Heading West .... Florida to Alabama

Heading West .... Florida to Alabama

Wednesday, February 24 – Wednesday, March 2

Wednesday morning dawned dark and gloomy, an auspicious beginning to a day with a lengthy drive in it. We had breakfast, packed the last of our belongings and said farewell to Gail and to Bradenton. By the time we got into the car, the rain had begun and a tornado watch was in effect. For the first couple of hours, torrential rain poured down. The windshield wipers barely kept the windows clear enough to see and the water on the road created a wall of water each time a car passed by.

When we finally got past Tampa, we needed to take a break and pulled off into the nearest McDonald’s. It was a welcome relief from the hazardous conditions on the road. We ordered coffee and a snack and sat down at a table. And, presto! By the time we had finished our coffee, the sky was clear blue and the sun was shining brightly. The transformation of the weather was amazing and we got back into the car, looking forward to the rest of this driving day rather than dreading it.

Interstate highways all look the same after a while. Wide multiple lane corridors with enormous medians, cut through agricultural land, forests, rocks and swampland. We passed by rural homesteads, national parks, industrial and business sites, inviting rest areas and occasional cityscapes. Interchanges are well marked and advertised, inviting us to visit many fast food establishments, regular restaurants, hotels, gas stations and points of interest. As time passed, the miles clicked by and we gradually made our way from Bradenton to Pensacola. Florida is a very large state!

I 75 going north was quite busy, trucks and cars all travelling to some destination. It is amazing to me how many vehicles are on the road all heading off with a purpose in mind. We are a society that is dependent on wheeled vehicles to keep us going and that does not seem to change, whether gas prices are up or down.

Speaking of gas prices, of course we needed to fill our own tank on occasion and the thing that astounded us was the variation in price in different places. For American gallons, we paid as low as $1.57 per gallon and as high as $2.09 per gallon. All within about 200 miles … How is that possible for gas that was potentially delivered by the same tanker truck? Jim is a diligent recorder of price and volume and distance so we know for a fact that we did not travel any further on the expensive gas than we did on the lower priced gas. Hmmm …

When we reached the junction of I 10, we turned west. This road was somewhat quieter in terms of traffic and very well treed. We were cutting across the Florida Panhandle at this point and it is heavily forested when not close to the Gulf shoreline. It was a pleasant road to travel on and that bright blue sky stayed with us. We stopped at Tallahassee for a lunch break and I even managed to get a manicure at a pleasant little shop in small plaza just off the interstate. That was a very nice way to relax after several hours of driving.

When we got back into the car, we only had about 3 hours of driving ahead of us. Our destination today was Pensacola, Florida where we would spend a night before heading out to Jeanne and Frank Lauta’s beach cottage. Mexican food and some mindless television topped off the day.

Thursday morning, we crossed the state line between Florida and Alabama and met Jeanne and Frank at a restaurant in Orange Beach. They had invited us to attend a New York Snowbirds Association luncheon. Who knew such organizations even existed? About 70 people attended the luncheon which featured some very nice food choices, about 50 door prizes (we won one and so did Jeanne and Frank) and a guest speaker. We were fortunate to be sitting directly opposite the guest speaker during lunch and had an opportunity for a great conversation with her.

Kim Dahlgren was the manager of a small local zoo. She had many interesting stories about the animals in the zoo, but even more interesting stories about preparation for emergencies, interactions with television networks and fundraising to meet the financial costs of being a nonprofit organization. A serious tornado had touched down in the immediate area two days earlier. A zoo has to be ready to evacuate all its animals in the event of severe weather or flooding. It was fascinating to listen to how one goes about moving and entire zoo population quickly and securely. On one occasion she recounted, a large alligator had been left behind and escaped from its compound during a hurricane. The zoo structure had been destroyed during that storm and the entire zoo was relocated to a new permanent location. All except the alligator which roamed freely for quite a long time before being recaptured. After that experience, the zoo was featured on a television series called The Little Zoo that Could. Kim was at the luncheon to speak about the zoo and express thanks to the New York SnowBirds who had raised $15,000 through various events and activities and donated the money to the zoo. Not bad for a seasonal crowd!!

After lunch, we made our way out the long beach road (17 miles from Orange Beach) to the quaint cottage that had been Frank and Jeanne’s home for the last 4 weeks. It was located in a small group of cottages built directly on the beach. Built high on stilts, it is protected from the Gulf water that occasionally rushes high onto the beach during stormy weather. The stilts are designed to allow a bit of flex in the structure in windy conditions such as severe thunderstorms or hurricanes. It did take some adjustment for us to get used to the quavering of the cottage each time someone went up or down the stairs to the ground below. I can only imagine what it must have been like during the tornado/storm two nights earlier.

The weather was a bit cool although the sun was bright during our days at the cottage.  The wind persuaded us that beach walking was not on the agenda. It was interesting to watch the changing patterns of the waves and the ebb and flow of the tide in the gulf. Looking out over such a vast body of water, one realizes how much water is on the surface of our planet and how much it impacts our lives.

Wildlife was abundant, mostly in bird form. They clearly followed schools of fish and dove through the wave to capture their meals. One day we were fortunate enough to see dolphins as they passed through the area. Their fins and movements are so distinctive. They are truly beautiful animals.

Jim and Frank visited several historic sites in the area (Pensacola Naval Museum and Fort Morgan) as well as the nearby zoo. Jeanne and I browsed in some shops, went out for breakfast one day and lunch the next day. On Saturday, we attended a very disappointing craft fair. Perhaps that was a good thing given the exchange rate on the Canadian dollar. 

