Catching up - another long one

In the last post we left off saying that we were headed for lunch to a local "annual barbecue" for which we had high hopes, followed by an afternoon visiting Bellingrath Gardens.   While visiting these attractions in Mobile, AL, we stayed at Sherman State Park, MS, one of the few state parks we've seen in our travels that is so poorly marked.  Thank goodness for GPS - had we relied on the anticipated brown SP signs that mark most parks, we never would have located this one.   The park itself was ok, but not very well-maintained, although we had a lovely site, large and very private, right on the edge of the swamp.  As you can imagine, mosquitoes and some other tiny but very active insects were very active and very painful, especially in the early morning and late afternoon, so we did not spend too much time outdoors in that site.   From this campground, however, we traveled to: 1) the annual barbecue in Mobile, 2) the Bellingrath Gardens, and 3) Dauphin Island, to scope out the camping facilities on this well-known island as possible sites for future trips.

The Barbecue: in short, the venue (county fairgrounds) was extremely crowded, the day was very hot and bright, and there wasn't much "barbecue" about it - almost none of the meats were cooked in sauces of any kind, most were just basic pulled pork or  beef, served as 2-3 teaspoon size servings (and that after standing in line for 20 min for each taste).  Another lesson learned: when you pay $10 each for an "all you can eat" barbecue, what it really means is "all you can stand to wait for before giving up and leaving."  We had been hoping to pick up some good ol' southern home-style barbecue sauce for ourselves and those waiting for us at home, but that was not to be. Still, it was fun for a while being surrounded by so much southern twang, and most of the pork, though sauce-less, was tender and good.



Bellingrath Gardens:  The gardens surrounding this home are very extensive and beautifully planned. We missed the peak Azalea season by just a few days from the looks of it; lots of blossoms on the ground beneath the shrubs,
and the ones on the bushes were lightly spotted with brown, but still, this is a breath-taking place to visit. It's worth reading a bit about the gardens on their web site, so you can appreciate better a few of the photos that I will post. In short, this 65-acre garden was professionally designed, based in part on gardens the Bellingraths saw in their European travels, and it has been open to the public since 1934.  Some of their azaleas are over a 100ft in diameter, so you can imagine the impact these make against the backdrop of green grass and trees when the plants are in full bloom in their  magnificent bright colors.

Dauphin Island: in short - vastly overrated by our standards - overdeveloped and not someplace we'd really like to spend the night, much less more time than that.  The drive to the island, however proved interesting.  This area of Alabama is a stark contrast of the "haves" and "have-nots, as was much of South Carolina and the Florida panhandle.  Some people live in large, well-manicured, gated communities (I suspect a few also had moats with crocodiles to keep out the riffraff). Others live in beaten-up trailers surrounded by beaten up cars and rusty swing sets. Those in the middle of these extremes seem few and far between.  On this particular drive - the one to Dauphin Island - we were passing through one such hard-scrabble area and couldn't help but notice a large sign:  hand painted in red on a large mattress leaning against a tree by the road was: "Beware: pit bull with AIDS".  Behind the sign was a sad-looking trailer, rusted cars, assorted other broken and rusted things....and all of this was surrounded by the most glorious, large and brilliant azaleas, blooming in vivid purples and pinks - in their full glory!   What a juxtaposition of beauty and threat!

Next we moved on to Paul B. Johnson State Park, near Hattiesburg, MS.  This is a really beautiful, well-maintained park, with a large, well-designed camping area right on the edge of Geiger Lake, a nice fishing and recreation lake.  Sites were well-situated with reasonable space around them (ours looked out over the lake), and with a nice mix of ages camping (babies through retirees), and people visiting from a broad range of states, including locals who are rightfully proud of their park and welcoming to those of us from the frozen north. ("Y'all come back now, hear?  We'll look for you again next year.")  Murphy developed a following of little girls at this park who wanted to "pet the puppy". We never figured out for sure whether all dogs in Alabama are referred to as puppies, or whether the kids and their parents thought he was a young dog because of his size. We suspect the latter, after hearing our neighboring camper's fully grown St. Bernard referred to as a puppy.   : )  Mommas were  (by northern standards) uncommonly vigilant to teach manners ("You have to ask the lady whether you can pet her puppy - remember to say please" and "Did you remember to thank the lady for letting you pet the puppy?")  The kids took the lessons to heart, obviously - when older children addressed us, it was "yes Sir" or "no Ma'm" - lovely!   We really enjoyed our time in this park (4 nights) and plan to come back again.

