While heading West to Pensacola, FL on I-10. I glanced out the side window only to see what looked like strips of paper flying off Beulah. I yelled for Shadow to stop. He pulled off to the shoulder and I jumped out of my seat and ran to the back thinking a wall had fallen off. Everything looked to be intact so I opened the side door and discovered our awning was ripped to shreds! I guess the combination of a windy day and a 13 year old awning doesn’t match. After stopping twice more to secure what was left, we decided to take a lunch break. I was my first turn to drive Beulah since we bought her and the best description I can gave for anyone curious is that it’s like driving a Macy’s Day parade float 55mph! During our lunch break, I learned Lesson #33. Always leave yourself a way out. I mistakenly pulled into a parking lot that I could not get out of without backing up. Shadow unhooked the Red Toad and I proceeded with an 8 point turn to get back on the road. I should have had a beer with lunch...
Around 5PM we pulled into Fort Pickens State Park. The park is located on a then strip of beach. The single asphalt road fought against mother nature’s wind and mother earth’s sand. Park rangers use snow plows to move the sand after if drifts onto the road. The day we arrived, both Mother’s were giving the rangers plenty of work to do.
We set up camp and met our friends Steve and Suzanne White for dinner.
A strong cold front came through the week we spent in FL Panhandle which made spending time on the white sandy beaches unpleasant, plus dogs were prohibited. A hiker we met on the trail (Die Hard) and his wife drove from Baton Rouge, LA to meet for a great night full of catching up.
All the wind blowing through as we arrived on Fort Pickens was a strong cold front that lasted most of the week. Luckily we kept warm yelling for beads at our first Mardi Gras parade.
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