By Rachel - 5/12/09

We didn't do much today - mostly driving until we got to the final hotel around 2:30. Until we got unpacked and settled in, it was about 3:15. I went swimming for a little while, but soon we had to get ready for dinner at Boston Cooker. When we got back to Treasure Island (which is where the hotel is), we had to leave immediately to get to the beach so mom could take pictures of the sunset. We then went across the street for ice cream. After we got back to the hotel, I went swimming again.

By Rachel - 5/11/09

Arriving at St. Joseph Point Lighthouse was our first stop of the day while on our way to Tallahassee. When we got there, we discovered they were reconstructing it so they put the lantern room on a steel structure.

Our next stop was at Cape St. George Lighthouse. It was actually a $575,000 replica of the original which collapsed at 11:45 on Oct. 21, 2005. On March 21, 2008, the replica was completed. All the bricks from the collapsed lighthouse were used to reconstruct the new one. The heart pine stairs were the nicest lighthouse stairs I have climbed. With only 92 stairs and 62 feet up, it is probably the shortest one I have climbed. Instead of walking on the deck, you got to stay in the lantern room which had no lantern.

The last stop before we went to Tallahassee was at St. Marks Lighthouse. we didn't get to climb it or go on the keeper's quarters, so mom just got to take pictures.

After our 45 min. drive from St. Marks Lighthouse to Tallahassee, we drove to Publix to get some food. When we finished eating at the hotel, Mom took me swimming.

By Rachel - 5/10/09

Instead of going to a gospel/bluegrass festival as we had planned, we decided to go on an Island Time Tour. We went snorkeling near Shell Island and then went out into the Gulf of Mexico to look for dolphins and swim with them but none came close enough. When we got back on land, we went to Winn Dixie to get supper and then back to the hotel to get showers. After we got cleaned up and ate, we went to Coconut Creek Mini-golf. There they had giraffes, alligators, elephants, lions, and gorillas. (all statues...but no zebras which made Stripes very sad!) :o( When we got done there, we went to Sunsation and Alvin's Island. They were both huge gift shops. We soon got back to the hotel to watch the final innings of Boston beating the Tampa Bay Rays.

By Rachel - 5/9/09

Again this morning we went back to Pensacola Lighthouse. Unlike yesterday, we got to go in and climb the lighthouse. It had 171 steps one way! It only took me about two minutes to walk up, but on the way down, it took longer. The reason it took longer is because just before you got down all the way, there was a side door to see the keeper's "office". The walls at the bottom were 10 feet thick. There was a small gift shop, but it didn't have much so the lady sent us across the street to the National Museum of Naval Aviation. There we found a gift shop as big or bigger than my house! Thee were three old "Blue Angels" which you could climb in! In the biggest one where the bomb would shoot out, you could climb in (if you were small enough). :o) When we finished there, we drove to Panama City.

By Rachel - 5/8/09

Today we drove down to Pensacola, FL. After going to Publix and checking into the hotel, we went to the Pensacola Naval Airforce Base to see the Pensacola Lighthouse. We didn't get to go up into it, but tomorrow before we head onto Panama City, we are going back to do the tour of it. Once we were done there, we went to Pensacola Beach where we looked around in a few gift shops. The one simply called Beach Shop had a sand covered floor to represent the feeling of being on the beach. Following that, we stopped at a small florist to look at flags and windsocks and then went back to the hotel to have our supper which we had bought at Publix.

After eating supper, we went back to the Pensacola Lighthouse for some pictures. Since we were a little early, we walked a short distance to the beach. Oddly angled, there was a small area where the water up. While waiting for my mom to finish taking pictures, I would get as close tot he water as possible. When the water went out and came back in, I would try to beat it from getting my shoes wet. Once we were done at the beach, we went back to the hotel. While getting out of the car, Grandpa & I decided we would go find a gas station and get ice cream. After walking probably a half mile, we returned to the hotel and went to sleep.

New Adventure

Yesterday, we began our first traveling adventure for 2009. Actually, we did make a trip to PA in April to visit family & friends AND SEE MY NEW BABY NEPHEW and my cousin's new baby boy too, but this is our first exploration for this year. We are not in the motorhome this time, but are taking a few days to travel around the panhandle of FL, and then into the Orlando area. Brian & Amanda will join Rach, G'pa Jack and me when we get to Kissimmee. Two years ago, we did travel around the perimeter of FL including all of the east coast, and then up the gulf coast as far as St. Petersburg. This time we started in Pensacola, will move onto Panama City, into Tallahassee, then down to Treasure Island near St.Pete/Clearwater. Most of this journey is to mark off some more lighthouses from my list. Yesterday, we saw onto the Pensacola Naval Airforce Base to see the Pensacola Lighthouse - twice, actually. We went during the day, and then went back just before dark to watch the light come on. How beautiful! We also did a little sightseeing in the area of Pensacola Beach. Today, we're going go back to the lighthouse to do the tour & see the museum & gift shop, and then moving onto Panama City. I'll continue to add the lighthouses to the lighthouse gallery on the left. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!