While we were in that area, John visited an armed forces museum in Hattiesburg which he said was excellent.  I'll let him tell you about that himself later.   Tomorrow we're heading into Nachez for a tour of historic homes.    While in this area, we are staying at River View RV Park and Resort, Vidalia, LA, just across the Mississippi from Nachez, MS. We had some trepidation about staying in this private park, which from the website looked like a typical travel park with trailers parked a few feet apart, but in fact this is a very nice campground, right on the shore of the Mississippi (just grass between us and the river - lovely).  I'll post some photos of this place on the next blog....or the one following John's description of the armed forces museum.  Good night to you all!

Amazing Seafood

The last posts have concentrated on things we've seen and places we've been.  It's time to devote a posting solely to the wonderful seafood feasts we have enjoyed while being in all these oceanside cities and campgrounds.  John and I love fresh fish and shellfish, both of which are hard to come by in Kalamazoo, if you emphasize the term "fresh".  Unfortunately, in most local (Michigan) groceries there is a telltale odor as you approach the fish counter.  When you are buying really fresh seafood, the stores smell sweet and fresh, the fish is firm and lovely.   I described in earlier posts some of the seafood we enjoyed at a couple of restaurants in Charleston, but we also made a wonderful, simple meal with tilefish - a fish with which we were unfamiliar, but it looked lovely, white and firm sitting on the ice at the fish store, so we found a great recipe online, got the ingredients, and made a wonderful dinner (here is the Bobby Flay recipe if anyone is interested: http://tinyurl.com/8x7zzcj ).  Had enough of the green been mixture in that recipe to share some leftovers with Nancy and Lynn when they came to the camper for dinner the next night.

We've had some exceptional shrimp, just done as a simple seasoned boil.  One night we had to struggle with peeling the shells, very unusual; when we looked it up on the internet the answer appears to be that when you purchase shrimp that are fairly freshly molted, they can be very difficult to peel - learned something new.  

All the other shrimp have been wonderful and easily peeled....and HUGE.   Had grouper one night, which was fresh and fine, but not as exceptional as some of the other fish we've had.

Once we got to Pensacola and the Fort Pickens National Seashore Campground, we discovered Joe Patti's (check out the website and the history here).   Now THIS is a seafood store!   Right on the edge of the gulf, with their own fishing boat fleet right next to the store, Joe Patti's offers not only really fresh gulf fishes and shellfish, but also imports from a variety of places, each meticulously labeled, each handled with care to ensure freshness both in the store and in transit after it has been purchased.   When we walked in and saw the extra long counter with people lined up to buy, we thought we'd have quite the wait to make our own purchase, but they have an incredibly organized system going, so no one has more than a couple of minutes wait.  They were selling in huge quantities and very large whole fishes to restaurant chefs who were picking fish for both sushi and cooking for subsequent delivery; they were selling to individuals who brought in several coolers for transporting their large and varied personal orders, and serving with just as much care those, like us, who were making a small, personal purchase. You can buy the fish as displayed, or have them further dress the fish if desired.  For example, we purchased whole speckled trout and asked that they filet them - no problem - done with a smile in just a few minutes, and they asked if we wanted to have them pack the head and bones also for soup.  They steam shellfish on demand for no extra cost, but to ensure proper cooking for both safety and customer satisfaction.  We kept our shellfish fresh and prepared them in the camper for our evening meals.  

