Y’all know by now that I love the after exploration, the one that happens after the main vacation almost as much as the vacation. This one was no different. We left Gulf Shores this morning soon we realised we had stowaways onboard, Evie and Addilee had decided to explore with us.
We ended scouting out Highway 98, the Alabama, coastal connection, a scenic route.
We did not make it very far till I passed a sign for Weeks bay pitcher plant bog park. The girls were too caught up in their Ipod’s and the thought of swamp bugs did not impress Sherri but the thought of carnivorous pitcher plants and a new ecosystem excited me.
Not far off from the main road. I took a solo hike along the boardwalks,
Here I seen a vast variety of flowers, butterfly’s and other wildlife.
I ended up at a dock on a river.
The stars of the show, the pitcher plants were abundant. Many varieties that I have never seen. Since I was on the boardwalk I could not get the close ups I was hoping for and I had the camera with the nice lens packed away.But It was an amazing hike anyway!
I was able to talk everyone into getting out at the next park. The Bayfront park in Daphne a small coastal town near Moble, Alabama. Here we seen lots of wading birds and the Devils own grasshoppers, big black, ugly, scary, spawn of Satan himself! It was a beautiful park!
Later we stopped at a giant restaurant with a full parking lot it had a 45 minute wait and I seen it was part of a chain that included Ruth Chris’s so we went on down the road till found a more local establishment. Wow, so glad we did!
R&R seafood restaurant in Spanish fort, Alabama, may have had the best seafood of the trip. I had ordered bacon grilled oysters but a older black man sitting on a bar stool finishing off a PBR overheard me order them. He spoke with me about living here his whole life and how this bay had the best oysters in the world and the only way to experience them were raw. I changed my order to raw oysters. They were nothing like I remember them, they were the whole gulf coast condensed into one smooth bite. He also talked me into chewing instead of swallowing mmm!
I ordered a bowl of gumbo to go had it for supper tonight may have been the best gumbo Ever!
We are still out exploring rolling into Montgomery playing “Midnight in Montgomery” And “An angel from Montgomery” and just to be safe ” the ride” We might come home tomorrow.
chasingperi 