The Blue Angels

We went to see the Blue Angels practice today at the Pensacola Naval Air Station.  The Blue Angels is the Navy's flight demonstration squadron, with aviators from the Navy and Marines.  During their demonstrations they fly six McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet aircraft.  It was quite a show.  When in a tight formation, they fly 18 inches apart.  The sound of the jet engines give you goosebumps.  The show lasted about an hour.  Here are some interesting facts:

• An estimated 15 million spectators view the squadron during air shows each year.
• The highest maneuver performed in an air show is the vertical rolls, up to 15,000 feet and the lowest maneuver performed in an air show is the Sneak Pass, at 50 feet.
• The fastest speed flown during an air show is about 700 mph (just under Mach 1) and the slowest is about 120 mph.
• The basic acquisition price of a single F/A-18 Hornet is approximately $21 million.
• The F/A-18 can reach speeds just under Mach 2, almost twice the speed of sound or about 1,400 mph.
• An F/A-18 weights about 24,500 pounds empty of all ordnance and aircrew.
• The smoke is produced by pumping biodegradable, paraffin-based oil directly into the exhaust nozzles of the aircraft where the oil is instantly vaporized into smoke. It provides a traceable path for spectators to follow and enhances safety of flight by providing a means by which solo pilots can see each other during opposing maneuvers.  

Click here to see some video that we took.

Here are some pictures:

We Went Exploring

 RoxAnne needed a haircut, so we traveled a few miles down the road to Pensacola, FL.  While we were driving we saw the United States Navy's flight demonstration squadron, The Blue Angels, practicing in unison above us in the skies.  After her hair cut, we visited the "Perdido Beach Trading Company".  The store had at least two of everything, but had nothing that we needed.  We then went to the "Costal Alabama Farmers and Fisherman's Market".  The market had local fruits, vegetables, seafood, and many crafts for sale.  We did purchase some fruit, vegetables and crafts.  We then took the long way back to the campground by driving along the Gulf coast of Alabama and Florida.  We stopped along the way to eat a late lunch/early dinner at "Doc's Seafood".  They claim that they have the they have the "Best Fried Shrimp in the Entire Civilized World".

The "Perdido Beach Trading Company"

The "Costal Alabama Farmers and Fisherman's Market"

We bought some Satsuma Oranges at the market.  The Satsuma is a variety of the Mandarin Orange with a very thin skin covering juicy seedless segments.  Some say it is the sweetest and most delicious oranges on the planet.

Doc's gives you plenty to drink.  You get the refill automatically.

A healthy and delicious meal of coleslaw, fries, hush puppies and fries shrimp.

Hillcrest Farm

This morning we took a walk around the campground, including hanging out at the campground fishing pier on Perdido Bay.  The pier itself was slightly damaged as a result of Nate, a recent hurricane that hit this area.  Later in the day we went to visit Hillcrest Farm.  It is a family owned farm that has animals that you can visit.  They also have a little store where they sell jellies, fresh eggs, produce, honey, salsa and much more.  They currently have a corn maze, but we didn't feel the need to get lost.  One of our favorite things at the farm was the homemade ice cream they had.  The coconut ice cream was wonderful.

The fishing pier overlooking Perdido Bay

This picture is from the campground overlooking the Bay.  The right side of the bridge is Alabama; the left side of the bridge is Florida.

The chickens at Hillcrest Farm

The owner of Hillcrest Farm (Ms. Laurel) assisting RoxAnne with the various jellies. She had numerous homemade hot sauces, including one that is made with ghost peppers.  We didn't buy any hot sauce, but we did buy some tomatoes, fresh salsa, some various jellies and a persimmon.  Neither Rox or I have ever tried a persimmon.  We'll let you know how it tastes once it gets ripe.

Homemade coconut ice cream.  Yummy.

Sweet Home Alabama

We had a difficult time today with the weather.  As we were packing up to leave Vicksburg, the rain started coming down hard.  By the time I packed up everything outside, I was totally soaked.  The weather didn't improve any as we drove southeast to Lillian, Alabama.  There were flood warnings all along the route and at times I was driving around 35 mph on the Interstate.  It was tough driving when hitting large puddles of water on the road.  The water would throw your steering wheel in a different direction.  As we got close to the campground, a weather alert sounded on our phones.  A tornado warning was being issued in our vicinity.  As I finally pulled into the campground, the campground host was making an announcement over the loudspeaker that a tornado warning is in effect and if you see any signs of a tornado, report to the Clubhouse.  Luckily, we didn't see any tornados, but is still raining and flood warnings are still being issued. 

