From Nawlins to Theodore Alabama

Just over the border into Mississippi we got our first view of the Gulf of Mexico. Krystal and the kids hadn't seen the white sand beaches of the gulf, they were amazed. For those of you that haven't seen the gulf sands, it looks a lot like ground sea salt, its fine and sometimes almost powdery. I think the biggest difference is that it doesn't taste anything like sea salt.

The path we took was the scenic route. The majority of the length of the beach along the Mississippi coastline is dotted with broken down piers. I believe it was Hurricane Zeta in late 2020 that is to thank for these, but some looked like they had been long abandoned prior to Zeta. One would think that if you are going to put in a pier and it gets destroyed, if you aren't going to fix it in a timely manner then you should remove the pilings. Though they are a blemish on a beautiful coastline, the coastline is still a great view. The trip along the coast added 2 hours to the trip had we just hopped on I-10 and ran it the whole way, but it was worth it.

Theodore is a small city with a population of 6,334 . When we arrived at our house the host had left the door unlocked and a light on. He said there's a key in the kitchen but we likely don't need to bother locking anything up. The house was an old farm house with 2 screened in porches surrounded by spanish oak trees covered in ferns and spanish moss. The driveway was dirt and all of it was sitting on 50 acres that we were free to roam as we pleased. In fact the host left us a golf cart to drive around if we liked, which we took full advantage of. There was also a few occupants that lived on the property, Dixie, Daisy May, and Billy. They kept to themselves mostly. Every once and awhile Ava would go out and give a carrot to Dixie, who was a real ass. Billy might have been my favorite, the greatest of all time in my opinion and Daisy may was cute if you like them thicc. Of course these are all animals, a Donkey, a goat, and a a pot belly pig. hah hah hah..... They were the highlight of this house and I would bet are going to be the most missed goat, pig, and donkey of our trip.

One day we drove down to Dauphin Island for cinnamon rolls. The cinnamon rolls were good, but not as good as I make at home. While on the island we visited Fort Gaines which was part of a decisive battle during the civil war. Whoever controlled the channel into Mobile Bay would have the advantage to either cutoff supplies or receive much needed supplies. When the Union took control of the fort in 1864 it kept the momentum moving forward for what would eventually be the Unions victory in the civil war. One of the other things we visited on the island was Indian Mound Park. This is a Native American archaeological site that are large mounds made of discarded sea shells. The Native Americans used to come there around the same time each year and harvest oysters and fish, then cook them over fires. Year after year mounds were formed with layers of shells and charcoal like a historical lasagna. Unfortunately, the information shared on the park sign says that the Native Americans used the area up to 1550, but don't give a reason why. If they have been coming there for hundreds of years or more why did they stop. Well, the date overlaps with the first documented contact from Europeans in 1519. The likely scenario is that they were driven from the area rather than a sudden decision they no longer like eating oysters on the island like they had done for generations prior. One thing we are learning about this history is it is omissive or whitewashed to paint a different picture than what the reality was.

We ended up having a plumbing issue which shortened our stay by a couple days so we relocated to a hotel in Mobile for the remainder of our stay, however, we would stay in Theodore again in a heartbeat, but only if we get to hang out with Dixie, Daisy, and Billy. While in Mobile we stopped by the History Museum. We learned that Mardi Gras actually originated in Mobile and was thought to be a rebellion against the Catholic Church prior to Lent. We also got to visit the Colonial Fort Condé in Mobile. It was rebuilt in the 70s to be a replica of the original fort. There was a lot of informative placards and relics from the mid 1700s to the 1800s. They covered the fact that the fort served as a place to trade with the friendly Native American tribes in the area, but it was just as much built to protect against the tribes that felt their lives and domain were being encroached on by the Europeans. While not the original fort like what you will see visiting Fort Gaines, it was still a good history lesson.

We were excited to be heading to the next destination in Gulf Breeze Florida. We would be meeting up with our friend Evan and getting our first taste of playing in the Gulf of Mexico. I also am going to get to catch up with my Aunt and Uncle on my step moms side of the family. I haven't seen them in 20 years....