The Gulf State Park Tradition...

[tiggerdad]

@bama_ed it has been a pleasure as always to share a campground with you. Please do tell your lovely wife we said hello.

Today we went up to Summerdale to Alligator Alley. I had posted pics from here last year when we were down here so I won't get crazy with pics but there are plenty of alligators to see, watch, and even feed. @tigger92662 and his family joined us.

We got there just in time for the morning show. It's mating season so the numbers of croco-gators was down but still good demonstration.


After that we headed back to Foley to a place that @bama_ed showed me several years ago. It's an old fashioned pharmacy/soda fountain. Though the pharmacy is long closed, they still serve fountain drinks, desserts, and sandwiches. My wife was particularly interested as they spell The name same as she does with the "ey" on the end.


We all had chocolate milkshakes which were great. The silver cup was the leftover milkshake that they give you. It essentially filled the glass back up.


Regrettably today was pack up day for @bama_ed and we said our farewells as he is leaving out early in the morning. safe travels Ed and again a pleasure hanging out.

Tomorrow is youngest DDs BD so we gotta see what we put together.

 

[4077]

Safe travels home, Ed! Thanks for your commentary.

To everyone else, enjoy your continued stay and thanks for your updates and pics too!!

 

[bama_ed]

God used all the crayons in the box this morning.



At Buc-cees getting gas.

 

[Flametamr]

Ed it was a pleasure spending time with you and all our gang. Hope you have a safe trip home. We’re here until Sunday. Hopefully we can do this again in a couple of years. If my retirement plan works out we may can participate in other meet ups I different locations. I will try and see those left here this afternoon since some are leaving soon.

 

[tiggerdad]

Today was youngest DD birthday so we let her decide the itinerary. We spent morning on the beach.


Usually the planes are pulling advertising banners but today the red flag was out and the banner was more about safety.


Later in the morning we heard a pair of helicopters coming in the distance.


As they got closer it turned out to be a pair of cobras I do believe.


DD decided instead of a cake she wanted dessert at Skyliner Diner. I got club sandwich and it was fantastic with half of it in fridge for lunch tomorrow.


When dessert came the employees came over banging the heck out of a dinner bell and sang happy birthday. My classic 50s milkshake with a waffle and whipped cream. Chocolate ice cream of course


DW got a caramel apple sundae. Folks, I do believe it's the best dessert I've ever sampled


We then went to Pirates Island for 18 holes of golf but I was in charge of keeping score instead of playing


This morning final haul from the beach "mines".


Spent evening visiting @Teamubr and @tigger92662 as they are leaving early in the morning. Safe travels guys and great to see you all. @Flametamr I will try to come by and see you tomorrow. Technically we don't leave until Sunday but we will likely go ahead and head home tomorrow evening after the morning north bound traffic thins out.

Has been good trip. Glad to get together with the group again. We are back down here on same site in July so hopefully they'll keep the light on for me.

 

[Flametamr]

Toys are all loaded. As usual we’re the last ones out. But we live close so that figures. Hopefully we can all do it again soon. Safe travels everyone and thanks for the fun.

 

[tiggerdad]

Joe, glad I got to see you again before we left

We pulled out around 2pm and got home around 615pm. 15 minutes sitting still on the bay bridge in Mobile, but that's practically guaranteed. No mishaps. This time we let the 3 cats roam free in the truck and actually they did very well.



Well, I guess I'll close out this report. Came and went way too fast but enjoyed it as always. As I told the group at our potluck meal, I always enjoy seeing old friends but meeting new ones as well. I really hope one day I'll have more time to be able to make more Dismeets. Our family schedule keeps us limited, but we all have those hurdles to jump. I was too long away from my last meetup and hopefully won't have to wait that long next time.

PS
Denise, thank you for keeping this pinned at the top for the year. You do a great job keeping things straight around here.

 

[2goofycampers]

Thank you for the great TR and pictures.

 

[bama_ed]

https://www.al.com/news/2025/07/gul...xceeding-passenger-projection-adds-lulus.html

After less than 2 months of service, new air passenger traffic into Gulf Shores Airport on the only carrier, Allegiant, is 25% ahead of expectations. The airline will add new routes from additional cities this fall and the airport is considering expanding its new passenger terminal.

In addition, it has added a branch of Lucy Buffet's restaurant (Lucy is Jimmy's sister and a longtime restauranteur in the area), Lulu's in Gulf Shores on the ICW, as a concessioner in the airport terminal. Bet you will be able to get a Bushwhacker drink and a Cheeseburger in Paradise there soon.

