34-Day Cross Country RV Trip + 7-Day Caribbean Cruise 2022
Day 11: Fort Pickens, Florida to Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, Florida
May 8, 2022
We did not have far to go on this Sunday so we were able to make good use of our time and visited the historic fort nearby before heading east.
After dumping our tanks at the campground exit, with nobody else in line, we made our way to the first stop closest to the campground--Battery Worth. Actually, there is a trail that runs from the campground up here but we did not want to walk.
A huge parking lot made it very convenient to park our RV, especially when it was early with hardly anyone there in the morning.
Battery Worth
Full view of Battery Worth.
Battery Worth has eight 12" mortars housed in two gun pits but during WWII, a 2-story tower was added and it was used as the Harbor Entrance Control Post observation tower. At that time, the mortars were removed and the battery served only as a command center. Here is the highest view available at the Fort Pickens unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Parking lot of Battery Worth
Taking a hike up to the top.
observation tower
seashore
At the very top where an expansive view can be seen.
Fort Pickens Historic Military site in Pensacola Bay was considered one of the most important on the northern Gulf Coast by European powers. It was named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. The fort was completed in 1834, and used until 1947. It was designed by a French engineer Simon Bernard and much of the construction was done by enslaved persons. This fort guarded the island and the entrance to the harbor for many years with lots of history through several wars.
Exterior sight as we got off at the parking lot.
Almost like a ruin.
Ready to go inside the fort.
Entering the fort. There is a gift shop/information center on the right.
the main battery
We made our way up to the top with this huge cannon situated.
Finally, taking a walk on the 'wall' of the fort before leaving for the day.
There are seven batteries scattered around at the fort but we just did not have time to see all of them, it was time to leave this beautiful island.
We drove back to the main part of the island and crossed the bridge back to the mainland. This time without having to pay toll. We could see many cars lining up to get through the toll booth into the island on this Sunday morning. Definitely a popular destination for many.
It was fun driving through this part of Hwy 98, with many many beaches and towns that are favorite spots for tourists and beachcombers. Very different from driving on the interstate. We did not make many stops due to the fact that it was a Sunday with much traffic and finding parking spots for our RV was not an easy task, so we just move along as we enjoyed the scenery.
Bon de Paris
We managed to find a pho restaurant at Fort Walton Beach right next to a Publix supermarket with a huge parking lot so we could stop for a Vietnamese lunch. This is a newer restaurant that specializes in banh mi and other pastries. Young servers providing good service. The place looked clean but a little pricey. 
Prices a little higher than L.A. but I guess it is expected.
We ended up getting a special combination banh mi and some pho to go and had a good lunch back inside the RV.
Pho was good but not as good as our usual ones in L.A. And the funny thing was, both of us ordered the same thing, but the two came out differently with some ingredients mission in one bowl. Oh well...
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Campground
By 2:15, we arrived at the campground which is a state park
for the night. Very popular campground that is always full, especially on the
weekends. We were fortunate to have booked this for one night on Mother’s Day.
Our site #62 is on Weeping Willow, long site with good privacy.
After hooking up, we went to the tram station #2 nearby to catch the tram to the beach. It runs every half an hour until 7:00. Very convenient indeed.
Tram station to the beach. There are restrooms, showers, and a little snack shop here.
Walkway to the beach from the station.
sand dunes
Quite a lot of people enjoying the sun and fun!
This beach is absolutely breath-taking. Water in several kinds of blue with white sand, oh wow! No wonder they called this the Emerald Coast. The only problem for us was there is no shade, even though there are a few benches where we could sit. We should have brought an umbrella to keep the sun out. Christian went into the water for a little bit and totally enjoyed his dip in the Florida water. He said it’s a little colder than the couple of days before but very nice still.
About 4:30, we caught the tram back to the site and got ready for dinner. It was Mother's Day so Christian was in charge and cooked up this rib eye steak with mushrooms. Yum!
After dinner, we went to the laundry room to get the dirty
clothes cleaned. All the machines were in use after we got ours in. It took
$1.50 to wash and another $1.50 to dry.
For video of this day, please click here.
"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." -- Daniel 12:3
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