Winter 2014--Big Lagoon State Park

Sat. Mar. 1-Tue. Mar. 4: Gulf Shores State Park, in Alabama, where we had stayed a few years ago, was full but Marv made a reservation for Big Lagoon State Park in Florida, which was only about 15 miles east of Gulf Shores. We were so lucky to have clear, sunny skies and temperatures in the low to mid seventies for the weekend. The park reminded us very much of St. George Island State Park, and is situated on the dunes between the Gulf of Mexico and beside where the intracoastal waterway cuts inland to form Perdido Key. Our site was short and low with salt marsh behind us and next to a (closed) boardwalk into the marsh so it was pretty private.

 After we got settled we drove 13 miles west to Orange Beach, Alabama, where Bob and Nancy Muhlbach own a condominium. They had picked up Bob and Sylvia Stevens from the airport in the morning to stay with them for a few days. We all gathered around 3:00 (Central Time Zone for a few days) to watch MSU get beaten by Illinois at home in basketball. L At 5:30 we walked across their parking lot and stood in the main drag beside the beach for a Mardi Gras parade. The sun set as we waited for the parade to begin. The floats were lighted and some were animated and the crews were throwing beads, moon pies, cups, mini-footballs, and stuffed animals in abundance. We half filled a grocery bag with beads, four footballs, a few moon pies and 1 cup. 

Bob and Sylvia Stevens with Peggy

After delivering our loot to the truck and theirs to the condo the six of us plus their friend, Chet, walked to the other side of the parking lot to Wintzel’s Oyster Bar. We would have had to wait for a table so we sat around the corner of the bar where we could watch the oyster shuckers open a whole trough full of fresh raw oysters. Bob Stevens was the only one who ate his raw, while Nancy had hers fried. Marv & I shared a big plate of red beans and rice with sausage and chicken. It was spicy and filling and, with a side salad, very satisfying. The Stevens were on Eastern Time Zone and had begun their day at the Flint Airport at 6:30 so they were really tired. We drove back to the campground, enjoying a really nice Mardi Gras firework display from Perdido Key for most of the drive. We made a stop for groceries on the way but still got back to the camper before 9:00. So we grabbed a flashlight and walked the half mile or so down the boardwalk to West Beach and looked at the stars and into the dark water of the Grand Lagoon.

Bob shows off an oyster

Marv got up and started the coffee in the morning as usual and we both took showers and got dressed for church. When I asked Marv what time it was as we ate breakfast he said 9:15 but then we both realized he had looked at the one clock we hadn’t changed and it was only 8:15! We had plenty of time to eat and walk the boardwalk again in the daylight and even read for a while before we drove back over the beautiful S-bridge and a few miles to the state border. We met the Stevens, Muhlbachs, and Chet at the huge, sprawling Flora-Bama Bar for “Worship @ The Water”. Over 500 people squeeze onto bleachers and into folding chairs and stand around at the back, flowing out of the outdoor “tent” part of the bar, all gathered for Worship. There was a large enthusiastic Praise Band to lead the worship and we sang about 8 songs from their self-published “Honky Tonk Hymnal”. A nervous young woman gave the message, filling in for Jeremy, who usually preaches, and another woman gave a testimonial witness, and the place was really rocking. It is sufficiently popular that beginning next week they will go to two services for a while (Spring Breakers will replace the Snow Birds who have been in attendance). It’s not quite my cup of tea and very different from Edgewood but it was fun to experience…once. Afterwards the seven of us went to Cobalt for a fantastic Mardi Gras-themed Brunch that included Eggs Benedict, omelets, roast beef and pork, French Toast, strata, and a variety of salads and sides, with beignets, Crème Brule, and King’s Cake for dessert. The buffet was $19 a person but the Bloody Marys were only $2 with the buffet! We were stuffed by the time we finished. So we returned to Muhlbachs’ condo to change clothes, took chairs and towels over to the beach, and all went into comas in the sun to digest. When we had partially recovered, the Bobs and Marv and I walked about a mile west on the beautiful white sand beach. The tide was just going out so there wasn’t a lot to find but it was a nice walk nonetheless. Since we hadn’t seen that much of the campground Marv and I elected to head back, arriving with time to ride our bikes 3.1 miles out to the Governor’s Pavilion (where a wedding was being held when we came on Saturday) at West Beach and catch the end of the sunset. It was dark when we returned and put the bikes away in the truck and we read and listened to the iPod for the evening. 

