# Anyone remember Rock Bottom



## Riverlover (Mar 5, 2016)

Anyone remember Rock Bottom ? Just a cold crystal clear pond back behind Saufly Field kids used to swim in and fish nearby.


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## Cap'n Crunch (Feb 22, 2016)

This was my first thought when I read the title.


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## Riverlover (Mar 5, 2016)

Thats ugly. Hate to be that dude.


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## lees way2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Yep been there more times than I can remember. It was a great place to go other than the beach. Wonder what its like now.Anybody know.


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## Riverlover (Mar 5, 2016)

Can't even find it on a map. Grow up there ? I grew up on Saufly Pines right across from East Fence big white house pecan grove.


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

I spent a lot of time skipping school, and doing many other "teen" activities there, water was crystal clear, had a great rope and swing, sprained the crap out of my ankle on it. We even camped out their a few nights. It was a really great place until the toluene freaks started hangin' out huffin' that crap! 1978-1984


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

Riverlover said:


> Can't even find it on a map. Grow up there ? I grew up on Saufly Pines right across from East Fence big white house pecan grove.


Are you talking about the Bucci residence, sons Tony and Tom?


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## Riverlover (Mar 5, 2016)

Yep, im the little brother of them.


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## Sunshine17 (Dec 11, 2009)

I also spent many nights and days there. The bream you would catch would be so pretty and light colored. I hadn't gone for years and the last time I went probably back in 2010 it was trashed. Made me pretty sad.


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## Riverlover (Mar 5, 2016)

Yea man. Way it is nowdays. Almost everything is trashed. Not many seem to appreciate squat now but their gadgets. Great place n good times tho.


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## Sunshine17 (Dec 11, 2009)

Not to get off topic, but another memory that's shared with Rock Bottom is the clay pits off bankhead rd. I remember spending mornings riding four wheelers and dirt bikes, then heading to Rock Bottom to swim in the afternoon.


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## FenderBender (Oct 2, 2007)

Last time I tried to go there with the dogs, cops kicked me out. Been a couple of years. Really neat place.


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## Riverlover (Mar 5, 2016)

Sunshine17 said:


> Not to get off topic, but another memory that's shared with Rock Bottom is the clay pits off bankhead rd. I remember spending mornings riding four wheelers and dirt bikes, then heading to Rock Bottom to swim in the afternoon.


I remember that too. Man, when I was really young I'd swim in the clay pit where that landfill is on the corner. Crazy, but even in the lightning and rain, long as it wasn't dark I was outdoors. Can't see how kids do it today. Like their being prepped to be locked inside.


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## lees way2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Sunshine 17 where did ya go to get in there,could ya drive still or have to walk. PFHS 1981


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## Sunshine17 (Dec 11, 2009)

To get into the pits or Rock bottom? My childhood friend lives in one of the houses that back up to the clay pit, the gate entrance is to the left of his house. When we were kids the gate used to always be open, once we got older they kept it locked and has been ever since. but we were still able to access it from behind his house. 

And for Rock bottom I would cut behind the house that backed up to the Saufley Field fence and walk the path to Rock bottom.


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

Do we need to PM names to each other? I rode dirt bikes at whites cycle track, the track behind Liberty christian school on the corner of Cerny rd and Muldoon and the claypits right behind the track between Cerny Rd , Muldoon Hwy and Blue Angel 78-83 PFHS class of 84


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## 706Z (Mar 30, 2011)

I hunted and fished back there late 60s and early 70s.used to catch crawfish under the rocks in rock bottom,caught many a bass and jack fish down the ditch and to the right.lots of snakes,lost my collie to a rattler there bit in the neck.Shot many ducks ,woodcock, squirrel,quail,rabbit,even saw deer back there.one day back there along the 11 mile creek saw a hog prolly 300# didn't shoot was on the other side.Nobody else was back there then.


