Memorial Day Weekend, whatcha Doin?

We're headed to the Ft. McRee area to camp for two nights and three days. We didn't go last year because we were trying to sell the boat and didn't want to take a chance on messing it up (like we did the year before).

The weather should be nice. I think Notbob is going with us. We'll be flying the flag and a POW-MIA flag to honor our fallen soldiers. We have been camping out there for 35 years.

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So, are y'all doin' something special?

I figure I will grease myself up swim across the pass and attack ft McRee, pretending I am the ghost of Geronimo and scare the ---- out of any campers there...

My American Legion Post has a big deal every Memorial Day W/E including a bike ride to Wall South. I think they had over 700 bikes last year. Pretty impressive.

nochain wrote:

My American Legion Post has a big deal every Memorial Day W/E including a bike ride to Wall South. I think they had over 700 bikes last year. Pretty impressive.

Hopefully this year the weather will cooperate like it hasn't the past couple!.... It will be open house and packed all weekend

TEOTWAWKI wrote:

I figure I will grease myself up swim across the pass and attack ft McRee,  pretending I am the ghost of Geronimo and scare the ---- out of any campers there...

Bring it on. I will be on Robertson Island watching 100 campers beat the crap out of some Indian-looking fella, lol.

NC, the bikers were impressive last year when they went past Home Depot...... I stood along the road watching them.. :-)

Jake92 wrote:

NC, the bikers were impressive last year when they went past Home Depot......  I stood along the road watching them..  :-)

Nice to see the observation of Memorial Day!.....Not the hijacked version that takes place....

Mediawatcher, you're not going out to P. Beach and fly the rainbow flag?  

(I'll be flying the flag so many folks died for... and flying a flag in remembrance of those that are POW-MIAs... man, it must be hard on their families.)

Ugg maybe me stay in teepee and watch TV...LOL.

TEOTWAWKI wrote:

Ugg maybe me stay in teepee and watch TV...LOL.

Why don't you put your kayak in at Sherman Cove and come join us? Your veteran status should allow you to launch there and it is a hop, skip, and a jump to McRee.

Eric wrote:

Mediawatcher, you're not going out to P. Beach and fly the rainbow flag?  

(I'll be flying the flag so many folks died for... and flying a flag in remembrance of those that are POW-MIAs... man, it must be hard on their families.)

MW has a reserved spot out there playing hostess in his rainbow tutu serving weak Bushwackers spiked with visine.

Eric wrote:

Mediawatcher, you're not going out to P. Beach and fly the rainbow flag?  

(I'll be flying the flag so many folks died for... and flying a flag in remembrance of those that are POW-MIAs... man, it must be hard on their families.)

I've known several POW's (Vietnam era) - the stories they told me of their treatment made my blood boil. We still have one POW from Afghanistan. I couldn't imagine the pain of "not knowing" for the families of the MIAs.

Eric wrote:

TEOTWAWKI wrote:

Ugg maybe me stay in teepee and watch TV...LOL.

Why don't you put your kayak in at Sherman Cove and come join us?  Your veteran status should allow you to launch there and it is a hop, skip, and a jump to McRee.

I used to pull in there and boat camp once in a while..usually on weekends a group dive boat would pull in and party till late...it's not that big a place. Where are you planning on setting up ? on the cove side over by the pass or nearer the bunker ? Might be a shorter paddle from Pickens if the tides not running hard...

Eric wrote:

Mediawatcher, you're not going out to P. Beach and fly the rainbow flag?  

(I'll be flying the flag so many folks died for... and flying a flag in remembrance of those that are POW-MIAs... man, it must be hard on their families.)

Great statement about the flag(s) that should be flying...How this became what it has is very sad...Can't even imagine what those families go through on a daily basis...

TEOTWAWKI wrote:

Eric wrote:

TEOTWAWKI wrote:

Ugg maybe me stay in teepee and watch TV...LOL.

Why don't you put your kayak in at Sherman Cove and come join us?  Your veteran status should allow you to launch there and it is a hop, skip, and a jump to McRee.

I used to pull in there and boat camp once in a while..usually on weekends a group dive boat would pull in and party till late...it's not that big a place. Where are you planning on setting up ? on the cove side over by the pass or nearer the bunker ? Might be a shorter paddle from Pickens if the tides not running hard...

http://ericericson.net/MemorialDay07.htm

Somewhere in the foreground of the cozy campsite pic.  That's on Robertson Island (AKA Sand Island and Admiral Island).  The pass and Fort McRee/Perdido Key are in the background, with a smidgen of Fort Pickens at the upper left.  It isn't as crowded as the photo makes it appear.  We'll be in a 17' Boston Whaler sailboat at the shore.  It looks like this. http://ericericson.net/Harpoon.htm

I sure as hell wouldn't paddle from Pickens. That Pass has claimed the lives of two friends of mine... one of which was in a kayak last year. He had his dog with him. I suspect the dog fell in and he fell in or capsized trying to get the dog back on the kayak... and the kayak floated out of reach. He was a good kid... muscular, lifeguard, weightlifter.

Eric wrote:

TEOTWAWKI wrote:

Eric wrote:

TEOTWAWKI wrote:

Ugg maybe me stay in teepee and watch TV...LOL.

Why don't you put your kayak in at Sherman Cove and come join us?  Your veteran status should allow you to launch there and it is a hop, skip, and a jump to McRee.

