Trip Report Incoming: Gulf Shores (AL) Shrimp Festival Week 2022

bama_ed

bama_ed

It's kind of fun to do the impossible-Walt Disney
Joined
Sep 23, 2004
Just setting up a thread for a non-FW trip to Gulf Shores, AL on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Many a DISMeet has taken place there at Gulf State Park (GSP). Me and DW are headed down there on Monday 10/3 for a week of relaxation and fun because the weekend of 10/8 is either the 49th or 50th anniversary of the Gulf Shores Shrimp Festival - the oldest annual gathering event in the region.

We have a couple new/different things planned so I thought it would be worthy of its own thread.

Of course, this is one of those events you have to book a stupid year in advance. Which I did. But bless my heart I just might be lucky. Look at this forecast.

1664583910213.png

It's a dirty job but gosh Darn IT SOMEBODY has to take one for the team and do it. Pics, news, new stuff, food, sunrises, puzzles. You know my drill.

So we leave out Monday morning. I'll post about once a day. Be here or be square. :crazy:

Ed
 
Safe travels and we look forward to an entertaining and informative trip report.

Steve
 
It's a beautiful day here in Alabama to get ready to go to the beach tomorrow. The truck and the Aliner were filthy and need a wash. I took the truck out west this past summer on my project and still had western dirt on the running boards piled up. The camper had sat in the garage since we last used it in January at the Fort (1500 loop) and then down to Naples. We had an April Gulf SP tripped booked but had to cancel due to an ill family member that we had to stay home for. All that to say I am ITCHIN' to hit the road tomorrow.

The camper is lookin' spiffy.



I finally got around to applying the vinyl NCAA stickers I had bought this summer. Here they are on my storage compartment doors. Here is the trailer door side:



And the one on the opposite (back side):



Truth be told my favorite design is the latter one but I am a shameless suck-up to DW so I put the Mickey/Minnie one on the side that would be the most seen (bankin' those brownie points, Mike, like I say...).

I also put on a new spare tire cover identical to the prior one I ran the roads with. I say "prior" because I didn't lose the last cover. I ..... lost the spare tire it was on. :rolleyes1 (yes there is a story there. no I'm not going to tell it.)



I have an old Fort Wilderness tire cover that I put on ONLY on the morning when I roll into FW each trip. Have to put it on sparingly because the literally don't make 'em like that old one any more (colorful).

Now going through the steps of packing "stuff". Cooking stuff. EZ up stuff. Folding chair stuff. Tool stuff. Aired up every tire involved in this trip. All hitched up and moving indoors now to take "stuff" from our home kitchen. Puzzle board and two puzzles. Books to read. TV to try to catch some games on. Laptop and charger cords. Probably the same drill ya'll go through. No list. Just walk around and see what I might use/want. Wal-Mart has the rest.

Game plan is to arrive on the coast at lunch time tomorrow, eat a meal at the Original Oyster House (DW's favorite-more brownie points), roll over to the State Park and check in (I have a special site), set up, food up at Wal-Mart, and then get ready for Tuesday.

Bama Ed
 
Ed, After extensive review and research in my legal library I will offer an amicus brief.

While your actions with regard to the decals are founded in your devotion to The CRIMSON TIDE and are thus based om purely selfish motivations. Your selection of both subject and placement of the Minnie and Mickey decal do confer a high degree of consideration for your Lovely and Sainted Bride. My recommendation on this matter is that the court is free to dispense whatever "Brownie Points" they deem appropriate.
As to the Selection of The Original Oyster House. The court must take into consideration your claim that it is your Brides FAVORITE being the determining factor in the selection process. A casual review of your own records regarding past visits to this establishment are highly enlightening. No only do you confess to having a deep affinity for The Original Oyster House but are so biased in favor of it , we find it nearly beyond credibility that you intend to go there only once during your stay but are going only in deference to your Bride. While the court may bestow some Brownie Points to you in this matter they will likely be nominal and conditional in nature .