Sounds like the Redneck Riviera is growing - it's a nice retirement area (South Baldwin County, that is) for whoever is interested.

Bama Ed

 

[bama_ed]

https://www.obawebsite.com/intracoa...nge-beach-and-gulf-shores-to-close-for-5-days

Progress continues on the new bridge over the Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW) that will be part of the construction on the new south-bound Foley Beach Express.

To summarize, the Foley Beach Express runs north from the Orange Beach side of the ICW (OB is on the coast) and runs north to the northside of Foley at about 11-12 miles north of the coast. It is intended to by-pass all the red lights on the historical north-south artery that is Hwy 59 through all the restaurants, shopping, and city life that is between the beach and the north part of Baldwin County. Just before the FBE terminates at Highway 59, it intersects the Baldwin Beach Express (BBE) which is the shortest, more direct route to Interstate 10 (and its famous Buc-cees location on the Loxley exit).

The choke point historically has been all the people using the former toll bridge (state of AL bought it recently so no more tolls) over the ICW at the Wharf shopping complex on the south side of the ICW in OB. For people like me and @tiggerdad who didn't want to be anywhere near OB, we turned off the FBE about a half mile before the old toll bridge and detoured over to Hwy 59 to get over the ICW and head to Gulf State Park.

So the state of Alabama (my tax dollars at work) bought the old toll bridge into Orange Beach and at the SAME TIME planned a new bridge (Hwy 59, toll bridge at OB) about 1 mile away from the old toll bridge. The reason is the old toll bridge was 1-lane in each direction over the top and plus visitors were stopping on the north side coming/going to pay the toll (locals had an electronic pass I think). So the state plans to turn the old toll bridge over the ICW into a NORTH-BOUND only 2-lane bridge with no stops for tolls and the NEW BRIDGE being designed and built in the link above will be a 2-lane SOUTH-BOUND only bridge to get over the ICW (remember they are separated by a mile or son along the south side of the ICW along Canal Road).

So the 2 ends of the new bridge will meet soon and the ICW is closing for extended periods in August 2025 to make that happen. Progress ......

Bama Ed

 

[bama_ed]

More Gulf Shores news:

The Embassy Suites in Gulf Shores has FINALLY finished construction and is open for business.

https://www.al.com/news/2025/07/ala...ened-in-gulf-shores-heres-what-it-offers.html

It is between Desoto's Restaurant and the Beach Highway down around The Hangout and public beach area at "the T" of Hwy 59 and the Beach Highway.



The new hotel sits across those 2 vacant blocks (and 1 short stretch of street) between W 1st Ave and W Beach Blvd behind the Alvin's souvenir store.


It has been a long time in coming. This property was approved in 2018 for the Embassy Suites by the city of Gulf Shores.

https://www.al.com/news/2018/06/gulf_shores_unveils_85_million.html

But the developer had some issues to work out and then the 'rona virus hit in 2020 and construction costs soared for a few years after that because of the difficulty in getting labor and building supplies. In 2022, though, things took off and it is finally open. I think it's nice to have a big hotel like that down among all the condo rentals simply to offer an alternative. Many nice memories, I have, of staying at Embassy Suites locations during my work career and on vacations with the family when the kids were young.

I remember visiting Gulf Shores as a kid and in that eastern half of the new ES property (directly between Desoto's and Beach Highway) was a little amusement park with carnival rides and a go-kart track. It was there from the late 80s into the mid 2000's. IIRC a hurricane blew it away and it was demolished and never rebuilt then left for development. Here is a Google Earth screen grab from 2004:



That's part of the heritage of Gulf Shores being a FAMILY destination (kiddie carnival memories) and not a spring break destination.

ED

 

[tidefan]

https://www.al.com/news/2025/07/gul...xceeding-passenger-projection-adds-lulus.html

After less than 2 months of service, new air passenger traffic into Gulf Shores Airport on the only carrier, Allegiant, is 25% ahead of expectations. The airline will add new routes from additional cities this fall and the airport is considering expanding its new passenger terminal.

In addition, it has added a branch of Lucy Buffet's restaurant (Lucy is Jimmy's sister and a longtime restauranteur in the area), Lulu's in Gulf Shores on the ICW, as a concessioner in the airport terminal. Bet you will be able to get a Bushwhacker drink and a Cheeseburger in Paradise there soon.

