Our First National Park

Sunday, February 20th, 2022 – Pensacola to Destin, Florida 

Wake up and pack up. Need to get Junior Ranger badges. 

 Our first stop was the Discovery Centre. Aisling had complete 5 of 7 activities, Charlotte 3 of 5 and John at 2 of 3. The kids learned about the warning flags posted on beaches and what they meant, about rip tides, how long it takes garbage to decompose and the effect of garbage on sea life. After a bit of work the kids completed all tasks and were officially sworn in as Junior Rangers. They received their first of what I hope is many badges. We already have our eye on our next step which is the badge from the Everglades National Park. The oath of office entailed swearing “As junior ranger I promise I will explore the wonders of the national park and the nature and history all around me. I will learn the importance of living things and I will teach others what I have learned.” 

 This particular national park was based on the military base around Fort Pickens. A union stronghold throughout the Civil war, it featured some interesting history including: it was a stop on the underground railroad helping slaves escape north, Geronimo, the Apache chief, spent that hardest years of his life working in Fort Pickens after he was captured (he was used as a tourist attraction due to his fame) and was involved in skirmishes with the confederate bases on neighbouring islands. We walked along the walls of the fort and caught the tail end of a guided tour. 

 We then went to the point of the island, walking along the beach and stopping for a tuna wrap lunch. The kids gathered some shells as we walked along the beach. The seabirds were flocking where the currents from one side of the islands met the open ocean currents. This produced large waves and a line where the colours differentiated as the currents met. A lovely walk and we were back in the car to our next destination Grayton Beach near Destin, Florida. 

The highlight of the drive was a stop at a thrift store and a Dollar Tree. The kids needed books since they did not respond to our request to put some books into their knapsacks with their toys. By the time we reached the campsite Aisling had already completed one of the books. 

 Gen and I spent a few hours trying to plan our travels around Florida. We have a rocket launch on March 1, friends are meeting up in Sarasota from May 5-11, who knows when, or if, the Blue Jays will start spring training and we want to spend three nights at the Everglades National Park. The timeline is tricky and we are going to need to bounce around to see everything we want to see and utilize our time efficiently.