Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama
After nearly a month in Florida we were excited to move on to new states and of course, start our westward journey. There is something so exciting about heading west, maybe it’s because Matt and I met each other on the west coast. Whatever the attraction we were ready to point our compass toward the big W. The Florida Panhandle is long, our travel time from Hutchinson Island to Fairhope was over 9 hours but the kids did great back in the McLeod mobile and we were happy to raise our feet as Alabama welcomed us. Our Airbnb was in Fairhope, Alabama which is a small town on Mobile Bay. Between beautiful horse farms, an eclectic downtown and the most amazing sunsets I think we choose a great place to explore for a week.
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge
Our first day-trip was to check out the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. We headed south to the Gulf Shore and found a great hike through the marshlands. We discovered it is a feeding area for migratory birds, I believe 360 bird species have been identified here. The kids were much more intrigued by the “Beware of Alligators” signs along the trail and it made me a little nervous I will admit. We didn’t spot any gators and few birds for that matter, but we had a great hike in the sunshine. We did discover Lennox’s hiking limit is not as far as we wish and the level of whining increases dramatically once you hit the 2-mile mark. We either need to figure out a good way to carry a 40 lb kid, strengthen his legs, quiet his whine, or take short hikes… haha, too much to contemplate.
USS Alabama
In stark contrast to our nature hike, we climbed aboard a massive steel battleship, the USS Alabama. Our fogged-in day made the experience eerie but perfect. As amazing as it is to be on such a massive ship, to walk between the walls and imagine the life of the soldiers, it is also heavy to realize the reality of war fought on these decks. The guns are massive and plenty, this ship was in the Pacific during WWII. I was an exchange student in Okinawa, Japan for a year and seeing this ship was also there was a strange realization. We watched a movie with stories from the shipmates about the war and you realize how lucky you are to be traveling the United States with your kids. My gratitude to all those who have served our country grows each time I encounter experiences which show insight into military life, sacrifice, and loss.
Dauphin Island
After seeing how amazing the white sand along Gulf Shores was we had to travel to the other side of the bay to check out the western entrance to Mobile Bay, Dauphin Island. Our first stop was the Dauphin Island Sea Lab which we knew the kids would love, anytime a touch pool is available they are ecstatic. The lab had great exhibits as well as many hands-on displays including the touch pool, sting ray pool and preserved sea creatures for handling. There were Octopi, skate, squid and various fish all preserved in formaldehyde. I was startled at my first touch but Sienna examined them with no hesitation, she may prove to be the scientist of the family. After our undersea exploration, we headed to the beach for a picnic lunch. We were nearly the only people at this pure white sand desert-like beach which seemed to stretch for miles. The ripples of the fine sand create beautiful patterns and the water is deep blue with smooth rolling waves. The environment takes your breath away and we enjoyed each moment. One thing you can’t miss is the off-shore oil rigs. As we drive our vehicle across the country we are more guilty than most of guzzling gas but something about seeing oil rigs in the middle of the pristine ocean still seems odd.
More pictures from our time in Fairhope, Alabama
Part of our time here was decompressing from our epic adventures in Florida and Fairhope was the perfect place for this. It is a super cute town and we had fun wandering, exploring and also just living life in our country home. Here are a few more photos from our stay.
Mississippi – The Shed
Some friends mentioned The Shed to us and when we were passing through Mississippi we happened to land here around lunchtime. When I first looked at the website it said it was closed due to cold weather (which was in the low 40’s) but that must have been the day before because it was open. Holy sensory overload!!! It seemed like every inch of every wall, ceiling, door…. was covered with something, or more like many things. The ceiling had hundreds of dollar bills stuck to it with forks, we added ours as you can see below. Although the building is a site to see the food was the star. I think they are BBQ Champions of the World! Best I think we’ve ever tasted. So if you find yourself in Ocean Springs, Mississippi stop here for some good food and just to see this crazy place.
