With the check engine light still on, we left Ochlockonee River SP early on Saturday morning. We had a reservation at the Fort Pickens campground in the Gulf Islands National Seashore, near Pensacola, Florida. Gulf Islands National Seashore is spread over a sizable swath of the Gulf Coast from Destin, FL, to Ocean Springs, MS. We passed through all of the Florida sections on the way to Fort Pickens, not far from the Alabama border.
We decided to take US 98, the coastal route along the Gulf, which runs all the way to Pensacola (actually it runs all the way from Palm Beach, FL, to Washington, MS, but we aren't going that far). With mostly back roads, it seemed like a better choice given Speedy's issues. It was a pleasant drive along most of it, especially the section from Ochlockonee River to Panama City where it was quiet and uncrowded, "the real Florida" as the tourism people like to say. Until Panama City, the only sizable town was Apalachicola, which has an old-fashioned small town look.
Along our route, we took a break in Mexico Beach. It is unusual for a beach town in Florida in that the city owns the beach and it is all accessible to the public. It also has an ordinance prohibiting buildings higher than three stories. The only taller building is the five-story El Governor Motel, which predates the law. After nearly missing it, we stopped for the coffee at Caribbean Coffee and it was worth the stop.
After Panama City, the towns became increasingly congested until it peaked at Destin, a town of seemingly endless malls, fast-food restaurants, golf resorts and high-rise buildings. Because each one has its own traffic signal, the traffic was stop-and-go for quite a while (or at least it seemed that way). What a relief when we crossed the East Pass bridge and entered the Okaloosa area of the the National Seashore. We found a parking area on the bay side just over the bridge and stopped there for lunch overlooking Choctawhatchee Bay.
After five miles of driving through a landscape of sand dunes and ocean vistas, we entered Fort Walton Beach and were back in civilization. The traffic wasn't too bad through Mary Esther and Navarre, where we crossed over the bridge back onto Santa Rosa Island and Route 399. Except for short sections through Narvarre Beach and Pensacola Beach, it is undeveloped National Seashore all the way to Fort Pickens.
We arrived just after check-in time and settled in Site E6, an open site on the outside of Loop E with sand dunes and the bay behind us. After getting Speedy set up, we took a wander through the campground, stopping to check out the new restrooms and showers. Strangely there were signs indicating that they would be closed indefinitely as of Monday, February 16, for repairs. I haven't found anyone who can tell me what the repairs are. Everything in the building seemed to work just fine. The U.S. Park Service sometimes works in mysterious ways.
We then walked up to the campground store, which was touted as being much improved with a new concessionaire. If it is an improvement, the previous incarnation must have been really terrible. It is the most bare looking camp store we have ever seen. They were even low on junk food, with off-brand chips and almost no ice cream. They did have one loaf of white bread and a single package of hot dog rolls. We picked up a couple of little bags of chips which came to $1.05. I was carrying no change and the only change the cashier had was a roll of nickels. Yes, it was 19 nickels in change.
After we got back to the campsite, I looked under Speedy to check out the sensor that was causing the fault code. It didn't look like there was a wiring problem, but I could see a little oil seeping from the sensor body. This didn't look right, so I decided to get a new one. While under the van, I also noticed a little oil on the new steering box. I took a look in the power steering pump reservoir and it was below the low line. Two new parts in Speedy and both have problems! I looked up the nearest auto parts store and gave them call. Advance Auto in Gulf Breeze had the sensor in stock and was open on Sunday.
Sunday morning we drove off to Gulf Breeze to Advance Auto Parts. They had the sensor. I also needed a one-inch wrench to remove the old one and tighten the new one, so I picked up a one-inch socket and some power steering fluid as well as transmission fluid. I added the power steering fluid before we left the parking lot.
After a stop at the Gulf Breeze Publix for groceries, we made our way through the traffic back to the campground. While we were there, I checked the steering fluid and saw no change. I also decided to check the engine oil. Why I hadn't done that before we left, I don't know, but it was down as well. They had motor oil in the supermarket and that was added to our shopping list.
There was quite a bit of traffic pouring onto Pensacola Beach. They were having a Mardi Gras parade on Sunday. Fortunately, we got through before it started. I was more concerned with fixing Speedy than in seeing a parade, so we didn't stop.
When we got back to the site I put Speedy up on boards to get it a little more clearance and waited a bit for things to cool down (time for coffee anyway). I put on my special grubby jeans and shirt and wiggled under the van. Oops! The one-inch socket was the right size, but too long. The sensor is right next to the waste pipe and there is not enough clearance to fit it onto the sensor. I have an adjustable wrench in the tool kit, so out it came. I was a bit leery of using it since the sensor body is plastic, but it was the only alternative.
The old sensor loosened easily and, with the new sensor in one hand, I backed out the old one with the other. The various descriptions I'd found online on replacing the sensor indicated that a few drops of transmission fluid would leak out—it came gushing out. Since I had the new one right there, it only lost about a half cup of fluid before I got it on, but soaked my right sleeve. Old grubby clothes are a necessity when traveling with Speedy.
The new sensor went on just fine. I reset the code and took a short drive (back to the Ranger Station so Ellen could pick-up a bird list). Speedy ran and shifted more smoothly and the check-engine light did not come back on. Looking at the old sensor, it was obviously damaged, the plastic head had been broken off and the magnet in the interior exposed. Transmission fluid had gotten in and probably corroded or shorted the circuitry. What is a bit more of a concern is that a sizable bit of metal was stuck on the magnet. It looked like it might be a bit of gear tooth. Everything is running fine, but I will definitely be in touch with the shop that replaced our transmission last fall.
Ellen has gone birding both yesterday afternoon and this morning, seeing some local birds including Eastern Towhee and Brown Thrasher. It has been quite windy here and there hasn't been too much to see. However, an immature Bald Eagle landed in a nearby nearby tree while being harassed by two Fish Crows. That was probably the most interesting sighting so far. We took the spotting scope out this afternoon in hopes that we could find shorebirds and ducks along the bay side beach, but it was very quiet, a couple of Common Loons, a few Buffleheads and a few Black-bellied Plovers. At the fishing pier, a few Great Blue Herons were panhandling among the fishermen.
The weather is worsening a bit and we expect rain this evening and falling temperatures over the next few days with at least one night falling below freezing. Warm, sunny Florida it isn't, but there is no snow and not the winter that our friends and family are enduring!
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