Road Trip Mobile Alabama

Winter was long and hard on us this year. Since we were not physically ready to return to cruising, we decided to take a road trip south. The plan was to check on our sailboat in St Augustine Florida and visit family and friends along the way. It turned into a series of whirlwind adventures!

Our first stop was Mobile, Alabama. We haven't seen Uncle Fred and Uncle Ron since we left Dog River aboard Mystic a year ago. Uncle Fred made us a fabulous southern dinner with a lovely frosted cake for dessert. We sat on the porch after dinner, chatting and enjoying the warm temps; our best conversation always happen when we are stooping! Fred and Ron recently bought a condo in Biloxi with a beautiful view of the Gulf. It's close to both Beau Rivage and Hard Rock Casinos. They asked us to take a drive with them to check it out.

Beau Rivage Casino

Hard Rock Casino

Gulf view from the condo

Gulf view from the condo

Next door neighbor at condo

The boys: Dave, Uncle Fred & Uncle Ron

Condo Dock after Katrina, soon to be rebuilt

View from condo balcony

Beth & Dave on condo balcony

Mystic was docked at Turner Marine for four months during the winter of 2017. We made a lot of friends there. Most of our friends have moved on but Byron and Cynthia Miller happen to still be docked there. We stopped by for a visit; sitting aboard Bright Angel while enjoying the morning sun and catching up on our adventures. Later, walking along the docks, we found Tom and Marsha West,  aboard Faith. Tom is adjusting to his new prosthetic leg and they are planning to depart from Turner Marine for their own cruising adventure. It was so good to see our old dock neighbors!

Beth, Byron, Cynthia & Dave
Turner Marine April 2018

Tom & Marsha West aboard Faith

Turner Marine sign on Dog River

When we left Turner Marine we headed for the beach. Dauphin Island is our favorite spot for watching sunsets. The parking area was destroyed by Irma so cars were lined along the beach road. A family sitting near us was throwing bread to the seagulls that swarmed above us. Suddenly, I felt a splat land on my thigh and realized that I had been pooped on! I took this in stride, choosing to believe what I've heard about this insulting situation being GOOD LUCK! On the way home we had a beer at the Pelican Pub. We had a wonderfully relaxing day.

Sunset on Dauphin Island Beach

Dauphin Island Beach Road

Pelican Pub

When we were in Mobile last year, we enjoyed visiting the Old Shell Growler. We were disappointed to hear that it closed after we left. Serda Brewing Company was walking distance from our Uncles' home so we went there instead. They had a wonderful patio to watch the world pass by and a food truck out back that offered delicious nibbles. 

We made a special stop for coffee at Cream and Sugar, a cute cafe in an old neighborhood of Mobile. Tom and Paula Vail on Life's TraVails, brought us fabulous scones from this shop at Turner Marine. We were sad to learn that it would be closing within a week! Only a year has passed since we were part of this community. So much has changed.
 

Dave outside of Cream & Sugar

Cream & Sugar Menu

The next leg of our road trip is a visit to Baton Rouge where we will reconnect with our friends Scott and Yolanda Moody. It's been a while since we've seen them so we are beyond excited to spend time with them again!