Day 21: Meaher State Park, AL to Laura S. Walker State Park, GA

There's not much to report about today's activities.  We left early (7:45) from our campsite near Mobile and spent most of the day traveling eastward and northward, heading home.

We took I-10 across the Panhandle, not very inspiring views along the way.  Shortly after lunch (and after changing time zones back to Eastern) we took a break for lunch, which Ranger seemed to appreciate.  From there, we picked up US highways into Georgia, passing through Valdosta and up US 84 to Waycross where we stopped for the night at Laura S. Walker State Park.  That was almost 400 miles of driving.

The park is small and very tidy, a good spot for an overnight.  We managed to get a pull-through site so we did not need to unhook the car, which will save time in the morning. Easy dinner of reheated chicken (thanks for the use of your grill, Kelly) and the remainder of the black-beans-and-rice.  Time for some rest before more travel tomorrow.....but not before we watch the next episode of Downton Abbey!

Day 20: USS Alabama

We met Kelly and Michael late in the morning to do the tour of the USS Alabama.

It was a good tour, more enjoyable than I expected, though we didn't even see all the exhibits but stopped due to fatigue.  One could easily spend a whole day there.  

We all  returned to the campground for a late lunch.  Then Kelly and Michael went home, taking Ranger along in order for him to play in their fenced backyard.  Dan started putting things away in preparation for tomorrow's departure.  Then back to their house, where  Michael made delicious sourdough bread and a soup with black-eyed peas and tomatoes.  

The drive back was a bit circuitous due to road closings for still another Mardi Gras parade, but we are back and ready for a good night's sleep before a long day of driving tomorrow.  

The weather here in Mobile continued to be unseasonably warm and sunny, very pleasant for our last day before heading north again.  

Day 19: Dauphin Island and Mobile

We picked Kelly up late in the morning and headed out to Dauphin Island.  She had a meeting to attend at work while we walked the two dogs on the beach.

She also showed us around the Estuarium which is the venue for the upcoming (April 23) wedding reception, with ceremony on the beach (weather permitting).  It's an unusual location, but who would expect Kelly to have a traditional wedding?

While Kelly attended her meeting, we also had a chance to watch the rays being fed in the tank outside the Estuarium.

After walking the dogs through the Audubon Bird Sanctuary near the lab, we headed back to Mobile, where we left the dogs at Kelly's house and headed out to see the Mardi Gras parade.

We had a late dinner with some of Kelly and Michael's friends, picked up Ranger, and got back to the RV late, definitely ready for some sleep after a busy day.  

Day 18: Falling Waters State Park to Meaher State Park

Today we crossed from Florida into Alabama.

The day started out wet and overcast....again.  However, the skies cleared as we traveled the remaining 160 miles to Mobile, to visit Kelly and Michael.  Late this afternoon it's around 60 degrees and sunny.

Meaher is a very small park, located off Route 98, but it has nice paved sites and is close to downtown Mobile.  From the pier at the west end of the park, here's the view:

Interstate 10 runs just south of here, across the water, so we will hear traffic tonight.

After an early afternoon arrival, we had lunch and then went grocery shopping.  Back at the campground, Ranger and Dan did some bird-watching while I vacuumed lots of sand out of the RV and did some basic cleaning.  Now we're just relaxing, awaiting Kelly and Michael's arrival, to have dinner with us.  

Day 17: Rainbow Springs to Falling Waters State Park

Today was a day of surprises.  The weather forecast had been for a full day of rain, which was all right as we were to be driving most of the day anyway.  And the rain did fall much of the night.  But by breakfast time, it had stopped and we were able to pack up and attach the car without getting wet.

We drove north on I-75 from Ocala past Gainesville, to where it connects with I-10.  Heading west along the Panhandle, we were surprised to see the sun come out, so that by the time we stopped for lunch at a rest area it was bright and in the upper 70's.

I thought it peculiar that the weather for Chipley, the closest town to this state park, still said 59 degrees.  As we progressed toward Alabama, the temperature dropped....and dropped...and dropped.  Here in our campsite at Falling Waters it's currently 57 and overcast, and judging from the puddles, it must have rained quite a bit earlier.