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## Riverlover (Mar 5, 2016)

I got a picture with my dad brothers and dads friends from the swamp area behind the house as you get towards perdido bay from 1983 of a panther they killed while huntin. Try to dig it up and take picture of it. Lots of wildlife then. Now theres more hoses than a little bit. Heck we still couldn't get cable there when I moved in 89


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## Riverlover (Mar 5, 2016)

Houses (srry)


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## Sunshine17 (Dec 11, 2009)

Im a little after yalls time, my time was spent there between 2000 - 2008. Would have loved to have done all that in yalls time considering I love hunting. Barley see anything out there now when I visit my buddys house. Use to walk the woods round the clay pits with a .22 and shoot squirrels, rabbit, dove and used to even flush quail. And the ponds in the clay pits used to produce with a lot of bream and bass. 

God how I wish I could go back in time and do it all over again. Now I worry about bills, and being an adult instead of some math test Friday and who I was going to adventure with that weekend.


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## Riverlover (Mar 5, 2016)

Jgatorman said:


> Do we need to PM names to each other? I rode dirt bikes at whites cycle track, the track behind Liberty christian school on the corner of Cerny rd and Muldoon and the claypits right behind the track between Cerny Rd , Muldoon Hwy and Blue Angel 78-83 PFHS class of 84


No need for me. I know you probably remember names like chewy, george roe, scott thaxton, darrell huggins, george mccormick, steve ritchie


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

Riverlover said:


> No need for me. I know you probably remember names like chewy, george roe, scott thaxton, darrell huggins, george mccormick, steve ritchie


Wow have not heard Chewys name in forever, whatever happened to George Mccormick? Funny I just sent Steve a friends request on facebook yesterday.


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## Riverlover (Mar 5, 2016)

Sunshine17 said:


> Im a little after yalls time, my time was spent there between 2000 - 2008. Would have loved to have done all that in yalls time considering I love hunting. Barley see anything out there now when I visit my buddys house. Use to walk the woods round the clay pits with a .22 and shoot squirrels, rabbit, dove and used to even flush quail. And the ponds in the clay pits used to produce with a lot of bream and bass.
> 
> God how I wish I could go back in time and do it all over again. Now I worry about bills, and being an adult instead of some math test Friday and who I was going to adventure with that weekend.


I hear you. Saddest time was when everyone got grown and being the baby the house and property got to be too much for the old man. Remember one time the horses got loose and made their way on base in early 80's. Military came woke us up to go get em. What memories.


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

Sunshine17 said:


> Im a little after yalls time, my time was spent there between 2000 - 2008. Would have loved to have done all that in yalls time considering I love hunting. Barley see anything out there now when I visit my buddys house. Use to walk the woods round the clay pits with a .22 and shoot squirrels, rabbit, dove and used to even flush quail. And the ponds in the clay pits used to produce with a lot of bream and bass.
> 
> God how I wish I could go back in time and do it all over again. Now I worry about bills, and being an adult instead of some math test Friday and who I was going to adventure with that weekend.


We loved growing up in Pensacola, moved there in 1973 when I was 7, grew up in the corner ranch house on N Blue Angel pkwy (Millview rd) and Alekai. Dirt bikes and independence at 12
years of age. To be young again...... We could even power our dirt bikes with the fuel left in the hose from the gas stations.


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## 706Z (Mar 30, 2011)

Prolly don't but did any of you remember a old guy and his momma that owned all that land back towards perdido, name was Charlie Clipper, was family friend, never will forget him. Let me hunt all his land. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Riverlover (Mar 5, 2016)

My old man knew Mr.Charlie, great hunting. Nothin like it round here anymore. Even up here where I live you dont know whether some yankee own which property or what. Everybodys mixed up.


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

706Z said:


> Prolly don't but did any of you remember a old guy and his momma that owned all that land back towards perdido, name was Charlie Clipper, was family friend, never will forget him. Let me hunt all his land.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The cricket folk down there? Is that the Charlie you are talking about, used to sell him mudbugs so i could buy crickets to bream fish near the Bayou Marcus water treatment plant


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## Sunshine17 (Dec 11, 2009)

Jgatorman said:


> The cricket folk down there? Is that the Charlie you are talking about, used to sell him mudbugs so i could buy crickets to bream fish near the Bayou Marcus water treatment plant


 Are you talking about the creek down from the treatment plant? 
The one that goes under the bridge heading to the intersection of Lillian and Blue angel?


