Tue, 11/13/07

Manatee Springs SP: Sat around the fire this morning drinking our smoothies. Then walked down to the Suwannee River to see if there were any manatees. There were at least a dozen! We watched them for a while and met a couple there from Pine Island in No. Ft. Myers. They had been on a road trip for about a week—trying to get away from the heat in Ft. Myers. Back to the campsite and read for a while. Then walked back to the river and watched the manatees some more. One has an injured tail (guess that what you call it). She seems to be ok but they’re going to report it and she’ll be checked out. The water here is crystal clear and you could see lots of fish. And the mullets were jumping. Walked back, cooked dinner and relaxed for the night.

Mon, 11/12/07
Marianna, FL: Up pretty early and couldn’t wait to leave this place. Didn’t even take a shower. Just put on the same clothes I had on yesterday. We arrived at Manatee Springs State Park at about 3:00. Lost an hour because we’re now in the Eastern time zone (sigh). Pulled into the campground and got set up at our site. No one near us at all. It’s so quiet and peaceful. Supposed to be packed starting this weekend—Thanksgiving and all. Wondered if the deer were still around. Didn’t take long to find out since a deer sauntered into our site right after we set up. Went to Chiefland for dinner and saw a bunch of deer on the way. When we came back we stopped at the spring to see if there any manatees around. The ranger told us there were a bunch in the spring this morning. Guess they come into the spring at night. No manatees, but we saw lots of deer—everywhere. Walked down to the boardwalk to the Suwannee River and there was all this commotion because the vultures were juxtapositioning for roosting places in the trees by the river—hundreds of them. When we got back to our campsite there was a herd of deer behind our camper. They’re everywhere! It’s great!

Sunday, 11/11/07

Marianna, FL: Left Dauphin Island at about 10:00 this morning and arrived at the Arrowhead Campground at about 4:30. This is by far the worst commercial campground we have stayed at. Thankfully it’s only for one night. They advertise that it’s a Good Sam park. We will be notifying Good Sam that they need to reevaluate this dump. Too bad since it’s on a pretty little lake. Leave tomorrow for Manatee Springs State Park in Chiefland, FL. Can’t wait to get out of here.

Saturday, 11/10/07

Dauphin Island, AL: Biked down to the other end of the island this morning. Started clouding up but was warmer than yesterday. On the way back we stopped at a vegetable stand and bought a bunch of stuff. Packed it in the basket on my bicycle and thought it would be hard to control the bike because the stuff weighed about 10 pounds—but no problem at all. We met a couple at the stand who were from Mobile and had a place on Dauphin Island also. They told us where it was and we biked over there. A really cute bungalow built in the early 1800s supposedly. They bought the place about 15 years ago and were smart enough to buy the lots on either side of them and also the lot across the street which has Mobile Bay frontage. They have about 3 acres total. Really cute place. By now the clouds had cleared and turned into a spectacular day. Biked back to our camp site and put all the stuff away and then headed back to the deck at the top of the dunes with a nice view of the gulf. Hung around there for an hour or so and then walked the trail back to the camp site. We cleaned the front of the camper and I took the dirty towels over to the laundry and washed them. Had cheese burgers and mashed sweet potatoes for dinner. Leave tomorrow and are staying somewhere halfway to Manatee Springs.

Dauphin Island, AL: Up early and made a big breakfast this morning. Sat out in the sun reading for a while. Talked with our neighbors who are from Indianapolis and out with their 29 foot Class B motorhome for the first time. They are traveling with their dog, Elvis, who is part husky, German shepherd, and wolf. Beautiful dog! Walked the trails in the afternoon. Stopped at a deck overlooking the sand doons with a nice view of the gulf and watched the dolphins and pelicans for a while. Wished I’d brought my book. Would have like to stay there longer but we continued on the trail. A really pretty hike and another gorgeous day.

Dauphin Island, AL: Another beautiful day, but chilly. Decided to take the ferry over to Fort Morgan—which is across Mobile Bay. Fort Gaines is at the tip of Dauphin Island (walking distance from our campground) and Fort Morgan is at the tip of the peninsula across the bay. They protected the entrance to Mobile Bay during the Civil War. Fort Morgan construction started in 1816 and finished in 1834. It was in use off and on through World War II. After touring the fort we drove down the peninsula to Gulf Shores. A big, touristy area on the beach. Had an early dinner at the Pink Pony Pub right on the beach. Sat outside on the deck. Headed back to catch the 5:45 ferry back to Dauphin Island. The trip over on the ferry was great. We had a bunch of dolphins accompanying us. They looked like they were having such a good time—totally jumping out of the water, playing in the waves made by the ferry. I’ve never seen them do that before with their whole bodies.

Dauphin Island, AL: Got really cold last night. A beautiful day, but really chilly—50s. So, we decided to drive into Mobile and check out the historic district. The historic district is really pretty—streets lined in huge, old live oaks. We also went to see Conde Fort, which was originally Spanish, then British, French, and American. We also toured the Conde Charlotte house, circa 1822. Also checked out the WWII exhibit at the Mobile Museum. Then went to Dreamland for barbeque ribs—well, Mike had ribs. Then back home. Another cold night tonight. Probably won’t go biking tomorrow either.