I used to pull in there and boat camp once in a while..usually on weekends a group dive boat would pull in and party till late...it's not that big a place. Where are you planning on setting up ? on the cove side over by the pass or nearer the bunker ? Might be a shorter paddle from Pickens if the tides not running hard...

http://ericericson.net/MemorialDay07.htm

Somewhere in the foreground of the cozy campsite pic.  That's on Robertson Island (AKA Sand Island and Admiral Island).  The pass and Fort McRee/Perdido Key are in the background, with a smidgen of Fort Pickens at the upper left.  It isn't as crowded as the photo makes it appear.  We'll be in a 17' Boston Whaler sailboat at the shore.  It looks like this. http://ericericson.net/Harpoon.htm

I sure as hell wouldn't paddle from Pickens.  That Pass has claimed the lives of two friends of mine... one of which was in a kayak last year.  He had his dog with him.  I suspect the dog fell in and he fell in or capsized trying to get the dog back on the kayak... and the kayak floated out of reach.  He was a good kid... muscular, lifeguard, weightlifter.

I almost got washed out the pass night diving at Pickens..it all depends on when you hit it...

My best friend from my early years got into a rubber raft with two other early teenagers and they were headed out to the Massachusetts to snorkel. They panicked on the outgoing tide and all abandoned the raft and drowned. I guess they tried to swim to safety. The raft made it back in one piece.

Teo, if you don't join us on Robertson Island I'm gonna lose all my faith in my fellow man.
I look forward to seeing you there.

p.s. I'll need your survivalist expertise because the only place I've camped in the last 57 years is in the Holiday Inn. Without your skills I may not last the weekend.

Eric,

Sometime during the weekend can we take the sailboat across over to the barrier island so I can see what's left of Ft. Mcree? This will probably be my only chance in life to walk on such a historic
place (and I'm a died in the wool Pensacola history buff).

TEOTWAWKI wrote:

Eric wrote:

TEOTWAWKI wrote:

Eric wrote:

TEOTWAWKI wrote:

Ugg maybe me stay in teepee and watch TV...LOL.

Why don't you put your kayak in at Sherman Cove and come join us?  Your veteran status should allow you to launch there and it is a hop, skip, and a jump to McRee.

I used to pull in there and boat camp once in a while..usually on weekends a group dive boat would pull in and party till late...it's not that big a place. Where are you planning on setting up ? on the cove side over by the pass or nearer the bunker ? Might be a shorter paddle from Pickens if the tides not running hard...

http://ericericson.net/MemorialDay07.htm

Somewhere in the foreground of the cozy campsite pic.  That's on Robertson Island (AKA Sand Island and Admiral Island).  The pass and Fort McRee/Perdido Key are in the background, with a smidgen of Fort Pickens at the upper left.  It isn't as crowded as the photo makes it appear.  We'll be in a 17' Boston Whaler sailboat at the shore.  It looks like this. http://ericericson.net/Harpoon.htm

I sure as hell wouldn't paddle from Pickens.  That Pass has claimed the lives of two friends of mine... one of which was in a kayak last year.  He had his dog with him.  I suspect the dog fell in and he fell in or capsized trying to get the dog back on the kayak... and the kayak floated out of reach.  He was a good kid... muscular, lifeguard, weightlifter.

I almost got washed out the pass night diving at Pickens..it all depends on when you hit it...

I also have held onto the rocks under 40 feet of water at Ft Pickens and flapped around in the current when it was trying desperately to wash me out to sea. High tide is the only time to dive, swim or anything else at Pensacola pass. I never knew Sand Island was also called Robertson Island.
Wish I could spend the weekend on my boat, we just finished repairs on it recently. Unfortunately, we have to fix our driveway gate where it washes out before we can get it out of our back yard. Memorial day will be spent digging chainlink fence holes, pouring cement and repairing the ruts.
Not much fun at all. Y'all enjoy yourselves.

BobW wrote:

Eric,

Sometime during the weekend can we take the sailboat across over to the barrier island so I can see what's left of Ft. Mcree?  This will probably be my only chance in life to walk on such a historic
place (and I'm a died in the wool Pensacola history buff).  

Yeah, we can do that.  The old Fort McRee was built on a sandbar that has washed into the pass.  The one built circa WW-II is there and worth a gander.  Here is a map.  (North is at the top)

Otter wrote:

I also have held onto the rocks under 40 feet of water at Ft Pickens and flapped around in the current when it was trying desperately to wash me out to sea. High tide is the only time to dive, swim or anything else at Pensacola pass. I never knew Sand Island was also called Robertson Island.

At the end of the incoming tide, the water is clear (from the Gulf) and, if you get washed anywhere, you will go inland (as opposed to "out to sea").  When the tide changes and starts going out, the crap in Pensacola Bay starts getting flushed out to sea and the water in the pass gets a bit murky at times.

Otter, I will hoist one for you.  See you next time.  Drink plenty of fluids and stay hydrated.

Try to get cooled off occasionally also...

Jake92 wrote:

Try to get cooled off occasionally also...

Eric has all the latest gear including solar power. I think the tents are air-conditioned too.

Not air conditioned, but we have plenty of shade and battery-powered fans for when we retire to the tent.

The fans take a bunch of "D" batteries. I forgot and left a fan going on the boat and, two weeks later, the dadgum fan was still spinning... not real FAST, mind you.