(form left) Marv, Peggy, Nancy M., Bob & Sylvia S., Bob M.
at Cobalt, enjoying our brunch

Orange Beach, AL

Peggy & The Bobs work off some of the brunch.

We weren’t expected back to the Muhlbachs’ until 4:00 Monday so we had scrambled eggs loaded with veggies, did the dishes, and got over to the Library across from the park gate before they opened at 10:00. I spent the next almost three hours, desperately trying to finish up and order a Photo Book from Picaboo for which I had a Groupon that was running out on Tuesday. Around noon I admitted defeat and figured I’d have to just put the money towards a full price book. But Marv said to contact the company and see if I could get an extension. Sure enough, the site had a chat line and in a few minutes I had a month more to finish the book! I will do it at home with our faster and more reliable internet. A few minutes later we went back to the campsite and had soup for lunch for the first time in several weeks. It tasted good because, although the light rain we had had all morning had ended and the skies were clearing, it was windy and in the low sixties so it felt colder. With time left in our schedule we drove across the bridge onto Perdido Key and spent a couple hours hiking around at the Gulf National Seashore area. There was no one at the gate and very few people in the park which must be jammed with beach combers during spring breaks. We especially enjoyed driving out to the end of the less than 50 yards wide spit of land that poked out into the Intracoastal Waterway. By then it was time to drive to Orange Beach for the last time. The six of us went to LuLu’s in Gulf Shores for dinner. The owner is the younger sister of Jimmy Buffet and several of their specialties, including their draft beer, are called Little Sista’s. Brett Burnes is a favorite performer of the Muhlbachs and he sings at LuLu’s on Monday nights. He is sort of a cross between Jimmy Buffet & Jeff Daniels as a singer/story teller, very entertaining, and with a big following, so we had a hard time finding a table. We ended up in the bar next to the plastic windows and the cold air was streaming in through broken zippers. But we enjoyed the food and the ambiance and the songs before going back to Muhlbachs to play dominoes.

Gulf National Seashore at Perdido Key

Nature Hike Boardwalk at Gulf National Seashore

(from left) Marv, Peggy, Sylvia, Bob S., Bob M. & Nancy
at Lulu's

HAPPY MARDI GRAS! There wasn’t a big hurry to get to Mississippi the next morning and it was cloudy and only in the high thirties after a cold night. What a sad difference from the weekend. I was depressed as I packed away my shorts and sandals, realizing they wouldn’t be needed again on the trip. Since we had time I decided to check my email and was pleased to find an email from Janice with an update on their travels. I was surprised to read that they had been at Torreya State Park the day before we were. But I was shocked to find out that they were now camping at Big Lagoon State Park!! We thought that the New West van camper that was parked near us had just moved to a new site when we saw it the night before. Instead it was the Oiens. We walked our coffee over to their place and woke them up, so they made their coffee and we got caught up on things. As we talked I realized that the couple from Michigan that Ranger Howard had told us about was none other than Janice and Lou. How amazing!! We got on the road later than expected but as we drove out of Florida, across the foot of Alabama, and into Mississippi it began to rain harder and harder. The temperature dropped to 35° and things looked pretty dismal. The GPS found the Big Biloxi campground in de Soto National Forest for us and we got set up in off-and-on light showers with no end in sight. We will have a thirty mile drive to the Habitat for Humanity worksite to which we’ve been assigned for the next two days.