Further any considerations of leniency for any past or future infractions will strictly only apply sentences involving incarceration in the "DOMESTIC DOGHOUSE" imposed by appropriate authority
 
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Gosh darn it's a lovely evening here at 630pm in site #20 at GSP. We are next to the (in)famous @tiggerdad site #18 on Live Oak Road across from Middle Lake. But first things first.

We got off KINDA on time today. Here I am waiting in the street for DW to check all the door locks (again).



The roll south took the expected time and we got to our lunch destination at 1245pm.



The foodies out there want pix and descriptions. So I got the Stuffed Flounder Florentine ("Mild fillets stuffed with creamy spinach, onions, mozzarella, and Romano cheese. Very tasty!"). Indeed it was and I got a side of a baked tater and red beans and rice (very good). The meal (not including sweet tea) was $12.99.



DW got Boudreaux's Favorite ("Delicious blackened whitefish topped with tasso Conecuh sausage cream sauce. Boudreaux says, 'Aheeeeee dats goooood! Ya Ya!"). Add in cheese grits and cole slaw as the sides also for $12.99.



Lunch is a separate, less expensive menu (something Disney abandoned long ago).

Arrived at 2pm at the campground office, settled up, and set up on #20. In my mind, I think of these sites in terms of who stayed on them during past DISMeets. #20 was once or twice used by @SouthAlabama5er / Randy. It gets nice afternoon shade with no need for an EZ Up. The breeze was coming off the lake though but now as the sun goes down that has dropped off. Backs up against Comfort Station #1. @PaHunter's former spot is right behind me.







The view across the road to the water is very nice.



DW enjoys the peaceful view of the water.



We also have rented bikes for the week. Rolling over to the next post to finish up today.

Bama Ed
 
After getting the bikes I set up the tv with a digital antenna and scanned for channels in preparation for Saturday's games. Although I have YouTube TV I would rather not burn through my cellular data plan to watch games. The GSP wifi is about 3 Mbps which is enough to post a trip report on but I have not tried tv. Luckily for me, the games I am interested in Saturday are on network channels ABC and CBS so I will be fine.

Then to Wal-Mart for the first batch of groceries.

The sun is going down behind us and lighting up the condo buildings across the lake.



Looking over to my right across the lake at the GSP Beach Pavilion, some pink clouds float under a half moon.



Gonna make a sandwich for dinner since we had a nice lunch. Tomorrow is sort of a down day with a routine Gulf Shores activity. New stuff starts Wednesday.

Bama Ed
 
Glad you made it in safe. Looks like you and DW are going to have a peaceful and relaxing week.

Steve
 


MAN, it's past 7pm. I need to get today's update put out!

First, I have to say that I am having a renaissance relationship with Dietz fuel lanterns. This summer I used several and have come to admire their simplicity and beauty. I've gotten a couple since then and brought a small, used one from an estate sale on this trip.



Spencer, the tiki gods stayed home this trip and the lantern came along. It does better in breezy conditions. I'm going to buy some of the colored glass globes and use them down the road.

So after I posted the pix of the sunrise today, I went off to the comfort station to take a shower. But in my shower stall, I had a visitor.



It was a beautiful morning after breakfast. #20 is a great campsite.



This morning we went for an hour bike ride and came back for a little down time. I broke out the puzzle and got started. This beautiful lighthouse puzzle is the one I'm working on.



As puzzles go, this is a pretty easy one since all you have to do is put together the individual small scenes and put them into place. Lots of distinct colors, clear boundaries, and unique designs in each panel. It's a keeper. We got the outline built this morning.



When I sit working on the puzzle and look and listen, I hear folks riding bikes and kids playing. The huge fallen oak from a past hurricane is a favorite climbing target.



It restores my faith in humanity just a little.

After lunch we went to Foley and ran the gauntlet of the Tanger Shopping Outlet Center. @tiggerdad has waxed poetic about his trips here. I didn't find anything to pull the trigger on but for you guys, I can say that "flannel" is big this winter season.

You heard it here first. ::yes::

We came back to the campground and picked up some shrimp (tonight) and scallops (tomorrow night). A nap, a little internetting, and soon it was time to start cooking dinner.

The first step (Kris) is for the cook to break out the white wine and then all the other ingredients/tools.



Get the Blackstone hot and ready.