 We also attended a dinner party with several New York Snowbirds again. They are an active group, indeed - and they like to party! We enjoyed some wonderful food and two very special drinks - slippery nipples (butterscotch schnapps and baileys) and a very special rum and eggnog drink that is bottled commercially and sold at Christmas. It was so good that someone in the group had actually frozen it so she could serve it later in the year. We were some of the lucky recipients.

The night before we left Jeanne and Frank, we had dinner at Tacky Jacks. Tacky Jacks features traditional southern dishes in a somewhat tacky atmosphere. There is no recycling of any account in Florida or Alabama so using disposable dishes and cutlery only serves to add to the garbage accumulated. Nonetheless we enjoyed our meal. I had tacky shrimp which included large peeled shrimp in a spicy broth served with a large chunk of French bread for dipping. The shrimp and sauce were both delicious and very filling. Jim had smaller shrimp served on cheesy grits which he also enjoyed. We all had traditional Tacky Jack's Bushwackers (the most popular drink on the menu) to accompany our meal. What a great way to complete our visit with Frank and Jeanne.

On Sunday morning, we packed up once again and headed a bit east to Orange Beach where we were going to visit Liz and Ken Bell. Again a totally different type of accommodation awaited us, this time a beautiful three bedroom condo with windows on two sides affording glorious water views from its 10^th floor perch. The sun shone brightly over the Gulf and we were once again mesmerized by the sight and sound of the water.

We spent to afternoon poolside in the sun, reading, napping and chatting. Sheltered from the wind, the deck of the pool was a very pleasant place to while away some time. Afterwards, we donned our bathing suits (first time since we left home) and went to the indoor pool area where we enjoyed a pleasant soak in the large hot tub. Only Ken was brave enough to venture into the much cooler water in the swimming pool. Maybe tomorrow, I will do the same.

Dinner, Fox News (or was it CNN?) to catch up on the presidential primary story followed by some Oscar viewing and bridge playing filled the evening. We are blessed to have many wonderful friends who are very generous to us.

On Monday, Leap Year Day, we headed west from Orange Beach to Fairhope, Alabama. Fairhope is a cute little community filled with interesting shops, a choice of local restaurants and some beautiful southern homes. It is on the shore of Mobile Bay and affords a scenic drive both in and out of town. We spent some time browsing the shops (no purchases due to the exchange rate on the dollar); we enjoyed a delicious lunch in a small Lebanese café; and we meandered some of the streets and the waterfront area.

The drive to Fairhope passed through a great deal of agricultural land. Something we noticed all along the way was how flat the land is. Not a hill to be seen for miles in each direction. The primary crop in this area seemed to be sod. Huge tracts of land were covered with grass. Large irrigation systems were at the ready to water the grass as the need arose. Large harvesting equipment was busily lifting grass from the fields.

We passed through some small communities along the way. A clear difference in lifestyle and monetary means was evident. Many of the homes and trailer parks were very run down with abandoned buildings. Not far along the same road, we would encounter a cluster of brand new homes with many lovely features and amenities. The contrast was striking.

On our way home, we stopped at a dockside restaurant to take advantage of happy hour. We each enjoyed a beverage and shared an appetizer as we gazed at the extraordinary boats that were moored there. We imagined what life on board would be like and who would actually be able to afford such elaborate yachts. We were pretty sure that we did not fall into that income category.

A simple but tasty dinner of chicken and salads was followed by some television viewing. Since we are all interested in politics and political systems, it was a sure bet that we would be watching news networks with commentary. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is Super Tuesday, a significant day in the selection process for presidential candidates. Of course, we have opinions about who would make the most suitable candidate but, equally, we are learning about how the electoral system in the USA actually works. It is far more complex, expensive and time-consuming than our Canadian system. Being in the USA during this election season has broadened our awareness and understanding of how the candidates for the office of president are selected.

Tuesday morning dawned bright and beautiful. As record numbers of voters lined up at the polls, Jim and I and Liz and Ken had a relaxing day at the condo. Laundry was the first order of business to get us ready to move on to the next leg of this journey. Sitting on the 10^th floor balcony was the second order of business … with coffee, books and good friends engaged in lively conversation. The day was warm and the sun was bright. The water glistened as the tide moved in and the beach welcomed many walkers, sun bathers and fishermen. The water is still quite chilly so no one but the very young ventured in.

We resisted the temptation to turn on CNN or FOX News too early in the day, preferring to read, nap and chat. Later in the afternoon we went to a movie, Eddie the Eagle. It was a very charming and funny movie. We highly recommend it to anyone (no skin but some innuendo and quite a bit of alcohol). For anyone old enough to recall the 1988 Calgary Olympics, the story of Eddie was played out on the ski jump slopes there. There are some great shots of Calgary and the Olympic Park on screen.

Following the movie, we went out for dinner at a dockside restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed the food and the fact that we were sitting outside in the evening in very pleasant weather. It was lovely.

Home to CNN …. Super Tuesday and the Trump Machine in action. Depending on your point of view, it was either exhilarating or downright frightening. Either way, we learned a lot about American politics and the path to becoming president. We are also very happy to call Canada home.

Wednesday morning featured a well executed exit early in the day. We were sad to leave Liz and Ken as we had been sad to leave our other hosts of the last two weeks. But it was time to move on to the next chapter of this adventure. New Orleans, here we come …. Not to revel on Bourbon Street but to repack our bags to travel to Mexico City followed by Panama four days later. We fly tomorrow morning.

And that will be another tale or two to tell ….