Warm Sunny Days in Gulf Shores

We have been enjoying the warm weather (70s) and mostly sunny skies the past several days. Thursday evening we met with Mike and Joanne and their friends Tony and Debbie for dinner at Gulf Shore Steamers out towards Perdido. The company and conversation were great, the food only so-so. After dinner we went back to the condo they were all staying at to play some Left-Right-Center, which was a lot of fun. Friday, I took Gus for a long walk on one of the trails and after 2 miles he pooped out on me, finding a shady spot to lay down and rest. I finally called Jim to pick us up near the ranger station so I wouldn't have to drag him home. We ended the evening by enjoying our gas firepit as it cooled down. 

Today is Jim's 72nd Birthday. I fixed him Biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast. We hung out for a while with a 15 minute rain shower, then packed the dog and the cooler in the car for a drive along the coast back to Pensacola and Joe Patti's Seafood Market for more seafood to take home with us. I bought Jim smoked salmon, and also picked up more shrimp, Salmon filets, Tuna Steak, and Crab meat. Most went into the freezer to enjoy at home. After putting our purchases away, we took another ride along the coastline of Alabama, seeing the reconstruction of many homes damaged by the hurricane last fall.  I did my best to take a few pictures but the heavy haze along the Gulf was not helping. 

Armadillos are out even during the daytime here. They say that the hurricane messed up their normal schedule so they can be seen almost any time of day 

Long Walks at Gulf State Park

Gus and I took a long walk through the Campground and other facilities in the park this morning...almost 3 miles of walking. We watched turtles swimming in the creek, saw a few people going kayaking, watched a lot of people playing pickleball, and talked with folks from other states.  There are lots of trails here and lots of areas to still check out in the next several days...keeping us busy.  We are enjoying this Park and location enough to have booked a site for two weeks next year, late February through early March.

Gulf State Park

We are in Gulf Shores, Alabama, staying at a very large state park with almost 500 campsites with full hookup. They suffered a great deal of damage from Hurricane Sally last Fall, but have restored most operations.  There are miles of trails for walking, jogging, or cycling here. as well as beach access and fresh water lakes.  We rode a few of the trails today, including part of the boardwalk system, just to see what it's like here.  Many people were out on the trails too.  

Tomorrow we will explore more of this very large park. 

HIT The 70 Mark!

Hard to believe that yesterday I turned 70, but there it is. I wanted to do it my way, with little fanfare, and that was how it went. I got to take a nice quiet walk on the beach with the sun shining and the wind in my face, and hardly another person in sight. 

We did get a special treat when Mike & Joann showed up at our campsite with a Birthday cake...so sweet of them!  We always enjoy spending time with them, and they got to meet Gus, who was equally excited.  

Today we leave this park and drive to Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, AL for our last week on the Gulf.

Sunny Days Are Here Again

Early yesterday we went with Mike and Joann for breakfast at a small restaurant in Pensacola called the Coffee Cup.  Breakfast was delicious and very filling, but the conversation was more delightful. Another couple joined us and they were delightful also. 

Afterwards we went to Joe Patti's Seafood Market and filled to cooler with shrimp, flounder, cod, and salmon.  The place is incredible, an experience to say the least!

70 feet of seafood....and much more!

On the way back to camp, we were stopped a few times by crews cleaning the sand off the roadway.

Yesterday afternoon it was still cold but very sunny, so we got our share of Vitamin D with walks. It was too windy to ride our bikes then but today we were able to ride them down to the Fort and waterfront area near there. Temps today rose to almost 60, and tomorrow's outlook is even warmer, so hopefully it will be a good day to walk on the beach. Most of the pics below are of the Fort ruins, and the waterfront at the end of the island. There are some restored houses that are private residences now, so not available for tours.

 

Surviving the cold, windy, rainy days

 The past few days have been unseasonably cold here, with some rain, although most of that came last night. The outlook for the next several days is looking better with temps in the 50s and 60s.  There are several trails to walk, and some to ride bikes in as well, so we have been exploring those. We have caught glimpses of armadillos as they duck under the shrubs, and there are lots of singing birds around. Gus and I visited one of the historic Batteries in the park, but we have not yet been down to the Fort or waterfront. Since we are here until next Monday, there is plenty of time for that. Gus is not allowed on the beach but he and I walked the entire boardwalk leading to the beach anyway. Today we will probably explore the park some more, although showers are forecast for the afternoon.  We have a dinner engagement with Mike and Joann, who we met through Paul & Mary Smith. Mike and Joann live near Pensacola Beach, not far from here. 

Drive to Fort Pickens National Campground

Our 68 mile drive from Topsail Campground to Fort Pickens was not a fun drive today. It rained the whole way, and there was lots of traffic and stop lights along the way. But the worst of it was driving the last 8 miles where we dealt with high winds and down pouring rain as well as water and sand blowing across the road, the Gulf on one side and the Bay on the other side. Jim had to drive slowly just to see the road. It stopped raining just when we got to the Campground registration building, thankfully. We lost out small awning over the bump out. It's actually not lost but was torn away from the side of the RV by the high winds, so we will have to take it off when the weather clears.