Upcoming trip to Fort Myers,Florida

Back to Fort Barrancas. :D I looked around the Parade Ground a couple more minutes and then went down into the casemated area of the fort where I had not yet been. Since I only had 10-15 minutes at most left to spend inside the fort,my camera battery was dead and I had already determined this was not to be my only visit to Fort Barrancas, I took one picture down below with my cellphone and spent the rest of the time exploring. I recall this being at the beginning of the passageway next to the sally port and the only light bulb belowdecks being there:

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Looks like you had a great trip, think we'll be covering a lot of the same ground before seeing you in Oct. :thumbsup:
Hope y'all are able to spend more time on the ground in Mobile and Pensacola than I did. It was great but there is a lot to see in both.
 
Hope y'all are able to spend more time on the ground in Mobile and Pensacola than I did. It was great but there is a lot to see in both.
I was looking back over the pictures and noticed on Post #123 how the flags are flown at half-staff. It had missed my attention earlier, and going further back I saw no others displayed as such, and found no reference to it. What is the common denominator involved with the flag displayed half-staff? Thanks,
Lubliner.
 
I was looking back over the pictures and noticed on Post #123 how the flags are flown at half-staff. It had missed my attention earlier, and going further back I saw no others displayed as such, and found no reference to it. What is the common denominator involved with the flag displayed half-staff? Thanks,
Lubliner.
There was a funeral there that morning. The procession was leaving when I arrived. Somebody else may correct me, but I believe they lower the flag to half-staff at national cemeteries on the day of interments.
 
I was looking back over the pictures and noticed on Post #123 how the flags are flown at half-staff. It had missed my attention earlier, and going further back I saw no others displayed as such, and found no reference to it. What is the common denominator involved with the flag displayed half-staff? Thanks,
Lubliner.
There was a funeral there that morning. The procession was leaving when I arrived. Somebody else may correct me, but I believe they lower the flag to half-staff at national cemeteries on the day of interments.
The flags have been flying that way for some time by Presidential order in memory of the late Justice of the Supreme Court, though I forget how long they were to be that way.
 
The flags have been flying that way for some time by Presidential order in memory of the late Justice of the Supreme Court, though I forget how long they were to be that way.
He passed away on 7/16. I was at Barrancas National Cemetery on 6/24.
 
Oh, I had the idea that this was a current trip, and that maybe you were still there!
It was last month, 6/19-6/24. With my work and family schedule now,I don't get to and through these threads as quickly as I used to.
 
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We rolled out of Mobile/Daphne ar 6:30am for the run to Fort Myers. We stopped 4-5 times on the way and arrived around 5:30pm. One of the great things about Florida interstate highway stretches is that there are rest areas every 30-45 miles. Also,one thing I forgot to take into account was the time change. When you cross the Chattahoochee River on IH-10 just west of Tallahassee,you enter the Eastern Time Zone. Didn't make much difference that Thursday because it was already a scheduled travel day. It was a long haul too and I knew from Google Maps we'd be getting there about the time we did. It made a difference going back though. It made the arrival time in Pensacola earlier than I had anticipated. Anyway,the turn south off of IH-10 and onto IH-75 is about midway between Tallahassee and Jacksonville. Part of that stretch of IH-10 and all of IH-75 was new to me. For the first coupla hours south on IH-75 the countryside is just like the Florida panhandle and even East Texas...hills,creeks and piney woods with scatterings of oak trees. For about an hour on IH-75, we hit the only bad weather we experienced on the whole trip. Then all of the sudden,somewhere south of Gainesville on IH-75,the terrain just flattens out and it's palm trees,sago palms,marsh grass,creeks,sloughs,ponds etc. for the rest of the run to Fort Myers and probably further south. Even though it is beautiful,it's boring after awhile. Lemme tell you something else. Driving on IH-75 in Florida is like driving on the straightaway at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is a 3-4 lane highway on both sides and the speed limit is 70mph. I got in the "slower traffic keep right" righthand lane and set the cruise control at 77-78mph and the traffic just flew by us in the other lanes. Those people are crazy. :D We arrived at 5:30pm,unloaded our stuff real fast and then went and ate at a seafood restaurant named "Pinchers" that had been recommended. The food was good,the service was great and we were tired afterwards. We gassed up,went back to our room and fell out. Long haul and long day.
Was that Pinchers on Esterro Blvd?
 
Was that Pinchers on Esterro Blvd?
Don't recall the name of the street. I think there are 2 Pinchers in Fort Myers.
 
It was last month, 6/19-6/24. With my work and family schedule now,I don't get to and through these threads as quickly as I used to.
@bdtex, I know these trip logs take a lot of time to put together, compounded with daily tasks, plus the upkeep to your membership here. I personally want to thank you for the effort and time spent in completing the log. I have remained stationary for too long, yet am still grasping the encumbrance of doing these adventures. I may one day decide to go stepping out. God willing, weather permitting, and a purposeful contribution may be all it takes. Again, Thanks.
Lubliner.
 
