March 6-7-8 - Along the Gulf at Freeport

After a long day of driving along Southern Texas, we found our campground for the next 3 nights, San Luis Pass Campground. It’s on the Gulf, breezy but warm. We wanted an electric spot so we could watch the EIWA and Big Ten Wrestling Championships. 

We passed rice fields driving along the cost, as well as Crawdads fields. Very flat and wet. 

Once we got set up at the campground, Bill searched the TV for FloWrestling. Realized that we needed a Roku stick so off we drove to Freeport to find a Best Buy. Finally got the Roku set up and FloWrestling downloaded so we could have a day of wrestling. 

In between sessions, we took a walk along the beach area. Found a blue crab out of his element so Bill helped him back to water. 

Sea gulls and egrets love the lagoon that runs buy the campground. 

A nice sunset for our first night here. 

Woke up Saturday to a foggy day on the coast. 

Marc 5 - Creole, LA - Rutherford Beach

Last light we had winds, thunderstorms and lots of rain. Luckily, no tornadoes touched down near us., although there were some northwest of us. 

When we woke up, lots of puddles around us but there was bright blue skies and sun was shining brightly. 

We plan to stay in Creole, Louisiana at Rutherford Beach. 

Along Route I-10, we crossed over the Atchafalaya Basin. Cypress trees shot out of the water.

We stopped at the Atchafalaya Welcome Center to learn more about the swamp. It’s the largest swamp or basin in the US. 

We saw these crawdads beds as we were driving to the Gulf of Mexico 

Once we got to our destination, Rutherford Beach dispersed camping near Creole, PA, this is our view. 

Sunset was pretty and could see it right out or RV. 

March 4 - Cosy Rosy and the Shed - Mississippi

Decided to drive south to Pascagoula, Mississippi to stay at Cosy Rosy’s and have the Shed BBQ. We had stopped here in January when Drew and Erin visited us at Gulf Shores. Best BBQ then and now, plus some Mississippi Delta culture. 

Walking around the campground we saw this sign. Looked for alligators but didn’t see any. 

Dinner time was a combo of ribs and brisket. Yummy and enough for another meal. 

When we were at Terry and Sandy’s, the weather person talked about storms coming across the south. Luckily we made it here before the winds got too strong. Winds are supposed to diminish late tonight. Hopefully we can be on our way to Creole, Louisiana tomorrow. 

March 3 - Oak Mountain State Park-Pelham AL

When we drove to Gulf Shores in January , we stayed at Oak Mountain State Park. Since we liked it, we decided to stay there again. Lots more campers than when we were here before  

We hiked the Light Trail again for about 2 miles. We had blue skies and temps in the 60s so we put away our coats hoping we wouldn’t need them for awhile. We had a view of their lake. 

We watched the weather to learn more about the storms coming across the south. We decided to try to get an early start tomorrow to our next destination, Ocean Springs. We plan to stay at a Harvest Host, Cosy Rosy’s which is next door to the Shed, the best BBQ we’ve ever had. 

March 1 -2 - Countermine’s Campground

Last night’s stay at Loves Truckstop Campground wasn’t as noisy as we anticipated. It’s newly constructed with 8 camping spots with full hookup. We would stay here again since Draper Mercantile isn’t an option anymore. 

On the road early. As we were close to Bristol Tennessee, an eagle flew very close to our RV. Thank heaven it changed direction quickly so we didn’t hit it!

Arrived at Terry and Sandy Countermine’s place around noon and parked in their driveway. 

It’s been great catching up. Lunch was at Main Street Cafe. Delicious food and fun staff. Then Terry and Sandy took us to their newly renovated Theater for a tour. Beautiful venue for movies and music. 

This is our view from the RV. 

Visited Terry and Sandy’s church to hear Terry’s Praise band and listen to Pastor Mike’s message about listening to hear God. 

Sandy is a quilter as well as a knitter so we had a lot to catch up our projects. I love the Tree of Live one she did. 

 A hike at Persimmon Ridge was relaxing. Lenny and Banjo had good smells with Abby and Sadie. 

