We had an uneventful travel day from New Orleans to Gulfport, MS, which is the way we like them. It is so nice to travel in the South; people are Soooo friendly and helpful. We pulled into Southern Oaks RV Park a little after noon, set up and decided to just relax for the remainder of the day. The following day we went for a drive along the beach to survey the repairs that have been done since Hurricane Katrina devastated the area in September 2005. Most of the damage has been repaired, and / or replaced, but there are many vacant water front lots for sale. The residents made lemonade out of lemons by commissioning artist to carve wooden sculptures out of the damaged trees along the waterfront. (As always, click on any image to enlarge)
The following day, CC was feeling frisky (I mean lucky) and convinced me we needed a little R&R at the Island View Casino Resort. After our last episode of kissing sister in Lake Charles, I was skeptical, but being the nice guy that I am, finally succumbed to her prodding. After an hour or so we were down a whopping $12, playing $0.25 Video Poker, when I suggested we move to another area of the casino in search of a winning machine. While we sat there, I complained that I hadn’t had a flush all day, and CC exclaimed, “You mean like this one”. She didn’t even realize what she had until I shrugged my shoulders and said “Yea, like that one.” You can see by the reaction on her face, just how low keyed she was. I guess it was her lucky day.
On Thursday, while CC did laundry, I finished our taxes, and got that information off to our accountant. I’m sure I will be writing checks in the near future. While I could easily be prompted to get on my soap box, and scream about all the wasteful spending by Congress, I will merely comment that I, for one, will no longer vote for another incumbent until the situation is rectified.
Friday was a travel day; Gulfport, MS to Foley, AL, a short drive of 108 miles. We have slowed our travel pace down considerably, largely due to gas prices, but also to take some time and “smell the roses”. We arrived at the 5 star resort, Bella Terra, shortly after noon, set up and ventured off to Gulf Shores, Al, for a boat show. There were 250 boats on display, 100 of which were in the water. CC found one she would consider, a 52 foot Carver that would average 3 - 4 gallons per mile. Yes, you read correctly, 3 - 4 gallons per mile. While Ms. Sol Crucero is currently averaging 7 – 8 miles per gallon, it makes the price of gas less painful in retrospect. It’s all about perception.
The Strawberry Festival in Loxley, AL was our destination for Saturday. They were also hosting a car show, which I enjoyed more than the festival. On display were about 80 cars, all makes and models, from Studebakers to Corvettes to Ferraris. CC’s eye was captured by this beauty.
Afterward, we were both famished, and found Lambert’s in Foley, AL. For those of you that have never been to one of the three Lambert locations, let me just say, you will leave feeling as if you had just eaten Thanksgiving dinner.
I ordered the catfish dinner, a little pricey, I thought, until they presented the plate of 6 catfish fillets. CC ordered the lemon pepper chicken breast, and it was the whole thing; both breasts. A double full breasted chickadee, if you will. My kinda bird!
Sunday we decided to drive the 30 miles to Pensacola, and check out not only the town but the beach as well. It was a cool and overcast day, so lunch and a brief walk on the beach was all we wanted. Pensacola Beach was the nicest we had seen so far in our quest across the Gulf; semi-soft light beige sand and huge expansions of it. The water was clearer than at Gulf Shores, but only marginally.
We like to travel Monday – Thursday, thus avoiding the “weekenders”. So it was off to Niceville, FL, just a few miles north of Destin and Ft. Walton Beach, FL. It was, again, as we prefer an uneventful trip to Fred Cannon Rocky Bayou State Park. (Wow, that’s a mouthful) What a wonderful place, as we have found State Parks to be among the best camping values for the money, and this did not disappoint.
As we sat, lounging in our chairs and looking over the bayou, CC noticed a “snake” peeking its head out of a hole in the tree next to us. Upon closer examination, it was only a Five Lined Skink, and NOT a snake, as I explained to her, snakes don’t have legs.
BOOM…. BOOM…. BOOM…. What the hell was that? It sounded like something exploded, as I ran out of the rig to see if I could see smoke arising from a downed airplane. Another BOOM, and no smoke. Sonic booms perhaps? As we exited the park for our daily excursion, I asked the Park Ranger if he knew what the explosions were. As he explained to me, the Department of Defense has a bomb detonation school nearby, where they train our allies, to detonate unexploded ordinates found around the world. OK, no harm no foul; on to Henderson State Park in Destin, right on the beach.
Happy birthday CC. Today she turned the big ?? (I may be slow, but I’m not stupid). We decided on some R&R at the rig (OK now, get your minds out of the gutter) and just relax and absorb some of the beautiful surroundings that Mother Nature had provided us. We kept looking for Bullwinkle, but he was nowhere to be seen, as Rocky made a solo appearance.
Another travel day already? It seems like we just got here. But as reality set in, it was on to Panama City Beach, FL, a very short jaunt of only 55 miles, where we checked into Emerald Coast RV Resort, another 5 star resort. And well it should be at $66 per night; OUCH!
We’ll be here for a few days and then we off to Carrabelle, FL, where we will be residing at the Ho Hum RV Park. Thanks for stopping by, and until next time, take care and stay well…….
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