This is a first. We decided to spend Thanksgiving out camping in Rosie, our Airstream trailer, instead of at home. It appeared that we were not the only people wanting to spend the holiday out camping and felt fortunate when we were able to reserve a site in Oak Grove Campground "behind the gate" on Pensacola Naval Air Station.
“Behind the gate” meant this campground was on the military base. That distinction was important because it translated to Marines armed with M-16 rifles at the gate checking everyone’s credentials and only allowing those on active duty, retired military members and former military people with service connected disabilities noted on their VA Health ID cards to enter the base.
The other unusual security issue was also at the gate. We had to weave while pulling Rosie, our Airstream trailer, through concrete barriers in front of the gate. These were designed to stop someone intentionally trying to crash on to the base. I remembered seeing similar security measures at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin during the Cold War. Needless to say, we had to be very careful while we slowly approached the gate.
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| Past the barricades and heading to the gate guarded by armed military police |
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| Sign at the campground |
You have to admit that these “FamCamp” campgrounds have a higher level of security than your typical KOA.
We enjoyed watching the Blue Angels practice overhead as we set up Rosie in the campground. That’s another difference between this FamCamp and your typical KOA, where you don't see air shows over your site.
This campground is on the opposite side of the bay from Fort Pickens, a campground we have enjoyed camping in multiple times. It was interesting in that we viewed the Bay side of Fort Pickens as just a bay. Things looked different from the Naval Air Station side. We saw the mouth of the bay as it opened to the Gulf. We also enjoyed waves from the Gulf along the shoreline behind the campground.
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| Rosie in the Campground |
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| The barricades were easier to navigate without Rosie hitched to our truck |
We ended up being invited to spend Thanksgiving with our son and his family, which were about 50 miles from this campground. We quickly loaded the truck and headed there for the day. Knowing that the Marines were watching over the gate, we didn't feel apprehensive about leaving Rosie behind for a day.
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| Our grandson with his Becca |
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| Our grandson participated in an art project with his Becca |
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| Dinner is just about ready |
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| Saying goodbye after a wonderful day |
We made a mistake in regards to our bikes. We forgot that military bases require bicyclists to wear safety helmets even if the state doesn’t. After a quick run to the store, we enjoyed riding our bikes around the base.
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| New bike helmets so we could ride our bikes on the base |
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| Out bike riding along the shore line |
Speaking of bikes, there are some great bike paths on the Navy base. We had visited this base several times in the past to see the Naval Aviation Museum and the Lighthouse. We found some amazing views of both on the bike paths that we never saw riding through in our car.
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| This view of the lighthouse was easier to see from the campground |
Here are some specifics about this campground:
- There were multiple loops in the campground
- Our site was a back in
- Our site was "full sun"
- Most sites were close together
- Our site was paved with concrete and level
- Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service
- Our site had a water connection
- Our site had a sewer connection
- There was a dump station in this park
- The was a trash dumpster near Rosie
- There was a bathhouse in the campground. It was clean and well maintained
- There was a great laundry in the park. It cost $1 to wash a load and $1 to use the dryers
- The park provided WiFi service. The best description of it was annoying. You had to log back onto the slow WiFi every time you paused for a few minutes
- AT&T provided 2 bars of 4G voice and data service over our campsite
- We were able to watch ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna. Digital channels seen were AntennaTV, Bounce, Charge, Circle, Comet, Dabl, Get, Grit, ION, ME-TV and Stadium
- The campground had cable-TV with 100+ channels, but our connection did not work. We didn’t pursue it because we prefer over-the-air TV signals
- There were restaurants and shopping nearby
- This was a pet friendly park
This was our second time camping in a U.S. Military FamCamp. I admit I feel different in a positive way when camping in a military campground. This may be because we know everyone in the campground shares a common thread of service in the U.S. Armed Services. We look forward to camping in more FamCamps.
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| The beach near the campground |
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| Another picture of the beach |
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| They had a few "spare" Blue Angel jets on the base |
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| Rosie in the campground |
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