On my first night in Milton I was welcomed by a pretty violent thunderstorm.  At 1:30 in the morning the lightening was so close that the thunder was actually shaking the house.  Ned said that they got over 2 inches of rain that night.  As it turns out, this was just mother nature clearing her throat, the real storm was yet to come – more on that later.  We got up that morning ready for the Red Snapper Slaughter but the conditions were iffy at best.  We decided that we weren’t going to give up that easy and went out to see the conditions first hand.  Our “look around the corner” should have been enough of a deterrent, but we were determined and decided to venture out and see what the ride was really like.  The distance from the corner to the fishing hole is 15 miles – after three miles of getting beat up pretty bad, we agreed that discretion was indeed the better part of valor, and headed for home.  It was a good thing too, as conditions only got worse that day.  This is Ned searching for some bait to net, we never did find exactly what we were looking for but he threw the net out a few times just for practice…

The next morning we were toying with the idea of going out, but conditions were far from ideal so we opted for a visit to the National Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola NAS.  Ned made blueberry & banana oatmeal pancakes that were so good that they don’t even need syrup – Yum, and we were off to the museum.  Just a couple days ago one of the Blue Angles crashed and died.  That hits close to home here, because Pensacola NAS is the home of the Blue Angles.  There was a makeshift memorial at the entry gate to the base, flowers piled high, a cross or two, and at least 50 American flags, it was really nice.  This community has a big connection with the Blue Angles.The first things to fly out of the Pensacola NAS were these flying boats.

Who doesn’t like a radial engine?  They are the coolest looking and the best sounding engines I’ve ever heard.  This one on the F4B/ P-12 really caught my eye.

Of course they have one of these F-4U Corsair aircraft.  In my opinion the most bad ass airplane of that era.  It had a 2,000 horse power 18 cylinder Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp radial engine – the most powerful engine available at the time.  If you were an enemy pilot you didn’t want to see one of these bad boys in your rear view mirror!!I also really like the looks of this T-6 Texan.  My father was lucky enough to get a half hour ride in one – he talks about it to this day.  Who wouldn’t – – –

Lastly, they have a few aircraft and engines here that have been cut away so you can see the works beneath.  Interesting to see all the wires in the wings and fuselage some used for tension and stability, others used to control the wing surfaces for flight.

I’ve just shared a few of my favorite aircraft with you but they have LOTS of airplanes here.  They also have several large and extremely detailed models of air craft carriers.  The space program is represented as well.  I had no idea how small the command modules (the thing that fell back to earth with the astronauts inside) were back when they first got started.  People must have been smaller back then.  Ha haWell worth the trip and next time I’m in the Pensacola area, I’ll be back.  Especially since it’s free; they would like a donation but it’s not required.  I figured we donated enough with the money we spent inside.  We went to see a Blue Angles movie filmed in I-MaX – not free but very cool.  We also had a good and very reasonably priced lunch and a couple beers in the Cubi Bar Cafe.

For nearly 40 years, the NAS Cubi Point Officers’ Club, in the Republic of the Phillippines, was a marvelous mix of American efficiency and Filipino hospitality. The club was especially famous for its Plaque Bar, where transiting squadrons retired old plaques and commissioned new ones to commemorate each WestPac tour. The tradition of placing plaques in the O’ Club bar was started during the Vietnam Conflict and endured until the closing of the base in 1992.

When the original officers’ club was closed in 1992, the thousands of plaques that adorned the walls of the club as tokens of thanks were packed up and sent to the Museum to be placed as they were when the Cubi Club was closed.  But it’s not just the plaques, they have the bar, bar stools, and tables and chairs from the original Cubi Club.

Much watching of the weather was done starting when we got back home from the museum.  A tropical storm was brewing and it was looking like it was going to be worst on the day I planned to ride to Sarasota, and that’s exactly what happened.  Those of you that really know me wouldn’t be too surprised that I was still planning on making the trip and just getting wet.  THAT would have been a huge mistake.  After I decided to stay another day and watched as the storm crossed the state – I was very glad that this was one of the few times I heed the good advise I often get.

What a difference a day makes!!  Today was a great day to ride, but with 500+ miles to go I was up on the slab for most of it.  The state of Florida gets an A+ for the condition of it’s Interstate 10 and 75.  These drivers though – – I don’t know how fast you have to be going to get a ticket but the speed limit is 70 mph and the car in the median is obviously law enforcement and the folks going 85 mph aren’t even slowing down.  I need my Camaro back!!  I ran into a brief downpour about 70 miles north of Sarasota and was pretty wet from it, but by the time I got there I was mostly dry.  I got the bike in the garage two minutes before it started raining.  So, I still haven’t put the rain gear on – knock on wood….

Lastly, I would like to thank my friends Ned and Joan for welcoming me into their home and taking such good care of me, and maybe even saving my life.  THANK YOU!!