After spending nearly all of our lives in the western US, it is surprising how quickly we cross from one state into another. After Texas, however, all the rest of the states really are small 😉 After a great taste of Louisiana, we buzz through Mississippi. Laura’s aunt Wendy lives near Mobile and it has been a while since we visited, so a stop near there was in order. We chose an awesome state park in Georgia, Gulf Shores. Incredibly beautiful, spaces are generous and the scenery is stunning. Close to the ocean and just along a couple of lakes. We stay here about a week and explore around.
A visit up to Fairhope, AL to visit Wendy and her husband Bob plus their labs was very enjoyable – a great visit in their beautiful home and dinner at a stunning marina on Mobile Bay. Laura and I have been keeping an eye out for places to settle down in – someday. We love our Lake Arrowhead home, but as long as we’re out and about, we realize that SoCal is not the only place in the world that we could move to. Well, Fairhope is so inviting and homey, with that small town atmosphere, and, well, inexpensive, that we have tentatively placed this city at the top of our list. Just beautiful! Even if we don’t settle down there, we’ll be back to explore and enjoy this area some more!
The Gulf Shores coast is like many beach towns that clearly cater to vacationers. There are many, many hotels and restaurants along the beach, but we are there at a low time, with not too much beach traffic. Our real attraction was the state park: lots of water, an osprey nest, alligators(!) and a quiet park. Very enjoyable.
A day trip to Fort Morgan, at the western tip of the land that protects the entrance to Mobile Bay made an interesting history lesson. Its predecessor, Fort Bowyer was built in 1813 to protect against a possible British attack, it was taken over by the Brits in 1815 but was later returned as part of the treaty that ended the War of 1812. Fort Morgan was then built starting in 1819 and it is quite evident that it has seen better times. A lot of water damage to the huge walls, and foundation settling under those walls are quite noticeable.
 
Sadly, we are not able to extend our weeks stay in Gulf Shores – it is very popular and we cannot get reservations. Not surprising since this is such a beautiful park. It turns out that regulars there, book 6 months in advance!
Eastward-ho we go, towards Florida. I’ve got to say that the Emerald Coast is incredibly beautiful. Never have we seen ocean water that is this brilliant emerald color. Photos don’t do it justice. We stay in a “motor coach resort” in Fort Walton, which is adjacent to Destin. With water all around us, the ocean directly across the street and the inland bay about 30 feet from our RV, we were very pleased with our location. (Of course we paid for this “privilege”). This is another beach town with a lot of traffic along the coastline but, oh the location, and oh that water.
 
We are finding everywhere we travel that there is so much history everywhere to appreciate. We haven’t focused our destinations on history but this is hard to ignore, in fact, the historic areas and features are turning out to be an attraction to our explorations. Our travels turn up something new and unusual every day. What a great adventure!