Another surprise:  I did not expect to be a campground that was hilly.  This is the Panhandle, after all.  However, the park is located on Falling Waters Hill, one of the highest hills in Florida, elevation 324 feet.  With the car still hooked up, we're a bit aslant in this site, but it's only for one night so we'll just deal with it.

Ranger and I left to check out the hiking trails while Dan relaxed.  This is indeed a very different environment from the ranches and horse farms we left behind this morning.

We followed a short trail down to the lake which has a swimming beach (but also a warning sign about the alligators).

From there, we followed a series of boardwalks that took you over swampy areas with sinkholes and finally to the waterfall for which the park is named.

Between the overcast skies and the change in time zone, it's already looking a bit dark at 4:00.  It looks like we'll have a quiet evening before proceeding to Mobile tomorrow to visit Kelly.  

Day 16: Homosassa Springs State Park

Today we took a day trip to Homosassa Springs State Park.  This is another former 1950's era tourist attraction that went out of business when Disney World and Busch Gardens came in.  The land was given to the state and became a state park which also serves as a wildlife rehabilitation center for injured native fauna.

When it became a state park, one requirement was to remove all the non-native animals, so they all (with the exception of one hippo named Lu) were sold off, and the native animals remained.  So today, a visit to the park remains a walk through pathways with animal cages, each of which features a native Florida animal.  We saw bobcats, a puma, a river otter, deer, eagles and hawks, snakes, and so forth.  I particularly enjoyed the aviary where we could get a close look at many of the local birds.

The warm springs there also serve to draw in manatees which move from the colder river waters into the springs during the winter months.

Although the skies were overcast for much of the day today, one bank sign as we drove to the park said 80 degrees!  This is more like it!  The warmer weather is supposed to continue for the next few days, although there's more rain in the forecast.  

Day 15: Exploring Rainbow Springs State Park

Despite the fact that we woke up to 26 degree temperatures, this was one of the best days of the trip.  Rainbow Springs State Park is the nicest one so far, very clean and well-maintained, and our site is large and comfortable, with no neighbors to be seen out our windows.

Once the sun came up, temperatures rose fairly quickly.  Ranger and I took a short hike around the nature trail near the campground, about one mile in length, and he seemed to feel good, getting out and about early.  In late morning, with temperatures up in the mid-60's, Dan and I headed out on our bicycles along the tram path that connects this part of the park with the tubing area.

This state park is unusual in that it has three distinct sections, each with its own entrance.  We have, of course, been in the section with camping and the park office.  In warmer weather, people come to ride tubes from here downstream to the tubing section of the park, where they get out (and from which they pay their fee and park their cars).  The tram takes them up to the starting point, or for campers returns them their campsites.

However, at this time of year, no one is tubing, so the tram path provides a paved, flat place to bike.  It led to another lovely view of the Rainbow River.

After biking back to the RV, we had lunch and then left Ranger to take his afternoon nap in the camper while we checked out the third section of the park, the Headsprings..  

A gentleman I had chatted with back at Hillsborough said that he had previously been a campground host at Rainbow Springs and that we MUST see the headsprings.  And he was correct.  It was well-worth the trip. (One must drive over to it from the campground, about 15 minutes away.)

What is somewhat unusual about this place is that it has only been part of the state park since the 90's.  From the 1940's until the 1970's, it was privately owned and was a tourist attraction, complete with glass-bottom boats, monorail, a zoo, and even a rodeo!  

It even had artificial waterfalls, built with the tailings of the old phosphate mines, in the extensive gardens (with azaleas and camellias):

After driving around the town of Dunnellon a bit (lots of fast food, auto parts stores, and strip malls, but also a nice historic district with antique and gift shops), we returned to rescue Ranger in time for him to enjoy lying in the late afternoon sun while Dan grilled chicken for dinner.    And it's still close to 70 degrees, no rain, no wind.  Life is good!