2015 November 27, 28, 29, Trip to Gulf Shores, Al, Biloxi, MS & Pensacola, Fl

We left mid-morning traveling on I-65 South to Gulf Shores.
At lunch, we stopped at Peach Park in Clanton Alabama where we enjoyed a delicious fried peach pie topped with a scoop of peach ice cream. Hubby also ordered a large order of onion rings and a barbecue sandwich.

fried peach pie topped with a scoop of peach ice Cream

I walked around Peach Park taking pictures of the giant peach statue sitting on a large bucket with a sign that read, Peach Park Clanton, Al (do not sit on the peach)
I took pictures of a green birdhouse, several wooden bridges, a pond, the playground area, a large red barn where children could play, a swing, a gazebo, a lighthouse, a red caboose (that is rented as an RV) a rose bush, a tractor and my husband sitting at a picnic table.

 large red barn where children could play

Back on the road for another four hours, stopping only for fuel and to use the restrooms.

The Rat Pack (Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr & Frank Sinatra

We stopped in Bay Minette, Alabama to get our oil changes at Chuck Stevens Dodge.
Inside the deanship, I noticed hanging on the wall paintings of several famous people.

I asked the owner if I could take a picture of the paintings, and he said I will sell you all the paintings for $100 each if you take all of them.
They were paintings of Sammy Davis Jr, (notice the ring on his right hand) Frank Sinatra, (big smile) Dean Martin  (The three members of the Rat Pack).
Lewis Armstrong, (with his trumpet) Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Jimmy Dean, Willie Nelson, Jerry Lewis, Glen Miller, and Madison Bourbon Jazz.
In the painting of Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, and Jimmy Dean they all appeared with a cigarette.

I told him that someone had done a great job, but I did not want to buy them.

Clock Belltower 

We saw a Christmas display in Robersdale.
After we checked into the Staybridge Hotel we rode back to Foley's Heritage Park.
In the park was a Christmas village, a clock bellower, angles, and a flowing fountain.

Gulf Shores Beach 

We ate dinner at Chick-fil-A in Foley.
I ordered some chicken nuggets and a Peppermint milkshake, and my husband ordered a strawberry milkshake, and a grilled chicken sandwich.
Before we went back to the hotel we went to Gulf Shores beach, it was too dark to take pictures.

It had been a long day so after we both had a hot show we climbed into bed for a long winter's sleep.

Saturday morning we were both up before the rooster crowed.
We dressed and headed to the beach to watch the sunrise which was at 6:27 AM.

Sunrise

I was an awesome, white and dark cloud overlooking the blue gulf.
There was a hint of pink, blue, white, and yellow as the sun peeked his head through the clouds.
Slowly this ball of fire raised his head higher and higher changing from yellow to a bright orange then back to a bright yellow, with clouds floating all around him, until you could no longer look directly into his face.
A couple was sitting on a blanket that they had spread out on the sandy beach to watch the sunrise. It was still a chill in the air so they were wearing light jackets.

Watching the sunrise 

As the sun peeked, the sky cleared, and you could see the waves that splashed happily upon the sand beach.
We rode back to the hotel where we enjoyed a nice breakfast of link sausage and an omelet. We had cranberry juice to drink.
We stopped to take a picture of the Bell Tower in Foley's Heritage Park.
The 52-foot Bell Tower has four clock faces that face north, south, east, and west which includes 32 brass bells. The Bell Tower and Plaza were built to celebrate Foley's Centennial on January 8, 2015.
Across the street is the Hotel Magnolia one of Foley's oldest buildings, that is now for sale.

Bell Tower 
We took I-10 from Foley to Mobile driving through the George Wallace Tunnel across Mobile Bay.

As we approached Mobile in the distance we could see the RSA Battle House Tower, The RSA Bank Trust Building, and the Van Antwerp Building.
We stopped at the Antebellum Welcome Center in Jackson County, Moss Point, Mississippi.
The Welcome Center was built to resemble an antebellum home with its spiral staircase, arched doorways, and chandeliers. It is filled with antique furniture, and sculptures by Marlin Miller.

Sculptor Marlin Miller working on a large oak near Hard Rock Casino Resort in Biloxi Mississippi. It is named "Marlin's Marlin". This is just one of his many pieces

We traveled the freeway of the Gulf Coast crossing the swamp land area of Escatawpa River,  through Pascagoula, Gautier, Ocean Springs, to Biloxi, MS.
As we topped the I-10 Interstate in Biloxi we could see several casinos and as we exited the interstate we could see the Gulf, the beautiful white sandy beaches, and the Biloxi Lighthouse. We rode past the casinos to Veterans Memorial Park where we stopped to take pictures.
We rode back to the welcome center to find out where we could purchase tickets to ride the trolley.

