August 7, 2006

Aaaahhhhh....

The view from where I am today...

Update: There seems to still be a lot of damage left over around here from Hurricane Dennis, which struck this part of Florida more than a year ago- July 10, 2005, and perhaps from Hurricane Ivan, which struck almost two years ago, on September 16, 2004, destroying more than 650 homes in the Pensacola Beach area. I'm planning on photographing some of it and bringing it to you here. Ivan was one of the gang of four hurricanes that smashed Florida in 2004. Among the damage: Route 399, which runs the length of Santa Rosa Island, a 40-mile barrier island, connecting Pensacola Beach on the west with Navarre to the east, was washed out. It was rebuilt at a cost of $27 million - and then washed out again by Dennis. The road, which passes through Gulf Islands National Seashore, was also damaged by last year's Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and remains closed to automobiles, though, according to a Park Service representative: "399 is open to bikes and pedestrians during daylight hours, but watch out for the birds. Terns are nesting near the road, and actually on it in a few places. ... If birds fly at you making loud calls, you are near nests and should retreat the same way you came, in the same footsteps."

Santa Rosa Island was also struck by Hurricane Erin and Hurricane Opal in 1995.

And, finally, in poking around Wikepedia for entries on various hurricanes and on Santa Rosa Island, I ran across the a link to a blog, Barrier Island Girl, which features photos from the Pensacola Beach area. Check it out here. There's a Tennessee connection...