Sunday, March 14, 2021
Willy, one of the camp hosts at Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park, stopped to tell us where to stop on our travels to Mobile Bay. This park and campground is great. It is unique in several way, one being they have great volunteer support. They also have great staff and campground hosts. We have met Willy’s wife, Rhonda and the other camp host, David, who is a good handyman. I would love to come back.
We drove out of our way to go see Fort Pickens National Park. Never pass up a national park! It is a tiny strip of land with a beautiful Gulf of Mexico beach on one side and Pensacola Bay on the other. Showing our national park pass, the guard welcomed us in. The senior national parks pass is such a treasure and bargain!
Martha wasn’t too excited to go to a fort, but the she did appreciate the beaches. We drove through the campground, which also looked nice. Jane Baker is already booking her fall trip here. The architecture of the fort is so cool. A double arch design was used to distribute stresses on this delicate land and to keep it from sinking into the sand. It is wonderful brickwork. I was surprised to see a sign for Florida National Scenic Trail. I didn’t know there was one.
Geronimo and his warriors were brought here after their capture and made to clear the land for the fort. It’s a terrible, sad story.
Leaving Fort Pickens, we headed for Meaher State Park on Mobile Bay. We backed into a spot next to another 25′ Flying Cloud. After setting up, we took a few pictures of Mobile Bay. Our neighbor, retired Army guy with a crushing handshake, offered to take a picture of us. Brian and his wife, Berry, live in Mobile and just bought a new camper, so they were on the test trip, We were only here for one night, but as we listened to his stories and suggestions, we realized there was a lot to see here. The park alone is enough. It is 1300 acres with a very nice campground, a boat ramp and fishing pier. There is access to the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, the second largest delta in the contiguous United States. It is formed by the confluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers.
Brian recommended a restaurant up the road, but on a Sunday night, there was an hour wait. We went the other direction to a Kamino Bay, a Mexican restaurant. We were not quite sure when we walked in but the place was quite popular, their beer generous and the food good. They even had a singer/guitar player.
Dinner at the Mexican place