And put on the shrimp and sauteed fresh mushrooms. The shrimp were courtesy of Blalock's Seafood here in Gulf Shores (they will de-tail and de-vein for an extra $2 per pound-I chased after the man throwing my money at him to do so to my pound of jumbos).



A little lemon juice and lemon pepper on them and some sweet soy sauce on the 'shrooms and steamed pack of more green veg on the side.



It was good. The one thing I learned is how much heat efficiency/griddle temp I lose when there is a breeze blowing. I'll have to rig up a wind break of some kind for the rest of the week or other solution going forward. The cook time was just longer tonight than I expected. But I am still learning the griddle.

A few scattered gray clouds as the sun went down. The campground is still basically full. I met some folks two sites over with another Aliner (with dormers). They are from Oregon and have been on the road for four weeks. Hurricane Ian wiped out their Florida plans so they diverted to Gulf SP and are enjoying it.

Tomorrow is a new activity I have never written about in a trip report. I'm excited about it.

Bama Ed
 
bama_ed said:
Probably the same drill ya'll go through. No list. Just walk around and see what I might use/want. Wal-Mart has the rest.
Click to expand...
It isn't the same drill I want to go through, but it inevitably is. We have a list. We check the list. But I remember highlights like, "WHERE ARE OUR ^%)(*)#$% PILLOWS!" at 1130 pm or who could forget the oldie "what do you mean we left all the plates in the dishwasher?!" as eggs and bacon are coming off the stove on the first breakfast of the trip. Had to run to the store when it wasn't a requirement far too many times. Oh well, can't wait to go camping and forget something again.

bama_ed said:
It was good. The one thing I learned is how much heat efficiency/griddle temp I lose when there is a breeze blowing. I'll have to rig up a wind break of some kind for the rest of the week or other solution going forward. The cook time was just longer tonight than I expected. But I am still learning the griddle.
Click to expand...
Foil is your friend. Before you light the grill pick up the cast iron part and put foil in it like a sideways "T" and pinch it in place with the legs of the cast iron surface. It's not 100% resistant, but it's cheap and I bet you have some on hand right now.

Looks like a great trip. I was looking to head that way this spring, but I was WAY too late to the reservation party. We'd sure like to get back that way some day though.

Thanks for updating us and all the good pics.
 
garneska said:
Ed that is the only step i know. Also the only one i am usually allowed to do :)
Click to expand...

It's a very important step, Kris. The cook's glass should never be empty. If that's your job, do it well!

Part-Time Paradise said:
Foil is your friend. Before you light the grill pick up the cast iron part and put foil in it like a sideways "T" and pinch it in place with the legs of the cast iron surface. It's not 100% resistant, but it's cheap and I bet you have some on hand right now.

Looks like a great trip. I was looking to head that way this spring, but I was WAY too late to the reservation party. We'd sure like to get back that way some day though.
Click to expand...

Foil will come into today's write-up soon, Jack. ;) Great minds think alike.

Gulf's reservation system allows booking arrivals one year out from each day's date. And you book specific campsites.

So much to unpack today. I won't get to it all so I will hit the highlights. The order is sun, birds, ferry, puzzle, bikes, food, and close with the sun again. HITCH 'em up! Let's GO!

I never grow tired of the sunrise from Live Oak Road campsites that are my preferred spots. Here is today.



But I need to get some beach sunrise/sunset pics, don't I? :rolleyes1

I spotted another little green friend today. Here is the new sink in the refurbished comfort stations.



See the drain slot on the left side? Let's zoom in closely.



All I was doing was putting in my contact lenses.

Today's new activity was bird banding. We were lucky our visit coincided with the annual week of fall banding. Fort Morgan (adjacent to Gulf Shores) on the east side of the entrance to Mobile Bay (and Dauphin Island on the west side) are along a migratory path for many birds - this time of year heading south. Visitors can come and watch. The banding volunteers put up nets and check them every 30 minutes for captures. Birds are measured, weighed, identified, banded (if not already), and then held as the volunteer tells us visitors about them. Then the bird is released.

We got there about 11am.



