Fort Pickens

We left Saint Joseph Peninsula State Park to continue on to Fort Pickens which is part of the National Park system because it has been preserved as a national seashore.  Fort Pickens was a Union fort during the civil war and never saw any defensive action after that.

The cannon you see in the picture below fired 15" cannon balls.

Notice all of the arches built in the fort that were laid with brick.  All of the brick in the fort, exterior and interior, was built with slave labor brought here from New Orleans, because the slaves in New Orleans were much more experienced at masonry work.  So, the local slaves were used for other tasks. 

Even though it is quite cool here, 41 degrees in the morning, we rode our bikes every day about 8-10 miles.  We rode past this fishing pier where many people were fishing for sheepshead because the fish were 'running'.  It looked like a great opportunity for many people to get their lines tangled.

On the bike path we took, we crossed over a small bridge and were able to see two large turtles.

Then we walked on the beach that was deserted.

We saw several ospreys and their nests.

We are leaving for Gulf State Park tomorrow.