We were told that we would have to hurry to catch the trolley because it was leaving in a few minutes.
We walked down the hill, across four lanes of traffic to catch the trolley that was leaving the station.
I caught up with the driver, Carla Beaugez Taconi, she said to climb aboard, that she had not collected for the ride.
So we climbed aboard the back of the open-air trolley, so I could take pictures.
We introduced ourselves as the newcomers to the ride, and then off we went hair blowing in the wind.
When Carla was not telling stories about Biloxi, she was playing upbeat music from that area.
As we rode down the street many residents waved to us and we waved back, Carla knew many by their first names and they knew her name.
Carla showed us what real southern hospitality is all about the way she greeted everyone she met.
Carla made you feel like you were a part of her family and her neighbor.

We rode past many vacant store buildings and empty lots that Katrina had destroyed with her violent winds and waters.
We saw old mansions and homes that had survived the storms of time.

We stopped at the 12-foot-high Hurricane Katrina Memorial where we saw a glass case containing various items found after the storm and a black marble wall listing the names of those who died or were lost during the hurricane.

We stopped at the Magnolia Hotel Museum built in 1847 serving as a lodging establishment but now it serves as a Mardi Gras Museum.
In it, we saw memorabilia from carnival celebrations with a variety of colorful Mardi Gras costumes.

Trying on the colorful Mardi Gras costumes

We ended the tour by riding past the works of art on Beach Boulevard, which is a sculptured garden teeming with pelicans, egrets, seagulls, blue marlin, and a shark.
After Katrina destroyed most of the trees along Beach Blvd a chainsaw artist carved six oak trees into marine sculptures that are now displayed along the median of Beach Blvd.

Katrina Sculptured Garden 

We thanked Carla as we exited the trolly.
We walked along the beach to the pier where I took a few pictures.

We had to cross four lanes of traffic back to the Visitor Center.
The Visitor Center is a museum in itself, it has a wealth of information, a gift shop, multi-media exhibits, Biloxi Memorabilia, and on the second floor it has a 67-seat movie theater. The Visitor Center has a striking resemblance to the Dantizier House that once sat at this site, and it has two-story porches, a grand staircase, and floor-to-ceiling windows.

We started our journey home stopping at Taco Bell for a snack.

We arrived just in time for the setting of the sun in Gulf Shores. The sunset was at 4:50PM.

Sun Setting 

We stopped at Lucy Buffett's Lulu's for dinner.
We ordered the Sea Food Sampler with iced tea to drink.
It had been a long day we were both too tired to do anything else.

Sea Food Sampler at Lulu's 

The next morning we slept a little later, got dressed went down for breakfast. We came back upstairs packed our bags, and checked out of the hotel.

We rode to Pensacola, Florida.
We rode through the historic area of Pensacola, touring the Historic Village and taking many pictures.
The village consists of twenty properties in the Historic District which includes the Museum of Commerce and Industry, Julee Panton Cottage, Manuel Barrios Cottage, the McMillen House, Lavalle House Lear-Rocheblave House, Dorr House, and the Old Christ Church. All were closed on Sunday.
We also walked through the park, stopping to take pictures of the T.T. Wentworth Florida State Museum and many other historic state buildings in the historic town.

We went inside the Atlas and Fish House which is along the riverfront to use the restrooms.
 Some of the famous people that have eaten here are American Pickers, Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan (Astronauts), Elton John, Steve Martin, and Mariah Carey just to name a few.

Historic Village in Pensacola, Fl 

Old Christ Church 1832

I took pictures of John Wesley Hardin (Criminal turned lawyer), the First Baptist Church site, Old City Hall 1907, Mooring Anchor, I never throw anything away, gateway to Florida's History, and many others.
We stopped for gas in Cantonment Florida near the Paper Mill which was giving off an awful vapor of steam.
We ate lunch at Burger King.
On the way home we stopped in Flomation Alabama to take pictures of the marker, L & N train car, and Train Depot now a visitor center.

The closer we got to Montgomery the heavier the traffic got, it was bumper-to-bumper because of the Thanksgiving Holiday.

We took a detour along Highway 31 coming out at Calera where we stopped to eat at Cracker Barrel.
We headed back to I-65 hoping the traffic had moved on but no it was worse.
We saw wreck after wreck and traffic backed up for miles but this time it was headed south.
It took several hours longer than we expected to get home. With my intestines in knots, we finally made it home. I think the break on my side of the card did not work too well.