Fairhope to Orange Beach,  Alabama...

BUT the DOLPHINS are the STORY...😉

December 11, 2022


We were lucky enough to have a Mom and baby dolphin ride our wake in Mobile Bay.  I was even luckier to have gotten some pictures.  While I was soaked, it was well worth it!







 





  





At a Captain's meeting a few weeks ago, we were told when you turn to port (left) off Mobile Bay, you are going into a different world...absolutely! - warmer weather, beaches, bars, and waterfront dining 😊😊😊


While our departure from Fairhope was slightly delayed due to fog and rain, we left late morning with 3 boats behind us. Apparently, they asked Danny if they could follow us as they had no radar.  Luckily, we did not have to go back to the Mobile shipping channel which saved us some time.  Our usual speed is 10 MPH but the boats following wanted to stay in the 7-8 MPH but given it was pouring and we were concerned with depth in some areas, 7.5 MPH was just fine for us and we didn't have to cover much area to get to Orange Beach.  We had hoped to eat lunch at LuLu's in Gulf Shores BUT the rain was really heavy and decided we would try an Uber instead.  Yes, lots of rain!



Arriving in Orange Beach, we pulled into or tried to pull into our slip at The Wharf Marina.  Someone had parked in our spot and the office is some distance from the slips and was not aware it.  OMG!  Danny was having a fit, but I get it not a lot of space to maneuver, pouring rain, decreased visibility and you have ME directing you to the slip while the deckhand is moving the boat that is in the wrong spot.  Everything worked out, lucky ME!

Went to LuLu's for dinner.  Great meal, good music and football on TV (not to mention the Cowboys won), so the Captain was happy.  LuLu's was started and owned by Lucy Buffett, Jimmy Buffett's sister.
 The Wharf Marina is a pretty impressive spread of marina, hotel, condos, and extensive shopping, entertainment, and restaurant facilities on the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway.  Danny and I both thought the same thing as we walked around...someone spent a lot of money putting this together.  When we arrived on Sunday, they were having a Santa event with pictures.  It was nice seeing all the kids dressed up for Santa.  Renting a car helped us to see Gulf Shores and Orange Beach down at the Gulf on Perdido Key.  The Flor-bama picture is from a rather well known bar with different kinds of music on Perdido Key but its real claim to fame - it sits on the Florida and Alabama state line.  As we drove down Gulf Blvd, we thought, I wonder how the tax structure is different on each side of the line not to mention the building requirements between Florida and Alabama.  It appeared to us the Alabama area seems to be more developed.  Florida had beaches under the State Park so assume no development is allowed.  Land on Perdido Key was given to Veterans of the Spanish-American War in the 1920's which allowed veterans  inexpensive beachfront property.  It was said back in the 1930's, locals would access Perdido Key by crossing a large "ditch" that was narrow enough to jump across although there were alligators.  In 1933, that "ditch" was widened to become the Intercostal Waterway.  Currently, 60% of Perdido Key is protected through either federal or state parks.


Orange Beach has a small museum called the Indian and Sea Museum which had extensive pictures of hurricanes and their devastating results. The museum had many different types of shells and information on the Indians in the Alabama area.  There were many different tribes but the greatest numbers were from the Choctaw Nation of the Mississippian tribes.  The feathers on display below were interesting to me.   As was the art of using pine needles to make items.   The photo shows a container for holding hair pins.  There also was a display of broken pottery.  The explanation on display was the Indians broke pottery to release evil spirits.  It was usually associated with someone dying.  According to the display, when the cookware was not cleaned well, people would get botulism poisoning and die.

On our way to return the car, we passed a street named Kenny Stabler Ave.  Danny knew he was from Alabama but did not know the town.  Foley is the town just north of Orange Beach where most businesses are and sure enough he was from Foley, Alabama.  Kenny Stabler was a quarterback at the University of Alabama who played for the Oakland Raiders when we were growing up. He threw left handed which is why I liked him and played for John Madden in Oakland.
The real reason for renting the car was to travel to Pensacola to visit my Aunt Jackie and Uncle Dick's graves at Barrancas National Cemetery at Naval Air Station Pensacola.  The security to get on the base was very impressive.  The cemetery is quite large.  The last time I was there was when Aunt Jackie was buried and I remember the 2 large trees near their graves.  Once I found their section, I almost walked to the grave based on the trees alone!  I am glad I got there.  This is the same air station that is home to the Blue Angels.  While we were there, we did not see them in the air.  Maybe as we travel down east, we will.



While in Pensacola, we visited the Lighthouse on the base.  Originally built in 1824 as the first lighthouse on the Gulf Coast, it was replaced in 1859 with a keeper's quarter added in 1869.  The 177 steps to the top makes it the highest lighthouse on the Gulf.  Maintenance was being done when we were there so we were unable to walk up to the top.  Originally it was all white but in 1869, the bottom third was left white to contrast to the trees and the top 2/3 was painted black to contrast to a cloudy sky.  Hopefully next fall we can stay in Pensacola.  The town is known as the city of 5 flags.  Pensacola was settled in 1559 by Spain and is the "oldest" European settlement in mainland America.  The countries having control over the city were the following in this order....Spain, France, Spain, Great Britain, Spain, United States, Confederacy, and finally back to the United States.  


As would be our luck, our last night we had tornado watches, so little sleep for me.  It was over at 8pm but strong winds and rain went on until 12:45am.  We left at 5:30am due to a new item to consider- tides.  

One of the other items I have not mentioned is the fact until we got into the Mobile Bay, we had not had to deal with tide changes in the water.  What is interesting in this area is for the most part, there is only one low tide and one high tide which is different than our experience in Virginia as well as  south Florida.  The only explanation I can find mentions the panhandle having diurnal tides.  In addition to the Panhandle area, this can be seen in China as well. These places that see a diurnal tide tend to be in or near the tropics because the forcing function for these diurnal tides are at their greatest in those areas where the Moon and Sun can be straight overhead. 


TOTAL MILES TRAVELLED   546.3 miles

TOTAL DAYS  30


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