Friday, January 28, 2011 (Fort Pickens, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola, FL)

With the time change, we were up bright and early this morning enjoying the sunshine as it streamed through our windows. After our usual leisurely start to the day, we did our exercises and then both headed to the bathhouse for showers. Again, this campground has water and electrical hook-ups but no sewer...so since we are not sure how long we are going to stay here, we figured we had better not fill up the holding tanks too quickly.

One of the main things Steve wanted to do while here in Pensacola is to get the tires on the truck rotated as well as the tire stems adjusted so he can get the pressure sensors on them. He also would like to get all the tires (both truck and trailer) filled with nitrogen...instead of air. Nitrogen is supposed to extend the life of the tires. So after researching commercial tire places, we headed out to find the two locations he was interested in.

But before that, we decided to take a drive through Pensacola Beach and towards the other end of the island....

This is a rather  unique "home"...

Here are some BP workers checking/cleaning the beach...

As we headed into Pensacola...another huge bridge! This one has warning signs at the start advising everyone to ensure they have enough fuel before crossing. It crosses a huge inlet.

We arrived at the first address to find the business was no longer there so we carried onto the second address. We had a little trouble finding it and once we did, Steve spoke to the fellow there and found that they do not do what we were after. He suggested another company...which happened to be the original business we were looking for...apparently they had moved...gee, it would be nice if they had updated their website!

GCR Truck Tire Service would be able to rotate our tires but not the nitrogen. Apparently the commercial truck business hasn’t quite embraced the benefits of nitrogen in the tires and is slow on the uptake. They suggested that any of the TA truck stops would likely be able to do it.

Somewhat disappointed in the outcome, Steve drove to the Super Walmart that was just a short distance further down the highway....and was even more disappointed to have to go shopping....until he found 24 packs of Budweiser on for $14.88!!! The best price to date on special has been $18.75. His beer of choice lately has been Yuengling Traditional Lager. Yuengling holds the American brewing industry record for the longest continuously operated brewery....178 years. For that price it was back to Bud.

We left Walmart after doing a major shop...it always gets expensive when you have the basics to stock up on...especially vitamins...they are expensive down here too!

I don't know if it is very clear from this picture but the white sand was blowing across the road and looked just like snow...

Once home, we unloaded the groceries we decided to sit outside with a cocktail and catch what was left of the late afternoon sunshine. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before the sun went down and it got a little chillier out so we headed inside.

After dinner, we settled in front of the fireplace and watched TV....oops...we had planned on going for an after dinner walk around the campground...oh well....