Our campsite is really nice. We have a large site with a firepit, swing, charcoal grill, and a concrete pad with a nice picnic table.  It is located on Perdido Bay, right between the Panhandle of Florida and Alabama.  The campground offers a pool, a hot tub, a fishing pier and beachfront on the bay.  The white sand beaches of Pensacola are just a few miles away.

Our campsite at the Gulf Shores/Pensacola West/Lost Bay KOA

Vicksburg

Vicksburg is located at the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Yazoo River.  Much of the city is on top of a high hill on the east bank of the Mississippi River.  There is much history related to the city.  One of the attractions is the older homes that are scattered throughout the city.  The city also has some riverfront murals that are quite impressive.

The wall of murals at the riverfront

A mural showing a southern house

The Sultana was a Mississippi River steamboat paddle wheeler destroyed in an explosion on April 27, 1865. This resulted in the greatest maritime disaster in United States history. An estimated 1,800 of the 2,400 passengers were killed when three of the boat’s four boilers exploded and the Sultana sank near Memphis.Add caption

The CSS Arkansas was a Confederate ironclad warship

More of the mural wall

The Cedar Grove Mansion built circa 1840

The Ahern's Belle of the Bends built circa 1876

The Annabelle House built circa 1868

The Corners Mansion Inn built circa 1873

The Halloween House.  I've never seen so many Halloween decorations at someone's house. Many of the decorations moved and made scary sounds.

The Battle of Vicksburg

I drove through the Vicksburg National Military Park today.  The Battle of Vicksburg, also called the Siege of Vicksburg, was the culmination of a long land and naval campaign by Union forces to capture a key strategic position during the Civil War.  Capturing Vicksburg would sever the Trans-Mississippi Confederacy from that east of the Mississippi River and open the river to Northern traffic along its entire length.  The battle started on May 18, 1863 when  Ulysses S. Grant and his army crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate Army, led by General John C. Pemberton, into the defensive lines surrounding Vicksburg.  Grant tried several times to penetrate the Confederate Army, but Vicksburg was a fortress and impossible to penetrate.  He lost many soldiers trying.  In the end, General Grant basically surrounded the city.  After holding out for more than forty days, with no reinforcement and supplies nearly gone, General Pemberton finally surrendered on July 4.  The full campaign claimed 10,142 Union and 9,091 Confederate killed and wounded.

The Vicksburg National Military Park has a similarity to Gettysburg Park.  The park includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers, 20 miles of historic trenches and earthworks, and a 16-mile tour road.

Union Cannons 

The battlefield between the Union and Confederate soldiers

A monument dedicated to the Illinois soldiers

A monument dedicated to the Wisconsin soldiers

Ulysses S. Grant on horseback

A monument dedicated to the Ohio soldiers

Another monument dedicated to the Ohio soldiers

The USS Cairo.  It was one of the "Ironclad" ships that had a steam engine, armor plating and 13 cannons.  It was sunk in the river by "mines".  In the mid 1960's it was salvaged and is now on display in the park.

A few of the many graves at the Vicksburg National Cemetery 

Mississippi

We left Hot Springs, AR this morning and drove south.  We spent a couple of hours driving through Arkansas, then crossed over into Louisiana.  The rest of the day we spent driving in Louisiana.  The landscape as we drove was mostly comprised of farms.  Many of the fields were being freshly plowed by huge tractors.  Other fields were filled with cotton.  Some of the cotton was waiting to be picked, others were recently picked and were in either square or round bales in the fields.  The last few minutes of our trip we crossed the mighty Mississippi River and crossed over into Vicksburg, Mississippi. We will be spending the next few days in Vicksburg.

Round bales of cotton

Welcome to the  "The Magnolia State" of Mississippi

The bridges that span the Mississippi River from Louisiana to Vicksburg, Mississippi.  The bridge to the left is for cars; the bridge to the right is for trains.