of the picture.

The "Peacemaker" was tied up at the wharf and was open to the public.  Originally built in the 1980's, it was purchased by the Twelve Tribes in the summer of 2000, a religious group with 50 or so communities in North and South America, Europe, and Australia.    They spent the next seven years replacing all of the ship’s mechanical and electrical systems and rigging it as a barquentine. The refit vessel set sail for the first time in the spring of 2007, under the name Peacemaker.  The Peacemaker will be used to travel between the communities of the Twelve Tribes while providing an apprenticeship program for their youth in sailing, seamanship, navigation, and boat maintenance.

 

The ship has a United States Coast Guard attraction vessel permit and is available for festivals and dockside hospitality events.

Our plans for tomorrow are to visit the Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum...   but, ya never know.   Something else might come along.