pensacola lighthouse

This weekend, B and I decided to knock out the few "touristy" things here in Pensacola. My AAA Florida tour guide gave this area a measly half a page, and two of the activities listed are less than a mile from our temporary home at the Navy Lodge.

First, we went to the National Naval Aviation Museum.  They sure do love their Blue Angels here.  (I guess I will "learn" to love them and their noisy practice sessions.)  Neither of us are "plane people" (or jets, for that matter), and he had seen it all five years ago during OCS here, so it didn't really captivate us.  But I did like being able to climb into the cockpits.  I forgot my camera, but it's a free admission, so I'll make it a point to go back and get a picture of me pretending to be a pilot one of these days.

Across the street from that is the Pensacola Lighthouse.  Yep, right here on base.  Guess we gotta go climb it, right?  I was hungry for lunch, but the staff was cleaning our room, so we just went from there.  We go to pay and there's a big sign that says "No backless shoes.  This includes flip flops!"  It's been too humid hot to wear anything BUT flip flops in this town, but the gal at the desk told us that most people just take off their shoes and go up without.  There was even a "flip flop parking" area at the base of the steps.  Okay, fine, we're in.

Cranky, hungry, BAREFOOT, slightly scared of heights, sweltering, camera-less, I climbed this darn thing.  177 steps, but I was too pre-occupied to count them myself.  Wrought iron under my feet with some type of uncomfortable decorative design.  I almost passed out/threw up/fell on my face a few times, but I made it to the top and took in the fantastic view.  Then I had to come down the same way I went up.  Ouch.

And apparently the house part of this lighthouse (at the bottom) is haunted!  I didn't feel any spooky presence in the room they say is haunted, but it's been featured on Ghost Hunters!