Off to Alabama

We never learn.  Thought we could just pull into another state park and find a spot but this one too was all booked up.  The kind ranger at the gate gave us directions to Sopchoppy city park, a small campgrounds with free-for-all camping where we spent the night. Left pretty early and headed west again, this time I made a reservation at Pine Log State Forest, a pretty primitive place, and landed at site 18. But it didn’t have a grill and we wanted to cook so we just moved across the way.  We met a very nice couple from Mississippi and their two dogs and picked up some more camping tips.

The next day started out bright and sunny so we decided to head for the beach.  Our fellow campers thought we would like Ft. Pickins, a beachfront campgrounds in the Gulf Shores National Seashore near Pensacola but as per usual there were no sites left.  Forgot it was a holiday weekend!  Another disappointment narrowly averted thanks to another very kind ranger – federal this time.  He said if we drove onto the part of the national seashore that was on the barrier island just past Pensacola Beach, we would find three parking lots where people sometimes spent the night. So we did. It was beautiful.  We cooked up some barbecue with a leftover pork chop, chili seasoning and some beans , then slept with the windows open to hear the sound of the waves and feel the ocean breeze.

We woke to a foggy dawn and greeted the early fisherman who had pulled in nearby, there to catch pompano and redfish. It seemed like a good idea to get some laundry done before heading to Mobile to visit Mary, so we opened our rolls of quarters and headed to town, did three loads of wash and had a really good breakfast next door. I just don’t know what makes one breakfast spot more popular than another.  Three doors down there were crowds waiting outside a restaurant while the café we ate in had empty tables.

Left Florida (at last) at 10:30 am and got to Mobile about an hour and a half later. We parked opposite a pretty – if a bit run down – park with statuary, a fountain and mosaic benches given to Mobile by a group of Spanish cities in honor of its Spanish past. Just across the park was the Carnival Museum, dedicated to all things having to do with the month-long celebration that precedes Lent.  There were fantastic costumes, floats, and exhibits.  Mobile takes carnival seriously, with over 39 “krewes” participating in parades and related festivities.   Every year the two carnival societies, one white and one black, appoint a king and queen, generally from the oldest families in the city and often descended from former kings and queens. They are expected to entertain lavishly in the months before carnival begins with luncheons and dinners rivaling the most expensive weddings.  The royals have their crowns and finery designed and custom made, with trains often reaching 21+ feet in length and costing tens of thousands of dollars. Totally overwhelmed with all the sequins and crystal, we headed to Mary’s for a day or two of relaxation.

We found her new home without too much of a problem, met her cats Jeannie and Georgie and took her out for a steak dinner at the Texas Roadhouse.  Returned home to watch a few Olympic events and went to bed early.

The only ones on the beach

Sleeping at the beach – magic.