If there’s one thing we’ve learned about touring the eastern U.S., it is that it’s the setting of a tumultuous past. The many skirmishes and change of control in different areas between the Spanish, the French, and the English, along with the struggle of different European migrants to take the land from the Natives, already inhabiting it, make for interesting history and all this before the fight for American independence.
It should be no surprise then that we’ve visited a lot of forts…I mean A LOT. Some built by the English, some the French, and some the Spanish. Fort Pickens near Pensacola, however, was built by Americans. After the War of 1812, the United States decided to fortify all its major ports, and this is when Fort Pickens was constructed.
This pentagonal design was typical of French built forts and the designer of Fort Pickens was…yes, you guessed it…a French engineer. Its 21.5 million bricks were the work of slave labor.
I believe the only war it saw was the Civil War and its claim to fame is that it is one of only 4 Southern forts to remain in Union hands, throughout the war.
Later, in the Indian Wars, Apache war chief, Geronimo, was imprisoned in Fort Pickens. Interesting fact, Geronimo, was moved around from location to location apparently for political gain, as he also spent time in St. Augustine’s Castillo de San Marcos (post here). Defenses (structure and artillery) of the Fort Pickens were upgraded several times throughout history, including during WWII. This was due to the threat of German U-Boats which operated in the Gulf of Mexico, but no guns were ever used.
Fort Pickens Campground is near a battery and the drive to the campground reminded me so much of both White Sands New Mexico (post here) and time spent in Padre Island (linked post here) The soft, white, sandy beaches here are stunning and we toured the multiple sites of Fort Pickens on our bicycles.
Fort Pickens was our last major stop in Florida. We arrived in Florida on November 26, 2022, and we departed on February 28, 2023. Three winter months in Florida…quite possibly the longest time we’ve spent in any single state in the U.S. Finally, the weather was warming up enough to venture north.
Florida is a state with a lot of interesting history, Cuban culture influences, beautifully white beaches, and the river of grasses that make up the Everglades. We had fun cycling around Key West (post here) for the holidays. We enjoyed a lot about the Everglades and Big Cypress Preserve (links here and here) including the interesting birds, alligators, crocodiles, and manatees. A highlight was the airboat tour – the prettiest views and best understanding of this very unique ecosystem. Doug liked Withlacoochee National Forest and its many natural springs. The biggest surprise for me was how much we enjoyed Miami – the beach, Little Havana, and Wynwood (post here). We both enjoyed the areas between Sarasota and St. Petersburg (posts here and here), but this in part may have been our visits with my aunt and uncle, our friends Donna and Bob, and our friend Karen.
What didn’t we like about Florida? It’s always a bad hair day in Florida and we were always sticky due to high humidity, even in winter. Campgrounds were tightly packed and difficult to secure, so book early. It is very flat so cycling isn’t very interesting. Lastly, there is quite a lot of abject poverty and a noticeably large gap between the haves and have-nots.
Florida won’t make our must-retire-here list, but there’s plenty of places worth a visit and if I’m being fair the Everglades and Big Cypress alone are worth a repeat trip.
