2022 Spring Southern Trip: Gulf Shores, Alabama

Tuesday 4/26: 217 miles, parked at Gulf State Park, Gulf Shores, Alabama

Gulf State Park, Site 462.

We were on the road at 9:45 this morning.  We took US 89 almost all the way today.  We thought we would avoid the Interstate for a change and since we gained an hour on the clock by driving into the Central Time Zone, we were not in a rush.  That said, I would not do that again pulling a large camper.  On the plus side, the drive was not stressful, basically because we never able to exceed 45 miles per hour.  West from Panama City to Gulf Shores is almost one continuous city.  Lots and lots of traffic, stop lights, road, developments and condo construction.  On the down side, our mileage suffered because of the constant stop and go.  And the drive was tedious and took over an hour longer, even though it was 50 miles shorter than using I-10.  All in all, I'm glad we drove it and got to see new places, but once is enough, especially pulling a 35 foot RV.

We arrived in Gulf Shores to a warm afternoon about 2:00, Central Daylight Time.  There was a light shower as we set up, but later the sun came back out and the temperature hit 82.  We sat outside and read for awhile, until it got too hot.  Seems like we are never satisfied.  😀  Dinner was homemade soup from the freezer.

Wednesday 4/27:

This morning we went to the nearby Super Walmart to restock on groceries and a few other necessities.  By the time we got back and unloaded, it was lunch time.  One item I found at the Walmart was a Little Giant ladder.  Many RVers carry ladders to do maintenance work on roofs and awnings, and I have always wanted one.  But I wanted a compact ladder, and this fit the bill.  It can be used as either a step ladder or extension ladder. And this compact ladder folds up and is easy to store.

One of the real assets of this park are the paved trails.  There are so many places to walk the dogs.  You do see an occasional "Don't feed the alligators" sign, however.

But in four stays here, I have never seen one yet.   We are also seeing more and more electric bicycles on our travels.  In fact, we are looking very seriously a getting a couple.  We saw them everywhere in Savannah, Carrabelle, and here.  They almost all have "pedal assist" option that lets you choose from all pedal power to all electric power.  I met a couple who had them and toured over 30 miles of Gettysburg National Park on them, and loved it.  No problems parking, and great for pulling off and taking photos.

Dinner was salmon on the Blackstone griddle Judy bought me for my birthday last month along with wild rice topped with sautéed green beens and tomatoes.  Gourmet  dinner on a picnic table.  Life is good.

Thursday 4/28:

I went for an early morning walk and managed to catch sunrise over the long leaf pines and saw grass wetlands.

The rest of the day was a lazy and relaxing one.  However, we did have a small plumbing leak to fix.  Remember the episode of the tipped kitchen island?  Well Judy discovered a small leak under the kitchen sink today.  We finally figured out that when the island tipped, one of the plastic connections in the sink trap had stretched enough to become cross threaded.  A simple unscrewing the connection and then re-screwing it together was the fix.  That was the easy part.  The hard part was getting back up on my feet after laying on your back half under the sink for a half hour.  😀😀  I have to share this comment from a fellow RV'er he posted on an online forum:  "Sometimes it seems these trailers are called "recreational vehicles" because there's so much "recreation" in figuring out why they're broken and how to fix them."

Then the rest of the day was lazy and relaxing.  I'm finally catching up on my reading.  Current book for me is "Up Country" by Nelson DeMille.   I'm still an old fashioned paper and print reader.  Judy, however, does all her reading on the iPad.

We did decide to book a two week stay here next April.  None of the pull thru sites that we like were available, but we did find a back in site that we liked, so we reserved it.  Rv'ing is so popular now, and there are so many baby boomers like us that you have to make reservations a year in advance at many campgrounds if you want more than a one or two day stay.

Dinner was another gourmet one of sausage, peppers and onions on the Blackstone griddle.

Friday 4/29:

I caught another beautiful morning sunrise over the long leaf pines this morning.  It was so pleasant out that I decided to take Zoey the Malamute for an extended walk this morning.

Well, about a quarter mile from the camper, it started to rain, sometimes a bit heavy.  What gives??  The weather app showed nothing about showers.  Later I discovered, on weather radar that a small popup shower blew over the area.  

