A Gulf Coast Road Trip
The Old Lad….oops! Excuse me. I mean my sweet young bride, had a birthday this month, and we took a road trip to the coast. Say what you want, but Alabama has a Gulf Coast, albeit an abbreviated version, just as spectacular as Florida’s. Snow-white sand beaches, sparkling green surf and a warm gulf wind make it a beach goer’s paradise.
Of course, no visit to the Gulf is complete without a visit to Alvin’s Island to look at the sea shells, rubber snakes and lacquered alligator heads. Also, with a recommendation from our neighbors Jeff Aker and Tish Pierce, we visited The Steamer Restaurant at SanRoc Cay Marina, on Perdido Beach Blvd, www.gulfshoressteamer.com. Deep water red shrimp, oysters from the back bay, blue crab…..!!!! Relaxed atmosphere and excellent food. Enough said, right?
Anyway, the sun shined and the waves sparkled, and I felt like an aging manatee among the svelte spring breakers, but what the…? The scenery was exceptional. One nice thing about the Alabama beaches is that no alcohol is allowed, so it was a very civil crowd. As long as you pack your Margaritas in nondescript containers and don’t dance naked in the sand, life is good. Sorry, if you were expecting photos of chicks in swimsuits or lifeguards with six-pack abs, you are out of luck. You’ll have to settle for the boats.
Bon Secour Bay Boats
We do tend to get off the beaten path when possible. This included side-trips to Fairhope, Bon Secour Bay, Bayou La Batre, and a few other places where the beach-goers seldom wander.
I also discovered that people in the area tend not to think of the Russian, Ivan The Terrible, when you mention “Ivan,” but the Cat-3 Hurricane by that name that struck them dead-center in 2004. Bringing with it 15-20 foot storm surges. The area made a remarkable recovery, but evidence of the devastation remains.
Pelicans on a pier at the Dauphin Island Ferry
Leaving the Fort Morgan Peninsula, we caught the Dauphin Island Ferry and headed west to Bayou La Batre, Alabama. Janet and I have also come to the conclusion that there are almost as many Dollar General Stores in Alabama as there are churches.
The latest update on the next novel, Valley of The Purple Hearts, is I’m still working with the feedback from my Beta-readers, Carol Carlson, Chris Davis, Ellen Morris Prewitt and Margaret Yates. The final manuscript should be ready to go to the editor in a week or two, and with some luck, published by mid-summer.
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I enjoyed your almost poetic description of my new home territory. Your visit with us made it a Pleasant & memorable time for us. Through the lens of your camera I received a different perspective of my new locale. When I see an old boat deteriorating in its landlocked grave I will no longer see junk but history. Thanks Ricky!
Well, hello stranger. Yes, the visit with you and Steve was indeed a good one. And special thanks to Steve for all the info on the county back-roads. We will make another trip at some point and visit some of the places we missed. I’ll send you some pics when I get my head together…..still busy trying to get the book finalized. By the way, which one of the novels did you say you were reading?
I’m reading the Gomorrah Principle. I haven’t got very far yet .. only on chp.6. The style of writing leaves nothing lacking… I’m not left scratching my head wondering… why did he say this or not tell us that … you write like a good seamstress sews. All your thoughts & ideas seem to connect like a chain stitch. Your book is interesting & very eye-opening. I’ve never read a book like it before. I’ve mostly read books like..To kill a mocking Bird, Grapes of Wrath,etc. …& Jane Austin & Laura Ingalls ..style books.. So I’ll read more before I say more. Btw… pools in now it was certainly a big job I had very good professionals come there’s still more work to do in the yard but it’ll be great when we can start using it!
Thank you for your kind words. I try to write such that my books will also appeal to female readers by including strong female secondary protagonists and a deeper characterization of my other characters.
Shhhhhh – we don’t want the whole world knowing about that glorious area! Next thing you know, traffic will be stopped up at the Mobile tunnel. Oh wait, never mind 😉
Hey Tish. Yeah, summertime traffic can be a real problem down there. That’s why we always go in the off-season. Great suggestion on the restaurant. Thanks, again.