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.

Dauphin Island, AL: Left Hattiesburg this morning around 9:30 and headed toward Mobile. Good roads all the way. Arrived in Dauphin Island around 1:00 and got set up. Had a quick lunch and then went for a walk down to the Gulf. The beach here is not pretty at all. But we’re not here for the beach. There’s a bike path the whole length of the island and we do a lot of biking. And there’s also several hiking trails. Walked the beach a little bit. The only view you get from the beach are all the oil rigs out in the Gulf. The trail in the woods is much prettier. But, the mosquitoes drove us back. Sprayed myself up pretty good and sat outside until the sun set. Warming up left-overs for dinner tonight. We’re here for 5 nights. This is a municipal campground—the only one on the island. Really nice though with lots of trees—live oaks.

A Tow going up the Mississippi

Hattiesburg, MS: . A tow boat and barge was going by the campground this morning before we left. A lot of barge traffic day and night. Left W. Memphis this morning at 9:45 a.m. and arrived in Hattiesburg by 3:45. Pretty drive and another gorgeous day. Supposed to be a cold front coming through tonight. Today was 80 for the high—tomorrow the highs will be in the 50s. Hope it will be warmer in Dauphin Island. We will arrive there tomorrow afternoon.

W. Memphis, AR: Left St. Louis this morning at 9:45 am and got to W. Memphis at 4:00, stopping at a Flying J truck stop to fuel up and have lunch. After setting up we went for a walk. This campground is situated right on the Mississippi River just across the river from Memphis. We’re only here for one night and then on to Mississippi. The drive down here was great. A beautiful, sunny fall day and lots of pretty scenery until just south of Cape Girardeau where it turns flat as a pancake. Miles and miles of cotton fields and rice paddys. On our walk we met a bunch of people—most of them on their way south for the winter like we are. Nice, friendly people.

Richmond, IN: Thank goodness for RV Road Help--although they sent someone to remove the tire last night with a 5000 lb jack even though they knew we had a 14,000 lb RV. This morning another guy came with the right equipment and removed the tire. Now we just wait until it’s fixed and they return to put it back on. Thank God we’re in a campground and not on the highway somewhere. At some point we leave for St. Louis and home. At least it’s much warmer and a very pretty day.