~~~ Gulf Islands National Shoreline ~~~

Poet John Masefield wrote, “I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied.”  How true this is... There is nothing more relaxing and peaceful as sitting on the white sands of any of the Gulf Island beaches and enjoying the serenity of the place.

Gulf Islands National Seashore preserves natural and historic resources along the Gulf of Mexico barrier islands of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. The protected regions include mainland areas and parts of seven islands.

We took an entire day to explore and enjoy the beaches from Pensacola, Florida to Gulf Shores, Alabama.  This area of the seashore features offshore barrier islands with sparkling white quartz sand beaches (along miles of undeveloped land), historic fortifications, and nature trails.

Everything about Gulf Islands National Seashore is breathtaking.  From the massive sand dunes to the water and abundant wildlife, this is a great place to spend an afternoon.  And if you slowly approach the Heron, they will allow you to get close enough to take a good picture!

Not enough words to described the beauty of these beaches ... the photos speaks for it self.

Entrance fee is $15 per vehicle which is good for 7 days or you can get a year pass.  If you are over 62 you can buy a lifetime pass for $10.00.

Be sure to get a spot on the rocks for a beautiful sunset! 

 Have Fun & Enjoy Life

~ On Our Way to the Gulf Shores ~

Got up this morning and decided we could stay at our campground until noon since we have such a long road to ride today.  Actually it is a whooping 81 miles to Gulf Shores, Alabama where we'll be staying for the next 4 days.  Blackwater River State Park was a really nice park especially for families.  Click here for a complete review of the campground.

We finally pulled out at 12:30 and are on our way... the first thing we saw along the way was the Historic State Route 1 aka Old Spanish Trail...

U.S. Highway 90 - Old Spanish Trail - Historic State Route 1

This roadway parallels current U.S. 90 to the north from Milton east to at least Florida 87.  For the most part the road is in good shape for being almost 80 years old.  It is open for bikers and pedestrians.  Throughout the Florida panhandle, the Old Spanish Trail follows either U.S. Route 90 or local streets that used to be part of US 90, many of which are designated as State Road 10A. 

The Old Spanish Trail was an auto trail that once spanned the United States with a full 3,000 miles of roadway from ocean to ocean.  It crossed eight states and 67 counties along the southern border of the United States.  Work on the auto highway began in 1915 at a meeting held at the Battle House Hotel in Mobile, Alabama: and, by the 1920s, the trail linked St. Augustine, Florida to San Diego, California, with its center and headquarters in San Antonio, Texas.

We headed west on Interstate 10 and the weather was perfect - well HOT but no rain...  We came up to Pensacola, Florida and first thing we saw was the rest station with a full size F/A-18 Hornet Blue Angel Jet.  We've seen it many times and it never fails to get me excited.  Even the underpass has Blue Angel Jets on the pilings.  I love this area and we have stayed in many campgrounds in the area.  If you have not ever been to Pensacola you should put it on your bucket list - there is so much to see & do in this city.

We took exit 5 in Pensacola and proceeded on the back roads into Foley Alabama and then  onto Gulf Shores.  I adore the beaches of Florida and Alabama - I feel at peace when I am there.  Just look at the beauty ...

Finally checked into the campground, Gulf State Park and all set up for our 4 nights here. 

CiCi all snug in her site - View from our site - Our friends all set up in their site

Life is Good

Have Fun & Travel Safe

♖ Yet Another Historic Fort ♖

Fort Morgan State Historic Site ~ Fort Morgan, Alabama

Construction began on the fort in 1819 and was completed 1834. The large brick fort serviced the Civil War, Spanish-American War and both world wars. It played a major role during the Battle of Mobile Bay (1864). The Museum details the fort's history.



We spent the morning walking around Historic Fort Morgan and visiting the museum which is small but very informative. Located at: 51 Highway 180 West, Gulf Shores, Alabama it is a great place to visit. To see a full history of Fort Morgan visit here. Fort Morgan is a Third System Coastal Defense Fort. Like the other forts it was built after the War of 1812 when Congress realized The need for stronger fortifications along the eastern & southern coastlines.





The cleared ground sloping up to the fort walls is called a Glacis. It helped protect the fort, and its occupants, from gunfire. You will normally see seven flags on display near the entrance representing the groups that controlled the area: France, Great Britain, Spain, the United States, the Alabama Militia, the Confederacy, and the state of Alabama. The postern is the connecting tunnel through the glacis to the inner fort.



First you enter through what they called a Postern which is a long tunnel through the Glacis. The entrance into the interior of the fort is gained through a doorway called a Sally Port. Sally Ports frequently have intricate designs that set them apart from the utilitarian design of the fort itself. The date the fort is commissioned is usually placed over the Sally Port. This is a fine example of a Sally Port The date is not when the fort was completed but the date it was named after General Daniel Morgan.



These arched rooms known as Casemates designed as protected gun positions for the forts cannon but few cannons were ever mounted in them. Mostly the were used for storage of food and equipment.



We enjoyed our day so much and the fort was full of history... If you would like to find out more click here.



After a full day of sight seeing we headed over once again to Lambert's "Home of the Hand Throwed Rolls". There are 3 in all ~ one here in Foley, Alabama and two in Missouri. I truly believe it is a must go & see kinda place. Voted #1 on the food network countdown of a place to visit. Click here to go to their website! The fried chicken is to die for ♥♥♥



Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!

㊅ From One Beach to Another ㊅

We are heading out today from Gulf Breeze, Florida to Gulf Shores, Alabama.
On our way to Gulf Shores State Park...the drive is only about 39 miles so it will be a nice short drive along the beaches again. So through a few coastal towns, over some more bridges and on to our next adventure in Tassie.



I wasn't long before we crossed the Alabama State line and was getting close to our destination. It was not a very busy drive since school starts soon here in Alabama.



We finally passed Guld Shores State Park on the beach side and was soon at the campground just a wee bit further down the road



Soon we saw the check~in booth and stopped to get our site. The women inside were really friendly and told us to drive around the park and pick out a site. It wasn't busy at all and with 493 siteas to choose from we soon decided on #291 on the canal. It is a great pulthrough with FHU. To see a review of the park go to our reiew blog by clicking here.



Another GREAT campground and a beautiful sunset right from our site


Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!