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

Sunshine17 said:


> Are you talking about the creek down from the treatment plant?
> The one that goes under the bridge heading to the intersection of Lillian and Blue angel?


yes and the other direction flows into perdido bay, man what stories you are digging up from the recess of this ole brain!


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

We used to catch long nose gars at that bridge as children. Dang dinosaurs to us kids


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## Sunshine17 (Dec 11, 2009)

I still go there to this day. Take my jon boat down the creek to bayou marcus. Its loaded with bass and bream. Also catch the occasional redfish up in the creek too. Ive been thinking about putting some crawfish traps out in that creek.


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

Sunshine17 said:


> I still go there to this day. Take my jon boat down the creek to bayou marcus. Its loaded with bass and bream. Also catch the occasional redfish up in the creek too. Ive been thinking about putting some crawfish traps out in that creek.


Next time I am in town we should do a trip I will bring my Hobie PA14


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## Sunshine17 (Dec 11, 2009)

Sounds good, just let me know.


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## lees way2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Well I bet yall aint been down the ditch to the bay, I just wish I paid attention back in the day. Yea its been a few but man was it good times.


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## 706Z (Mar 30, 2011)

lees way2 said:


> Well I bet yall aint been down the ditch to the bay, I just wish I paid attention back in the day. Yea its been a few but man was it good times.




Were some big bass in there too


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

lees way2 said:


> Well I bet yall aint been down the ditch to the bay, I just wish I paid attention back in the day. Yea its been a few but man was it good times.


you would loose that bet, lol we did it in a two man inflatable raft that leaked, dang banana spiders everywhere.


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

Riverlover said:


> My old man knew Mr.Charlie, great hunting. Nothin like it round here anymore. Even up here where I live you dont know whether some yankee own which property or what. Everybodys mixed up.


Mr Charlie, are you talking about Charlie Ard from Ards' cricket ranch?


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## Riverlover (Mar 5, 2016)

Yea you'd lose that bet man. My uncle lives on Shilstons Branch right next to the ditch


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## lees way2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Ya dont Dan Shilston do ya.


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## Tail Chaser (Jun 22, 2008)

Have to butt in .When I first read the title to this thread my first thought was :
they cant know the real rock bottom .The one by Saufley Field. 
Then as I read on I got goosebumps and as excited as kid at Christmas morning.
Oh yes they do! Bon fires, keggers ,dates with girlfriends ,swimming , getting the truck stuck in that white sand or the high bank walls (bottomed out at the top one time we had to push it off ,back 2 tires werent touching) oh yeah and truck surfing .I remember my buddy driving as we came around a corner slamming on the brakes and me being the surfer standing up top flying over the front of the truck onto the ground in front of the other vehicle.
also running dirt bikes in the pit and a spot north of cerny and west of blue angel and getting pulled over for no helmet and told to just stay off the street burying a K5 blazer in the mud at that pit and catching some nice size bass n blue gill and hunting south of scotland road

PFHS 1987 My buddies were jeff mitchel robert white , randy goodale

thanx for the flashback riverlover


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## Riverlover (Mar 5, 2016)

The names sound real familiar. You talking about the pit across from the ez mart ?
Man everyone remember Economy Corner n the old couple who ran it ? Put in the Tom Thumb caddy corner to him n shut him down, then they move in his spot.
The land south of scottland goin down the hill was part of property my old man had. Lots of deer hogs and moccasins down there


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

Tail Chaser said:


> Have to butt in .When I first read the title to this thread my first thought was :
> they cant know the real rock bottom .The one by Saufley Field.
> Then as I read on I got goosebumps and as excited as kid at Christmas morning.
> Oh yes they do! Bon fires, keggers ,dates with girlfriends ,swimming , getting the truck stuck in that white sand or the high bank walls (bottomed out at the top one time we had to push it off ,back 2 tires werent touching) oh yeah and truck surfing .I remember my buddy driving as we came around a corner slamming on the brakes and me being the surfer standing up top flying over the front of the truck onto the ground in front of the other vehicle.
> ...