A couple games of Left Right Center where Sandy won 3, Peg 2 and Terry and Bill won ZIP. Lots of laughter. 

Tomorrow we leave to drive farther south to Oat Mountain State Park. We stayed here on our way to Gulf Shores and enjoyed hiking there. Temps are supposed to be in the 60s. 

Feb 28 - Seeking warmer weather

Since Blue Belle (RV) is new, there was a lot that had to be done to get ready for the long trip. The one slide had to be recalibrated so off to General Rv in E-town to get that warranty work done. Then Bill wanted to get valves on the tires so he can monitor them as we travel down the road. 

This is a picture I took as I followed Bill to E-town 

Of course there’s lots to be done inside but we’ll do a lot of that as we decide where we need to move things to make life easier. We have so much more storage space. We even had a couple cabinets that aren’t filled!!

Anyway,  we got everything accomplished and we are on the road. Tonight we’ll spend the night in a Loves parking lot where they have hookups. 

January 29 - Wilderness Road Regional Museum

Lucky for us, we still have dry roads with some clouds and sun. 

Uneventful drive to our Harvest Host site for tonight - Wilderness Road Regional Museum. This site was Adam Hance’s planned town at Newbern, VA in 1810. 

The grounds of the museum included a 19th Century log kitchen, a loom house, granary, and carriage house. 

I enjoyed touring the loom house. The curator hopes to learn how to make rag rugs soon. 

The curator also told us that the museum was going

To be part of a PBS documentary with Ken Burns narrating. Pretty impressive for this small colonial town. 

Tomorrow we hope to make it home. This will be the last post for this trip until we begin our trek across the US to visit Drew, Erin, Carl, Shan and Arlo in late February or early March. 

January 28 - Time to go North

Not much to report as we head north towards home. Road we’re dry with sun but cold. 

We stayed at Wills Creek RV Park, a good overnight stop with large pull through and lots of space for Lenny and Banjo to roam. 

Since this is our first long trip with Blue Belle, it’s been fun to figure out where we stashed everything and rearrange if necessary. Haven’t added any of my quilts to the walls yet, but have some ideas 😜. 

Tonight we will stay at a Harvest Host called Wilderness Road Regional Museum. 

January 27 - Last Day at Gulf Shores

Mostly cloudy today but the temperature was 63. Started off our last day with our early morning walk with the dogs. 

Then a long bike ride around the trails. We saw an alligator , an eagle, and an armadillo. First time I’ve ever seen an armadillo in the wild. 

We really had a great time at Gulf Shores State Park. We biked over 75 miles and walked the dogs’ legs off. In fact, Lenny lost some weight because his harness is looser than when we got here. 

January 26 - Taking off the layers!

Yes, it is warmer today so not wearing as many layers. We started our day with a walk with the dogs. Then we took a 15 mile bike ride with Lew, Kevin and Kay. 

There are 21 miles of trails. We might have ridden on all of them now. Not quite sure. You can ride from our campground to Orange Beach and also into Gulf Shores. Lew has been our guide on mist of our rides. On this ride, Bill got a picture of an eagle eating a fish. 

Gulf Shores State Park owns over 6,000 acres with close to 500 sites. They are also thinking of adding more sites in the near future. 

For dinner we went to FloraBama Bar, a bar that spans Alabama and Florida. 

Unfortunately, their oyster bar was closed but we were able to walk on the beach and saw a beautiful sunset. 

We watched the Eagles win their playoff division and then Kansas City’s playoff from one of the FloraBama Restaurants. 

January 25 - Sunny and in the 50s

After our morning walk with the dogs, we went biking with Lew, Kevin, and Kay, two of Lew’s friends. 

Rode about 25 miles, all on trails in the park and around Orange Beach. It was sunny at the beginning and then got cloudy. It was a good but a little chilly ride. 

Must still be too cold for the alligators to show their heads. 

These live oak trees with Spanish moss hanging caught my eye as we were riding. 

After dark I like to walk around the campground to check out the lights people have on their campers. This o e is our Belle. 

This is our neighbors. 

Most of these are long-term residents here at Gulf Shores State Park.