One of the best meals ever, was a mussel, shrimp, and fish chowder with a loaf of freshly baked bread to absorb the wonderful juice created by the seasoning elements and the seafood; photos of preparation and finished meal follow.   The kitchen it the little Silver Spirit is really very efficient and easy to work in!

Last night we had speckled trout (again from Joe Petti's) - simply fried in butter with light seasoning of salt and pepper, with a bit of lemon juice squeezed over them - superb!  We may be camping, but we certainly are not eating "rough and ready" meals, but rather lovely, healthy food that we thoroughly enjoy.  We hope you all are enjoying good food and good company at home, as we are on the road!

Today's agenda includes lunch at a barbecue cook-off in Mobile (my mouth is watering in anticipation), followed by a visit to Bellingrath Gardens, Mobile.   We'll report later.

Special Animal Sitings

Yesterday one of our camping neighbors took a kayak out on the water near this campground and had the exceptional experience of having three dolphins show up right next to her kayak.  She was concerned that they might tip her, but she said that they just swam with her for a minute, one on either side of the kayak and one underneath, until they surfaced again and took off.  Needless to say, she was thrilled with this unplanned contact.  John and I can't top that experience, but this afternoon while walking on a nature trail we heard rustling in the shrubs next to the path, so stopped to see if we could see the animal making the noises.   It sounded rather large, and was moving with a slow and deliberate gait; we were fascinated to see it emerge from the foliage - a raccoon-sized armadillo, rooting around below the leaf cover for food!  It was not in the least intimidated by us, so by remaining quiet we were able to observe it very closely for several minutes (of course, neither of us had a camera with us, so we cannot post a photo here - darn!)  It was the first armadillo either of us has ever seen in the wild.  John noticed that under that armor, it is hairy - I don't know why that surprised me, but it did.   For more general info, check here: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/armadillo/ 

Gulf Coast

Since May first, we have been camped at the Fort Pickens National Park Campground on the Gulf Islands National Seashore just south of Pensacola.  Another well-maintained and patrolled campground and another beautiful and seemingly endless white sand beach.  Shells are rather sparse here, but the sand is beautiful and our weather has been as well: nights around 40 degrees, days mid-60's and sunny.  One day we drove over to old Fort Pickens , construction begun  in 1829, completed in 1834.  The ruins are interesting and picturesque.  Click on the Fort Pickens link in the previous sentence for more information about this historic fort and its place in American History.

Yesterday we visited the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, located on the grounds of the Pensacola Naval Air Station. John was impressed with the "up close and personal" contact this museum permits with the aircraft, and how very nicely maintained and organized the exhibits are.  I was impressed with the portions of the displays that tell the stories of the people behind the planes - the designers, the builders, the commanders, the pilots, the mechanics and other support staff, emphasizing the courage, foresight, and determination of all.  Although its focus is naturally military, the museum does a good job of portraying the impact of manned flight on various aspects of recent civilization. We  iwere both impressed by the caliber of docents in the museum, who were not only knowledgable, but demonstrated exceptional follow-through, as in the case of one question a docent could not answer, but left, researched, and found us a bit later to give John the explanation for the piece of equipment on the aircraft.

This morning, John went into town to run some errands and I remained in my travel office (see photo below) to catch up on work files, emails, and this blog.    While it seems decadent and somehow just plain wrong to "camp" with wi-fi and computer capabilities, still we are pretty much on the low-end of people who travel with gadgets.  This particular campground has a large spectrum of humanity and camping styles: college-age kids and young parents with little kids in tents, retirees in lovely new RV's - some compact, some huge, a young couple from Zurich, Switzerland traveling around the US in their camper van, folks in large campers with multiple pull-outs, people driving old cars and campers, apparently here partly because they can help supplement their food with the abundant fish available in these waters, a couple in a lovely old 13 foot vintage camper, lovingly restored and sparkling with pride (both the camper and the owners).....   And then there is our neighbor: we've had fun watching him pull out a whole series of toys and equipment: various chairs, cookers, smokers, a drink-mixer powered by gas motor, large flat-screen TV on the OUTSIDE of his camper, various flags and Clemson U. paraphernalia - the man is very obviously a serious, nay, fanatical fan!  The piece de resistance: a giant blow-up Clemson Tiger figure that graces his front door.  His whole campsite is outlined (on the ground) with string lights, and from his awning hangs - are you ready for this?  Really ready for it? -  a working DISCO BALL!!!     Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, this morning he brought out a large green tarp and placed a dog fence on it, where he deposited his little fluffball dog.  When we walked by and saw that the dog also had a stroller, I thought perhaps it was old and infirm, and they were doing their best to make it comfortable in its declining health.  NOPE!  The dog is young and energetic - they apparently just don't want the little darling to get its paws soiled on ground or grass!     While this all seems a bit over the top to us, the gentleman who owns this get-up is very proud of and happy with his possessions, and is a good camping neighbor. 