PFHS 84 for me. PS Randy's sister Linda was and still is amazingly attractive, Good ole Yorkshire Estates right up the road from me. We all road the same bus until high school. Rode those pits and the track with the Zotts and many others.


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## Tail Chaser (Jun 22, 2008)

Yes thats the spot across from the store all we did was squirrels up by the houses of some friends. Real pretty big oaks lots of hiding places for them squirrels
Yes thats what i remember bout her too
My friends lived on turkey rd and perkins and scotland


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## Riverlover (Mar 5, 2016)

Who on turkey and perkins ? Not the Scarborough's ?


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## 1993JPC (May 29, 2020)

Speaking on Rock Bottom; what are some historic details about the area? (not just the base ; but that specific 1 mile square radius of the area ) What was up with the giant tube leading to the water? ; it was obvious that wasnt the source of the water as it was a natural spring. What about the little boardwalk area/natural trail setup that was closer to the base? what was up with that? That building on the other side of the fence that was over that way too? Between like 2006 -2010 My friends and I hung out , swam, and jumped off the tree over the water during the summer. It was a special spot to have. Always respected the area and kept it like it was when we got there as we knew we "werent supposed to be there". last time I went back there was with my sister in 2011. I never did anything nefarious going out there but alot of people I know of got in huge trouble while going back there ultimately leading them to shut the place down and somehow they know now when you head back there apparently. Im curious to get more details, like the real origins of the spot and that watersource . Pictures or an old home video would be too awesome. There has to be something else on the internet discussing this place ; has to be.


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

I made the trip from Perdido Bay up Bayou Marcus last weekend first time in 40 years turned back around at Blue Angel pkwy bridge epic trip! Thanks Kenny and my Hobie PS the old sewer treatment pond elbow is a lot smaller than I remember it.


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## 1993JPC (May 29, 2020)

These are images a friend of mine took 2020. the bottom is the baby in its prime. the authorities decided to completely deface and ruin it. would love all the information possible on this spot. especially the details and history, or does anyone know any reason why they had issue with it's existence enough to go to the extreme and react in this way? Something had to have happened. Some of my best memories as a kid. I just feel like there a lot of unanswered questions of this place I need to know.


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## lees way2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Wow that dont look like I remember I was there many times,days and nights. PFHS 81


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## murfpcola (Aug 28, 2012)

I wonder if the flood a few years ago did that?


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## 1993JPC (May 29, 2020)

murfpcola said:


> I wonder if the flood a few years ago did that?


very well could be a possibility but I wouldnt think the water would have surged to that extreme cause of the stream trail that led out . I feel the rain water would have had a place to go. The guy who took the pictures has lived in that area his whole life and says the military police destroyed it. Alot of kids were getting in trouble by the base police going out there and Id guess they were just tired of dealing with it. They blocked off that stream I just mention, bulldozed the sand shores into the deep end blocking the natural spring from the bottom, cut off the bottom section of the tube and left it in the water. What makes it obvious someone did it is the fact the tree everyone jumped off of was cut down.Also, There is a situation the base is dealing with from contaminated groundwater from old bomb testing in that immediate area. Alot of residence have come ill from the ground well water they have used in the past ; so my presumption is that they wanted that watersource completely defaced so it couldnt be tested as a groundwater source. who knows really.


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## specktackler57 (May 15, 2011)

Reminds me of the clay pit behind the drive in off navy Blvd.


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## 1993JPC (May 29, 2020)

specktackler57 said:


> Reminds me of the clay pit behind the drive in off navy Blvd.


very similar now.
back when it was a swimming hole it was more comparable to a river atmosphere but it was a natural spring/stream pond. water was as clear as day.

all the redeeming qualities were ruined; the floor of the water was blocked; so no clean water anymore.


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

So sad so many memories... PFHS '84


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