The earliest Spanish explorers quickly realized the potential for Pensacola. It has remained the military and cultural center of western Florida since 1559. It is the oldest European settlement in N. America. St. Augustine is actually the oldest continuously occupied European settlement as Pensacola was abandoned for a while after a devastating hurricane.
Pensacola Pass on a cloudy morning
White Pepper arrived about noon after a rough morning dealing with a late season cold front. The pass is deep and wide. It soon sweeps behind a barrier island occupied by Fort Pickens. This short sound opens up into a protected bay. Historic Pensacola is 5 miles north up the bay. The marina is at the base of Palafox Ave. Palafox was an early commander at Pensacola and his avenue anchors the entire district.
The main reason we had bypassed Panama City to come to Pensacola was renew acquaintances with Lt. Beth Hagen. She and Jan met in Corpus Christi while sailing on the Wed. night races. Beth was in Basic Flight School at Corpus Christi. Pensacola is her Advanced training. Her aircraft is a huge SR-60 helicopter and her winging was the next day. The winging ceremony was to be held under strictest social distancing. No family was allowed at this momentous occasion. So we were privileged to spend an entire afternoon with this lovely warrior and celebrate her winging at Jacob's, a fancy restaurant in the marina. Thank you for your service Beth, now and in the future.
Later Jan and I were able to explore historic Pensacola walking. It was almost empty due to the lockdown. There were numerous statues and we wondered how many would survive cancel culture. Readers of a certain age will remember the lunch counter sit ins at Pensacola that were part of the early civil rights movement. The lunch room is closed, but the lunch counters have been preserved along with a plaque.
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