Fort Pickens

Today, we visited Fort Pickens, one of three forts originally built in the 19th century (by slaves) to protect the Florida coast.  As it turned out, tourists were restricted to the fort only, which was somewhat disappointing, but we snooped around and ended up having a very enjoyable day after all.  I am certain that, under normal circumstances,
Fort Pickens would be quite nice to visit, but it is presently in the midst of a major cleanup - as are many of the beaches at that end of Santa Rosa Island -so all the hiking trails nearby were temporarily closed.  We explored the Fort itself and were free to walk anywhere on the immediate property, admittedly a little creepy at times.  The State is maintaining the buildings to a degree, but they are still crumbling in many spots.

There is a campground on the National Park land, with only approximately 20 sites currently accessible (due to beach cleanups).  The campground, as with most state parks, is lovely, each site quite large and surrounded by beautiful, old trees.  The hookups are electric and water only, with dumping located as you exit the park.

We learned a few interesting facts about Santa Rosa Island today.  It is 160 miles long, stretching from Mississippi to Fort Walton Beach, Florida.  Santa Rosa Island is part of Hurricane Alley and has been seriously damaged by a number of hurricanes over the years (and always repaired, of course). 

Below is a picture of a typical beachfront home on the Island, built up on stilts and most often sporting hurricane shutters.

We are also including a picture of the beach cleanup operation. 

The oil is dug up and processed by a machine which cleans the sand, then spits it back onto the beach.  A major recycling endeavour to be sure but definitely worth all the work and effort.