Across the Panhandle

We drove through rain and overcast skies for most of the day Monday.  Normally Ranger would have been itchy to get out of the RV and out for a walk at each stop, but with the rain and his lack of sleep (due to the big storm) the previous night, he seemed happy to spend the day in bed.

After about seven hours of travel, we arrived at O'Leno State Park, near Gainevsille  It is one of the oldest Florida parks, with CCC buildings, located along the Santa Fe River.  The campground is small and situated under heavy vegetation, almost jungle-ish. Rain persisted through the evening, but it was rather nice to just heat up soup for dinner and watch a DVD, before we lost electricity.  The campground host came around through the pitch-black darkness to let all campers know that it was  a blown transformer that had already been reported, and by 10:30 repairs were made and lights came back on.  

We awoke to sunshine---finally!  We'll probably spend part of this day, our 42nd  anniversary, exploring the hiking trails along the river.  

Wet day at Big Lagoon

We seem to having really bad luck with the weather so far.  On the positive side, after sleeping late, then having breakfast, we were able to get out on the hiking trail at Big Lagoon under overcast skies.  The first part of the trail was a boardwalk; the second part went through sand and beach-y vegetation and led to  an observation tower where one can see the lagoon and out into the Intracoastal Waterway.  Along the way we saw a few birds and one neat lizard that periodically inflated a bright pink sac on its neck. (No luck getting a photo of that, though.)

The rain began falling as we got back to the RV, and it kept up for much of the afternoon.  When the rain was lighter we sat outside under the awning; when it picked up and blew in, we scattered under cover and ended up reading and napping for much of the afternoon.

With rain persisting into the dinner hour, Michael cooked dinner inside: quinoa with beans and tomatoes and corn.  The RV feels a bit tight with four adults and two dogs in it, but thank goodness we're not camping in a small tent!

Around  2 AM, a severe thunderstorm came through and lasted for most of an hour, with wind and very heavy downpours.  We half-expected Kelly and Michael to abandon their tent and come in to sleep, but the tent held up and they stayed put.  Still raining and thundering this morning and we prepare to pack up....sigh!

Discovery Day at Dauphin Island Sea Lab

We awoke to steady rain....again....and considered skipping  the trip to Dauphin Island that we had planned.  But it let up by about 10, so we headed over to Kelly's house (in the car we borrowed from them) and picked up Michael.  Kelly had gone to the lab early to get things set up for Discovery Day.

Discovery Day is an event for the general public when they open up all the labs and have exhibits, plus lots of activities for kids.  Kelly  had said they would have thousands of people there, and that was right---LOTS of little kids.  Kelly's lab display included microscopes so people could see various marine worms, a display led by her graduate student about how and what worms eat, and a demonstration of pressure differences in her flume.    We also visited the other labs and talked to various scientists and grad students about their work.

By mid-afternoon we were on the road, heading east on I-10.  We stopped outside Pensacola, FL at Big Lagoon State Park.  Kelly and Michael came over with their camping equipment (including new tent), so we had dinner together and had more time to visit.  It rained much of the night, so their tent did get a good test!  Plans are to explore the park for a day before they have to go back to work and we continue to head east. 

Rainy day in Mobile

We awoke to lots of black clouds, and it rained on-and-off all day.  Along with the rain was some thunder, sending Ranger into his shaking, shivering mode.  So much of the day was spent inside reading and relaxing.

Nephew Clay and his fiancee Lauren came over in late afternoon,  and the rain let up enough for us to take a walk along the one trail at Meaher State Park, much of which is actually a boardwalk over the water of Mobile Bay.  Clay spotted this alligator along the way.  

 With high winds and more thunderstorms expected, Lauren drove us to Kelly and Michael's house, where we were able to grill hamburgers and hotdogs and have a good visit.  

Arriving in Mobile

Along the way from Auburn to Mobile, we pulled off at a spot that Kelly had recommended: Splinter Hill Bog, about 40 miles north of Mobile, just off I-65.  It is a Nature Conservancy reserve that is known for its pitcher plants.

And they were definitely there!  Thousands of them....Beautiful!

We arrived at Meaher State Park in Spanish Fort, AL  around 3:30 and set up in a site right along the water.  In clear weather we would have a view of the skyline of Mobile, but it is overcast with rain in the forecast for most of the weekend.  Ranger is panting in the heat and humidity but otherwise seems to be happy to be out of a moving vehicle.  

Storms and sun

Listening to the radio Tuesday evening,the music and talk kept getting interrupted by the loud buzz of a warning from the National Weather Service about a  line of severe thunderstorms in the area.  Fortunately the main part of the storm passed south of us, but we did have heavy rain and thunder.  Poor Ranger tucked himself as far back in the RV as he could and trembled for hours.

Once back on I-85 in the morning, though, the skies cleared and the temperature rose.  We passed through South Carolina, went right through Atlanta (LOTS of traffic), and entered Alabama near Auburn. We pulled in for the night at Chewacla State Park,  a CCC-era park with many beautiful 1930's era stone buildings.  The campground is small, only 36 sites, but we were able to get a nice level one.  After a shower, it was definitely time to switch from jeans to shorts and tank top.  

They're having a classic camper event in the park this week, and while only a few campers had arrived already, the campground host had decorated the area for their arrival.

Next stop:  Mobile!

On the road again!

After our return from the long trip to Alaska, after a rainy fall, after a long snowy winter, we are finally out in the RV again.  We had pretty much emptied it all out for a good cleaning after the long trip, so preparations for this vacation were a bit more complicated than usual.  We left on a drizzly morning, heading south on I-95 to I-85, traveled through North Carolina, and stopped for the night at King's Mountain State Park just south of the NC/SC border.

As we entered, the park seemed very empty and quiet, but upon arriving at the campground, we found it about one-fourth full.  It seems to be quite a few families with kids, probably out for Spring Break.  It's warmer than at home, with dogwoods and redbuds blooming and with leaves just coming out on the trees.