Long(ish) Walking as a Means of Renewal

For the first time, in a very long time, I found myself with no structured activities planned in advance of greeting the morning. Today promised to be a day of renewal, and I'd like to think I used it wisely. After taking a bit of my own advice and skipping the sunrise the morning, I got myself together and decided to research the possibility of talking a long(ish) walk in the Pensacola, FL area. The distance from Mobile, AL to Pensacola, FL is not daunting, and I thought that a change of scenery, to an area I have not explored in a long time, might prove useful.

After a quick scan of suggestions from Google, I settled on starting out near the Pensacola Lighthouse. Plans being what they are, fungible, I actually started a little bit further east down the beach than I had originally planned, and I ended up with about a four mile walk to the light.

Blue Angel Static Display - NAS Pensacola Officer's Club

Naval Air Station Pensacola, being "The Cradle of Naval Aviation," host more than a few bits of eye candy for enthusiasts of aviation in general and Naval aviation in particular. This static display as one of several that I passed on the trail to the lighthouse. I also took the time to speak to the closest mothers in my life since I found myself away from them all on Mother's Day. All told, I spent about three hours on the phone with them, and I thoroughly enjoyed their company.

After a little over an hour, I fetched the distance to the lighthouse, and the walk proved to be worth every step.

Pensacola Lighthouse with the Lighthouse Keeper's Residence in the Foreground

Originally, my plans called for finding a location to take pictures of the light as sunset approached, but when I finally got there, I found that the angles weren't going to give me the shots that I wanted. What I did not realize was that the lighthouse was open for visitors, so I decided to pay them a visit.

Pensacola Lighthouse with Jeremiah Pelican

Like many cities, Pensacola boasts a public art installation at various locations of a statue decorated with symbolism to match the surroundings. This art installation is call Pelicans in Paradise, the Jeremiah Pelican, The Lighthouse Keeper stands watch over the lighthouse. The light tower is one hundred and ninety one feet tall and the observation platform can be accessed by climbing a spiral staircase with one hundred and seventy seven steps. Admission was six dollars, and the views from the top far outpaced both the cost of admission and the light sheen of sweat the climb up initiated.

View from Pensacola Lighthouse Looking East

The observation platform is the tallest publicly accessible lighthouse platform in the state of Florida. Looking east you can see down the length of Big Lagoon all the way to Pensacola Bay.

View from Pensacola Lighthouse Looking West

Toward the west, you can see the skyline of Orange Beach and past the state line into Gulfshores, Alabama with the miles of white sand beaches in between.

View From Pensacola Lighthouse Looking North

Toward the north the airfield and the National Naval Aviation Museum are prominent landmarks, and with a bit of luck a student pilot will put on a display of aviation skill (or not) during one of their many training flights.

Having decided that I would depart Pensacola before sunset, I made my way back to my car and wrapped up a walk measuring a little over eight miles.

Blue Heron Making an Approach at Naval Air Station Pensacola

Toward the end of the walk, I caught a Great Blue Heron making a landing approach on the apron that used to host the seaplanes stationed at Pensacola. This was a fitting encore to a spectacular jaunt.

Falling back into old habits, I made my way down to Fairhope, AL to take in a sunset.  I put in another five miles of walking along the bluffs, and enjoyed the closing of the day.

Sunset - Fairhope, AL

The cobalt sky was lightly brushed with high cirrus clouds, and the warm breeze off Mobile Bay brought with it a feeling of renewal and energy from across the water.

Skyscape - Fairhope, AL

Even after covering just a bit over a half marathon distance, I felt refreshed and rejuvenated.

Out on the Water at the Closing of the Day - Fairhope, AL

Today was a day of welcome renewal and adventure. Soul healing new sights and old favorites tilled the space between moments. I'm looking forward to what the universe has planned for tomorrow.