We had a great time in Mobile and experienced many things – including a HURRICANE!
Hurricane Nate!
So we were somewhat concerned about Nate but since it was weakening we decided to stay. The RV park (All About Relaxing) had a huge main office that could withstand 120 MPH winds. They had TV monitors, couches and food so we just made it a pot luck night. Several of us spent most of the evening with the owners and had a great time. We watched the Alabama football game and it was funny to see Patti yell “Roll Tide” all night with the Alabama contingent. Don’t worry, I was embarrassed for her. Fortunately the storm weakened and we went back to the RV about 11 PM. We could feel the winds but had no issues. It was like a bad mid west thunderstorm with lots of rain! The next morning we walked around and couldn’t find any damage – thank goodness!
The “Mighty A”
We went to the USS Alabama memorial which was very cool! We took the self guided tour up to the conning tower. Toured the CIC, Admiral’s and Captain’s state room, etc. This was 6 decks up and then down – so we were exhausted but still had a great time. We also checked the many other tanks and airplanes that we there as well. Definitely need to check it out if you are in the area (USS Alabama Memorial).
Gulfquest!
Gulfquest is a terrific maritime museum that is focused on the shipping industry (Gulfquest Maritime Museum). In fact the entire building is in the shape of a cargo ship! There are many exhibits and interactive displays throughout the building. My favorite was the “Take the Helm Theatre” where you could navigate thru the bay utilizing a lifelike digital simulator. The simulator is used to train actual boat pilots! I pushed all of the kids out of the way so I could have a try! Another exhibit we liked was the “Ocean Planet Theatre”. It has a 6 foot sphere suspended from the ceiling with visualizations of the planet earth showing water temperatures, jet streams, etc. They had a cafe next to the bay and at the table was a monitor showing all of the ships in the bay in real time! We could watch a ship pilot right by us and know everything about it. Very cool!
Dauphin Island
We went to the island just for the beach! We would take the day, load up the car with our chairs and just make it a beach day. Patti would search for shells and run away from crabs while I just sat and watched (and giggled)! Very relaxing. We also saw a lot of kite surfing. That was awesome and these guys made it look easy.
One day we went to Dauphin Island on the motorcycle and took a ferry across the bay to Fort Morgan.
We had a great time riding the bike to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach! The white sand at Orange Beach was unbelievable! We came back here many times and was able to stay long enough to watch a sunset!
Well Mobile was fun! Off to Pennsacola! Florida BABY!