Sounds like the Redneck Riviera is growing - it's a nice retirement area (South Baldwin County, that is) for whoever is interested.

Bama Ed

@bama_ed , suppose we'll ever get commercial air service here in Tuscaloosa?

 

[bama_ed]

@bama_ed , suppose we'll ever get commercial air service here in Tuscaloosa?

@tidefan, maybe someday but it will likely be when I'm too old to get on an airplane. But IIRC you're younger than me so there is still hope for you.

As a kid, I do remember going to the Tuscaloosa airport back in the late 70s with my parents to pick up family members who were arriving for a visit with us (around Christmas and New Years for example). I remember seeing Coach Bryant in the concourse (don't know if he was coming or going) with his houndstooth hat pulled low over his eyes and pulling a suitcase behind him.

My memory is, although I was a little kid, he was big/tall. And broad chested. Even though he played in the 1930s, he was not a malnourished shrimp as an adult man (as he might have been as a football player in the 30s).

I think the authorities in Tuscaloosa want to lengthen one of the runways before they try to get regular passenger service again. But if Gulf Shores got it, maybe we can too (someday).

Bama Ed

 

[tidefan]

@tidefan, maybe someday but it will likely be when I'm too old to get on an airplane. But IIRC you're younger than me so there is still hope for you.

As a kid, I do remember going to the Tuscaloosa airport back in the late 70s with my parents to pick up family members who were arriving for a visit with us (around Christmas and New Years for example). I remember seeing Coach Bryant in the concourse (don't know if he was coming or going) with his houndstooth hat pulled low over his eyes and pulling a suitcase behind him.

My memory is, although I was a little kid, he was big/tall. And broad chested. Even though he played in the 1930s, he was not a malnourished shrimp as an adult man (as he might have been as a football player in the 30s).

I think the authorities in Tuscaloosa want to lengthen one of the runways before they try to get regular passenger service again. But if Gulf Shores get it, maybe we can too (someday).

Bama Ed

That is in progress!

https://elevatetuscaloosa.com/activ...tuscaloosa-national-airport-runway-extension/

 

[tiggerdad]

Ed, appreciate your tax dollars.

That Embassy Suites has a very large outside viewing screen that apparently is intended for guests out on the upper lounge. However, if you are East bound approaching the T you can watch whatever is on. We saw that when I was back down in July for NP conference at the Lodge.

 

[bama_ed]

I did not see this news posted here and it is now over a month old but I wanted to share that Bill McGinnes, the owner of the local pizza/music establishment "Papa Rocco's" passed away in July 2025 at 83yo. He and his restaurant were an anchor in the Gulf Shores food scene.

https://www.obawebsite.com/gulf-sho...-local-icon-bill-mcginnes-known-as-papa-rocco

PR has as its marketing slogan "the home of warm beer and cold pizza" with tongue firmly planted in cheek. The food (pizza/pasta mostly) there actually wasn't bad (that's a compliment on the Gulf Shores food scene). For the last few decades, they hosted the St. Patrick's Day celebration. I knew when Bill was at PR when you would drive down Hwy 59 and his blue Corvette was parked in front of the restaurant (on the grass) six blocks from the beach.

His restaurant started in the mid-80s and I was staying in Gulf Shores in the 90-91 timeframe when having business in Mobile (yep, it was a long commute each way) because GS is where my wife and I would stay (before kids). It may be hard to believe but after the summer season, Gulf Shores used to roll up the streets and all the restaurants used to close up for the fall-winter-spring except for two: Papa Rocco's and Bahama Bob's ( ) were the only two restaurants open on a Tuesday night in the late fall (ask me how I know).

I was not a BIG PR customer although our family would buy ice cream often at Scoops across the street (just north of PR). DW did not approve of the PR free-wheeling atmosphere. But there was one weekend in 2017 when I did the Gulf Shores Half Marathon in Jan 2017 and I pulled the Aliner and stayed in the little RV park (by myself) across Hwy 59 from Scoops/PR behind the old Pizza Hut. I could sleep there, walk down/back to/from the Hangout at the "T" of Hwy 59 and Beach Hwy for the packet pickup and race start/finish lines. And I could walk over to Papa's for Friday night dinner and Saturday night dinner. 'Home' (across the road) was not that far away.

It sounds like Bill lived a full life (and lived life to the fullest). So pour one out this weekend for the one, the only Bill McGinnes.

Bama Ed

PS - his one character flaw was that he was a big Michigan Wolverines (cheaters) apologist.