This area of the Fort (an ancient Civil War, WWI and WWII fort at the mouth of Mobile Bay) is also a destination for birders.



Grand Central Station for bird banding.



Educational talks in the woods are given to use noobs.



Here is an example net for discussion purposes. Don't walk out into the woods where the real nets are-you'll scare the birds away.



They started last Friday and will finish this Saturday.



Let's see some birds in the next post.

Bama Ed
 
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Mid-day, we were told, is not an active time for birds (morning and dusk hours are). But we saw several birds and I will show you four of them. First, a Catbird.





Next, a Woodthrush.





Some close-ups of the data gathering on a Ruby Crown Kinglet.





A close-up of the Kinglet.



And a Swanson's Thrush.



As we were leaving, the Ferry was arriving next to Fort Morgan. It runs over to Dauphin Island and back. It's 5 miles/35 minutes over water from pier to pier or 110 miles/2 hrs if driving up to Mobile and around.



We had packed a picnic lunch so we sat in the shade and watched the ferry come in, unload, reload, and depart. That and more in the next post.

Bama Ed
 
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I believe there are 2 ferries running between Memorial and Labor Days and 1 ferry running the rest of the year as weather permits. Dauphin Island has an Estuarium (aquatic touch/display museum of the estuary that is Mobile Bay - where fresh river water meets salt ocean water) and its own civil war fort, Fort Gaines, as tourist destinations.



I asked the guy working the car line-up and they can handle 28 vehicles (but fewer if they have longer vehicles or rv's). These folks are lined up ready to roll on.





These folks in line out to the road will have to wait until the ferry runs round trip and comes back for them (oy. :guilty: )



People sometimes park on one side and walk onto the ferry at a lower pedestrian rate. Fort Morgan, Fort Gaines, and the Estuarium are all short walks from the piers. Here comes the ferry.



And the cars roll off.



The dolphins in the bay sometimes swim alongside the ferry jumping every so often out of the water.

After returning to the campsite, DW took a nap and since the wind was not blowing much mid-day, I worked on the puzzle some more.



Later in the day, Jack, I went to Wal-Mart and picked up, among other things, some aluminum foil and binder clips and put my engineering degree/Macgiver skills to good use.





Did the foil solution work? Find out in the next post.

Bama Ed
 
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Before we cooked dinner, however, we went for a bike ride. Here is the iconic blue GS water tower at the campground.



Also on Comfort Station #2 (near where Bert and Kris typically stayed during DISMeets), the Art Department of nearby Gulf Shores High School painted a nice mural on the outside.



Afterward, DW LOVES :love:her view of the water.



Dinner was grilled scallops, the leftover sauteed mushrooms in a sweet soy sauce, and a microwaved cheese/broccolli rice.







My seasoning of choice for the scallops.



Oh and more white wine, Kris, for me.

Kayakers came by on the lake as the shadows started to grow.



But it was time after dinner (and chocolate chip cookies for dessert) to see a beach sunset. Our dashboard campground parking pass gets us campers free admission onto the State Park fishing pier.



I'm about to wrap up today's activities, I promise. I turn the camera to the left (west) for the sunset pics in the next post.

Bama Ed
 
It's late enough in the season where the setting sun nearly clears the condos to the west of the pier (along Gulf Shores proper). It will pull further out to sea between now and the winter solstice.



Be patient. It's happening.





Almost there.



Last little bit.



Done.



Literally 60 seconds after the sun set, this girl behind me in the baby blue tshirt hooked a fish. She was so excited.



She got it hauled up before the sharks came along to chomp it off the hook. With her parent's permission, I took a picture of her and the fish. She was asking if it was a Spanish Mackerel. :confused3



Walking along the pier on the way out, I came across this plaque along the railing. Understand that the pier fishermen at GSP (and probably everywhere else) are a dedicated bunch.



Walking down the ramp to the parking lot, the last glimmer of light backlit the sea oats on the dunes.



Gonna sleep in tomorrow and then head over to opening day of the 49th Annual Gulf Shores Shrimp Festival.

Bama Ed
 
Ed the young ladies catch looks more like a Speckled Trout sometimes referred to as a Weakfish
 
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