Clemson Fan - Day View

Clemson Fan - Night View

Now THIS is a tree!

 I should have known that the idea of keeping a blog diary of our travels with the goal of one entry every 2-3 days was going to get away from me, as it has.  Brace yourselves - this will be a long post.

We left Charleston on Sunday, Feb. 26, after spending Friday and Saturday exploring more of Charleston and spending some "down-time" just relaxing and walking the beach by Nancy and Lynn's rented condo.  On our way out of the area, Nancy and Lynn accompanied us to visit a very special tree owned by the City of Charleston, but situated some distance from the heart of the city.  "The Angel Oak" or "Angel Tree" is an ancient and massive live oak tree, with branches spreading in a wide arc around the main trunk, those branches touching the ground.  See more about it and more
 pictures here: http://www.angeloaktree.org/history.htm.  Standing under this magnificent tree, you feel as though you are truly in the embrace of the ages - it is stunning! Here are a couple of photos from our visit, including one of my hand holding one of the tiniest acorns I've ever seen - that is what this tree grew from!  The redwoods of California are certainly much taller, but this oak is magnificent!

Our intent had been to move on next to St. George Island State Park on the Gulf Coast of FL, but when we arrived they had no sites available, so we wound up at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park about an hour away.  This has turned into a happy "second choice" since the park is beautifully maintained, the campground quiet with fairly secluded campsites, and a 9 mile beach the likes of which I have never seen; growing up playing on the shores of Lake Michigan, I thought I knew beautiful beaches, but this one is in a class by itself!  I've heard of Florida's white sand beaches of course, but this is the first time I've walked on sand that looked and felt as if I'm walking barefoot in sugar!  While here, we have just relaxed, walked, eaten some excellent fresh seafood, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!  This morning we went for a two hour beach walk in a fairly dense fog, which lent the surroundings a bit of a surreal quality - absolutely stunning!  In one of the photos that follow, John looks like he is standing in snow - he is not - this was taken in a beautiful section of white-sand dune going to the beach.   Those of you who know my passion for picking up beach stones will understand my unbridled joy at the shelling available on this beach - even more fun than the stones and a fraction of the weight to carry back!  : )

Grasses writing in the sand

This little guy followed within feet of us for about 20 min.

A sheller's delight!

So far our little "Silver Spirit" has been the perfect size and configuration for this kind of trip, and we have found lots to encourage us to do this again in the near future, no reason to think that this is not totally workable.  While 23' of living space may seem tiny compared to the homes we are all used to, it works for us for this kind of travel, and works well! The other day a couple of other Airstream owners stopped by to chat, and we learned that they live full-time in their 19' Airstream and have done so for the last 5 years.  They used to live in a 16' Airstream Bambi, until that was wrecked in an accident, at which time they "moved up" to the 19 footer.  Clearly these lovely folks live without accumulating all the things that we have done, and while it works for them, I love the memories associated with many of the objects we have collected over the years that remind us of family history, of heritage, or just great times spent with loved ones, and am not yet willing to part with all that.  Also, I am puzzled as to where I would store all my beach finds and sewing "stash" if we were to downsize to the extent that these people did.  (tee-hee)