We had spent a day at the National Naval Aviation Museum the last time we were here, and decided it was worth another visit. There's so much to see that a single day doesn't really cover it. Besides, B&B had never been there and were interested in going, too. There were some new displays.
The aircraft above is an Unmanned Combat Air System. These are being launched from aircraft carriers now. On our previous visit to the museum, HeM unsuccessfully searched for a Vigilante. This time, we found one (partially blocked by the tractor). HeM remembers standing on the Forrestal's flight deck, near the blast deflector, as the Vigilante pilot lit the afterburner just moments before being tossed into the air by the catapult. It was visceral, a treat for all the senses.
We had made a comment on our blog 2 years ago about the inequality of the honor paid to the Enterprise compared to that of the Forrestal and others. That inequality is even more evident now. There is an entire section of the museum dedicated to the history of the Enterprise. It's our understanding that the owner of a certain rental car company with the same name made a sizable donation to the museum specifically for that exhibit. We don't think (actually, we know) that we won't be making donations of any size that will wield any kind of power to focus more attention on the Forrestal's history. Besides, we're big Star Trek fans, so we do appreciate the Enterprise legacy.
We visited Fort Pickens this time, and found it very interesting. It's on an island in Pensacola Bay. Its construction was completed in 1834 using slave labor and over 21.5 million locally made bricks--that's A LOT of bricks! The only real military action the fort has ever encountered was during the Civil War. It remained under Union control, while the forts on the mainland side of the bay were held by the Confederates. Fire was exchanged between the forts in 1861. In 1862, the Confederates abandoned the Pensacola forts to fight elsewhere, and the Union held control of Pensacola for the remainder of the war. In 1898, Battery Pensacola was built within the fort in order to keep up with changes in weapon technology. Cannons were replaced or converted to rifled cannons. Mines were stored in the battery for usage in Pensacola Bay should the need arise. The fort was 'retired' in 1947, and is now part of the National Park Service.
We visited downtown Pensacola, just to see what's there. It's a typical Gulf Coast city, with its historical district, a few tall buildings, and a mixture of nice and shabby. We stumbled on a small enclave of Airstream food trailers near the historical district.
We spoke to a gentleman there who is one of the founders of this venture. It turns out that they had gotten the idea to try this after they had visited Austin and saw how these food trailers are thriving there. They've only been in business for about a year, and the weather hasn't been kind so far, but even with the chilly weather on the day we were there, several folks were enjoying the varied cuisines offered. We wish them success.
We're still looking for warm 'shorts' weather, but still not there. We'll make a short stop in Tallahassee next, and then make a beeline south.
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