Florida

WORKOUT 11 of 50 for Walk Across America and WORKOUT 11 of 50 for Step Across America

After paying the hefty fee of $1 we entered the magical land of Pensacola via the Pensacola Bay Bridge. As we climbed in elevation over the toll bridge the most prominent feature to see was the Pensacola Beach Water Tower. It looked like a giant golf ball teed up for hitting, maybe something Paul Bunyan would take a swing at. It was so great to have GPS and get a feel for what this truly magical peninsula had to offer. We were there in December and easily found access to the beach, and were offered the most beautiful gift, a golden sunset in December. Given this was our first time in Florida we had no idea how special this moment was. It rained the rest of the time.

After spending all of 10 minutes in Pensacola we canceled our hotel plans at another location and booked a room at the Holiday Inn. We stayed on the 10th floor with a view of the ocean. It was AMAZING and reasonably priced. The beaches were so unique, the sand is like powdered sugar in both feel and look and the ocean was aqua blue. We shuffled a few things around on our trip and gave ourselves an extra day to enjoy the beach. In the morning and at night we would collect little white seashells. Our youngest child really enjoyed this, and the shells now sit in a beautiful glass bowl on our mantel in our home to remind us of the wonderful time spent in Florida.

Before arriving in Pensacola, we put out a call to any participants who would want to join Jenny on the beach to film both the Walk and Step workouts. Three amazing ladies responded and were able to film with us that day. They were so loving and down-to-earth and were excited to help us in our journey across America. It was such an amazing experience to work with them.

Once again we made a trip to the local Home Depot and picked up big mats we could place on the sand for the exercisers to work out on. The filming day was overcast with a little drizzle. Jenny used her laptop to play a beat track to keep everyone on tempo and had to wrap it in plastic. We ate at Flounder’s Chowder House one night. It came highly recommended and was worth the price tag for the meal. It was packed full of people, and super yummy seafood.

Another time we met up with some friends for ice cream. They have since opened up a cookie franchise in the area called Crumbl Cookies. To our children’s disappointment, we managed to find a church to attend on Sunday. It is always such a neat experience to sing and worship with like-minded people so far away from home. We will treasure our time in Florida. What a wonderful state!

Start your journey through all 50 states right at home with the Walk and Step Across America Program!