Inside the casemate and just off the sally port is the Guard Room. According to the NPS brochure,it had 4 bunks and there were 6 guards. Unless the fort was on full alert,there were 2 guards on duty and 4 off. They rotated,2-hours on,4-hours off. You could see inside the guard room,but you can't go in. There's a heavy steel grated door in the doorway. There are also 2 powder/ordnance magazines with heavy steel grated doors. Had to have a flashlight to see in them and I was glad I always have one in my daypack. The other notable thing down in the casemate is the remains of the hot shot furnace. They heated cannonballs for firing at wooden sailing and steam powered vessels.

In retrospect, I wish I had taken one picture with my cellphone camera in a passageway in the casemate. It really is pretty amazing down there. With all the cannon ports and rifle firing slits in the outer walls,the lighting is a bit surreal. And one of the first things I noticed too was the temperature difference. With it being brick walls and floors and shaded and a breeze blowing through all the gun ports/slits,it was much cooler down there. I walked through as I much as I could in 10 minutes then made my way out the sally port, across the drawbridge, up the glacis and turned around and took one more look. Can't wait to go back.
 
By the time I made it back to the Visitor Center,I was already hot and dripping with sweat again. Instead of putting a donation in the plexiglass bin,I paid the right way. They have envelopes that you can put your $10 in, write your name and info on them,tear off a numberered tag which corresponds with a number on the envelope and a dropbox to put them in. Same way as at Natural Bridge State Historic Site which I visited in February, only it's $4 there.

Used the restroom real quick again and went back in the Visitor Center. I believe the volunteer ranger told me that tag was good for 2 days at any site at Gulf Islands National Seashore Park. He asked me if I wanted to watch the short video they had about the fort and I did. I mainly wanted to sit down, cool down and drink some water. It is a small area,with a TV screen wall and bench to sit on. As I recall,the video was about 10 minutes long and quite good. I am glad I watched it because it has a lot of good information about the building of the fort and action that it saw.

The Visitor Center is kinda small and I wish had taken a couple pictures of the inside just to show you guys. It has the little theater and gift shop. There are some artifacts, pictures, drawings and interpretive panels. It is definitely worth a visit.I browsed the gift shop real quick but didn't find any must have items. I thanked the most helpful volunteer ranger and grabbed an extra NPS brochure and was on my way back to the hotel. I was already kinda whooped. The day had started early and the day before had been a long one. Took a quick shower and changed clothes before we rolled out. We grabbed a quick burger in Pensacola before we hit IH10 West. This was a Monday and the drive home wasn't that bad.

Great trip.
 
And now a little primer for the June trip next year. Each year at the friends gathering in June,we decide where the gathering will be in the coming year. The 2020 gathering will be in Chestertown, Maryland.

I put down 2 deposits for that gathering but my spouse informed me while there in Fort Myers that she is not flying again. She has had a fear of heights since I have known her and we have only flown a total of 6 times in the 15 years we have been together. She has general travel anxiety now and doesn't want to take medication for it and I respect that. Even roadtrips are hard on her. We have to stop twice as many times as I do on solo trips and she is wiped out after a long days drive. Anyhoo,she informed me that I will be going to Maryland alone.

The plan is to fly in 2-3 days early either into Baltimore or DC,rent a car and drive straight to Sharpsburg for 2-3 days. Never been there and it is #1 on my Civil War bucket list. Gonna start saving $$$ for that trip soon.
 
And now a little primer for the June trip next year. Each year at the friends gathering in June,we decide where the gathering will be in the coming year. The 2020 gathering will be in Chestertown, Maryland.

I put down 2 deposits for that gathering but my spouse informed me while there in Fort Myers that she is not flying again. She has had a fear of heights since I have known her and we have only flown a total of 6 times in the 15 years we have been together. She has general travel anxiety now and doesn't want to take medication for it and I respect that. Even roadtrips are hard on her. We have to stop twice as many times as I do on solo trips and she is wiped out after a long days drive. Anyhoo,she informed me that I will going to Maryland alone.

The plan is to fly in 2-3 days early either into Baltimore or DC,rent a car and drive straight to Sharpsburg for 2-3 days. Never been there and it is #1 on my Civil War bucket list. Gonna start saving $$$ for that trip soon.
@bdtex, you have put me in suspense again with one up and coming battlefield visit. I am still using my bucket to 'bob' for apples. I don't mind the wait being nobody wants to spill what they got too soon. Meanwhile there is plenty of fruit in the pasture. A Big Joy!
Lubliner.
 
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