And while it lasted only 15 minutes, I came back drenched.  I was a sight for sore eyes.  Judy, however, thought it was hilarious!  So that's how our day started.  😀

The entire day turned out having small popup showers, so we didn't plan any outdoor excursions.  We did sit out and read during breaks in the weather.  So today turned out to be another slow and relaxing day.  I am getting caught on my reading list, as well as taking care of some online bill paying.

Dinner was crock pot taco soup that Judy made, and it was delicious, with enough left over for lunches for a couple days.

Saturday 4/30:

A few showers overnight and early this morning, but then clearing and sunny and 78.  Lots of Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana license plates.  Not many northern ones.  I think southerners like to camp here in the warm months because the ocean breezes of Gulf Shores cause the temperatures to be about 5 to 10 degrees cooler than inland.

Well, what to do today???  This week has been pure relaxation.  We visited no museums, climbed no lighthouses, and didn't take any tours.  We didn't eat out and we didn't souvenir shop.  Sound boring?  Yep, it was and it was pure "Heaven."  A week of complete down time with reading, napping, dog walking, and cooking meals together, which is fun, not work.  😀  Chores will come soon enough when we get back on the road Tuesday for the week-long drive home, and then yard work, lawn mowing, and all the other summer household chores.  Think of this past week as a vacation from retirement.  Haha.

We did venture out once today.  Dinner was a Low Country Shrimp Boil from the Gulf Shores Seafood Market.  This is a market, not a restaurant, but they do offer takeout boiled dinners.  We picked up our dinner at 5:00, and the market was almost entirely sold out of fresh fish.  We may stop some morning and pick up one last sample of fresh seafood before we start our homeward journey Tuesday.  We ate back at the camper and the seafood boil dinner was very good.  Not restaurant quality, but still good. 

Sunday 5/1: 

Another sunny and this time, an 82 degree day, and along with high humidity it made the heat index feel like 86.  A slight ocean breeze made it more tolerable.  Today's big project: one final batch of laundry to make it home with.  To be honest, laundry is not our favorite activity.  The laundromat at the park is large, but dated.  It could use some TLC.  And then there is the wait time for washing and then drying.  We did find, however, a remedy for waiting: Ice cream!!  😀 

I had a couple of interesting discussions today during my dog walks.  No, not with the dog, but with other campers.  😀  First was with an Airstream owner who was packing up to leave.  I notice the other day that his Airstream had a slide out, which I have never seen on an Airstream.  Stupid me, I forgot to take a photo.  Anyway, he told me that only about 100 of them were ever made, and they quit making them somewhere around 2008 to 2010 due to expense and added weight.  His was original that he bought new 17 years ago.  He has camped with it in everyone of the lower 48 states except North Dakota.  Here is a stock photo off RV Trader of a 2004 28 foot Safari model that looked exactly like his.

My second discussion was with the owner of this rig.

The tractor is a used over the road Volvo that he bought with 600,000 miles on it for about $25,000.  He then put another $25,000 into rehabbing it for RV use.  So he has a $50,000 rig that gets the same mileage as our 3/4 ton diesel pickup truck, but has a 250 gallon fuel tank and can haul 80,000 pounds.  The cab had a bathroom and a microwave.  On top of all that, he has less money in his truck than we do in our 3/4 ton pickup.  Their "get around town" vehicle is a 3 wheel motorcycle, although we did see his truck at Walmart the other day grocery shopping.  They live in Florida, and travel about 6 months a year, mostly to Colorado to visit children.  It was a really interesting discussion.

Dinner was stir fry chicken teriyaki on the Blackstone griddle.

Monday 5/2: 

Today is our last full day here at Gulf State Park, and again it's another warm and sunny day.  We will be back again in October and again next April.  Big project for today??  One last grocery shopping run to restock the camper for the final run home.    As usual, the Walmart was busy.  Then we wanted to fill the truck with diesel, the first (and easiest) station was out of diesel.  GRRR.  Off we went lurching.  Finally found a Circle K with diesel, but it was the slowest pump I have ever encountered!  Probably a good 10 minutes for 25 gallons.

We spent the afternoon tinkering on a couple of little projects around the camper.  Both Judy and I started new books.  Dinner was slow cooker corned beef with potatoes, carrots, green beans and cabbage.  And we have enough leftovers to not have to cook for the next couple days.

Tomorrow we start home, with a weekend stay at son Matt and family in West Virginia.  We have had a really slow and relaxing week in Gulf Shores.  

Cheers, and stay tuned!!