Two Days on the Beach

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Our departure for Pensacola, Florida began with Jackson, Leighton and myself heftily criticizing our fellow road tripper Alex regarding the group decision to venture into the state of Florida, and even worse, into a city which we were unfamiliar with. When it comes to the state of Florida it's very simple to think of Orlando, Miami, retirees, and sunshine. However, there is much more that the biggest peninsula in the United States has to offer other than sunshine and house music.

Passing through Mississippi, I got lost in the book I was reading so from time to time I was able to catch glimpses of the farm country that characterizes the open fields that pioneers once walked upon. Chance struck when I lifted my head and was surprised by the sight of a group of pelicans flying horizontally with the skyline underlined by an endless blue field coated with white ripples of the waves that mark the ocean. The thick white clouds complimented the sight splendidly as we crossed the bridge that overlooks the gulf coast and passes into the city of Pensacola. It was official, we had reached our destination.

             Cue the tourist friendly hotels, white sand beaches, and shacks on the beach and you have the beginnings that are apparent in your average beach town down in the state of Florida. This portion of the trip had us returning to camping so the days consisted of the beautiful simplicity of camp fires and light cooking.  After setting up camp we spent a night on the beach appreciating some tunes provided by a local reggae/hip-hop fusion band which was putting on a concert. The night concluded with some late night stargazing by the water.

 The next day took us to Dauphin Island, also known to us as “Dolph Lundgren Island,” which can be found on the coast of Alabama, conveniently located just to the west of Pensacola. Getting to the island required us to take a ferry which featured sights of some immense drilling machines that looked as if they were from the future. Once we were set up on the island it was not long before we took ourselves for a day trip to the beach where we caught some amazing water shots with Alex’s GoPro. After a few hours and a bit too much sun, Leighton, Alex, Jackson and I prepared some dinner and concluded our night with a screening of the David Lynch classic Blue Velvet. As the others fell one by one to sleep, I slowly closed my eyes to the sounds of the crickets and the occasional rusting of the friendly neighborhood raccoon.

Going back to the stereotypical description that goes along with cities in Florida, I place great emphasis on the importance of getting away from the typical tourist hotel and dance club that can be so popular in the southern beach cities. To conclude our brief two day camping adventure I must say: Alex, we couldn’t have been more wrong. -C