Suwanee River State Park (SRP) Florida

13 April 2014      We feed the locals along the river

We like to drive about 300 miles a day. Should be relatively quick at expressway speeds and usually leaves the driver with enough energy left to lift a glass at Happy Hour. SRP is 301 miles from Gulf State Park - the perfect distance. Not far off the interstate. We drove in and got the last site available (it was fully booked online so timing is everything – it had just been vacated).

Sites are a bit tight to back into in most cases (ours was easy but it did have quite a slope to the rear). All are under a heavy tree canopy and reasonably private.

And buggy. Skitters and no see-ums.

We started our trail hikes by the river.

Looks pretty idyllic. Ow - my leg! Again! Run!

Several of the trails were underwater in part. Here’s why:

No drought here.

Suwanee pushin' boundaries

And in the thick bush along the Suwanee banks the skitters were out in full force. Hadn’t been fed for a while. We served lots of warm human blood with side orders of curses to the little fiends. Didn’t stick around for payment. Walking around the more open areas was a little more peaceful. Considered settin’ a spell and gazing out on the river here:

Nope – still too buggy.

Saw a few folks sitting in similar swings. No movement. Probably dead.

At the junction of the Suwanee and the Withlacoochee you get to see the waters mix. The W is muddy brown while the S is blue-black:

Tree lesson time. No exam.

Little out of date.. No more hickory club shafts either

Art shot - feel free to add caption

There was one trail through a pine forest. Open, flat, and nearly bug free.

No bugs here. Not moving.

We also wandered down the “Earthworks” trail. Place was littered with old junk.

After having fed all of the locals we were released for good behaviour. Looking for places with less trees (and bugs) near Savannah Georgia.

Did I just hear a “buzz”?

Did you make that noise?

You know that’s not funny.

Flower shot. You probably deserve it.

Real good eats in Foley Alabama

8 April 2014      Paying to get Throwed At in Lambert’s Cafe

So every now and then you have to go out to eat at someplace really different. Lambert's Café is one of those places. Norene saw Lambert's on Highway 59 as we made our way down to Gulf State Park. She knew we should go here because Lambert's is famous. You get a bit of a head’s up when you drive in:

THROWEDROLLS.COM is a strong hint. No credit cards, cash or check only - you have to be pretty confident to say no to Visa and friends.

Deep South cooking. No diet food here. You’re greeted with a mess of fried okra (one of the “Pass Arounds” before you even order).

The Pass Arounds are brought to you by servers circulating the room. You can have as much as you want but you may want to throttle back – you entrée will be huge! And so will you if you eat here regularly (my first ever doggie bag - my meal contained 2 huge deep fried pork chops). Perhaps this sign is about finishing your meal.

We couldn’t do it. We gave up. We're sorry.

I think this guy and his offerings were part of the problem:

Yes - he does throw them. Warm and fluffy (the rolls)

 Stuff just kept coming.

 

Here come the potatoes and onions again. Just a couple of pounds this time please.

Lambert's have been open operating since 1942. And collecting eclectic stuff from the beginning – even the waiting area is filled with things to keep you from noticing how long you’re waiting (actually not very long):

Ever have trouble finding the restrooms in a restaurant? Not here.

 Of course there’s a souvenir shop. Found her.

We waddled back to the car. Had to move the seats back.

Take 2 Canadians, add water, and salt to taste…

10 April 2014      Gulf State Park BEACH, Gulf Shores Alabama

This is a formula for finally getting around to immersion in the Gulf of Mexico. At 65 degrees F - no risk of overcooking. The usual pre-screaming pictures:

Coastal Highway just past the Gulf State Beach

Heading into the Park Beach lot. $5 a day unless you're camping in the Park - then it's free

Oh No! Yellow Flag! Maybe we can't go into the cold water (hope).

Rats! It's safe!

A pre-immersion beach shot:

And a local architecture view:

The Park restrooms and changing rooms

 So we’ve done everything possible now to slow down the process (bravery has left the room).

What do you mean this doesn't qualify as swimming?

I'm going to help you with the problem.

OK - no more excuses. I'm going in really soon.

I got in first! Beat the fish! Not by much - she was in moments later.

After hypothermia set in we found the water quite lovely. Stayed in long enough to prove how robust we are. Did a little beach walking afterward in the lovely warm Alabama sunshine (77F) while waiting to hear from our extremities.

Did I mention that we love Gulf State Park? That the beach rocks? And the trails are fantastic? You should put this place on your “must camp” list if you’re planning to be within 500 miles of Gulf State Park. 

We don’t often get all worked up over a park but…

8 - 10 April 2014      Gulf State Park (GSP), Gulf Shores Alabama

We’ll make an exception here. Picture being on the southern coast of Alabama overlooking the Gulf Of Mexico with white sandy beaches, miles of paved trails, generous sites with full hookups and polite park staff. No wonder this is massively popular with the locals.

We started out with a short stay and extended it until just before the secondary school spring break started. Oh sure – we really did want to stay while hordes of kids descended on the park but unfortunately the park was fully booked and we were forced to move on to a quiet park (Suwannee) in Florida.

The trails. There are 6 in the park. They travel through heavily treed areas, swamp, and low dunes. You can spend all day on them. We spent long enough time on the trails to get that “bike seat welded to my butt” sensation.

Norene was thrilled to hear about the snake the cleaning staff found behind the trash bin in this trail restroom. Did not have to wait long for her here.

 

Screened in rest stop at a trails junction

 

Lots of wildlife here. Shh-sh - don't tell Norene about the snakes.

Tortoise was pretty easy to spot beside the trail. Wasn't concerned about us.

Aw - it's a cute little bunny.

I’ve spoke about the twins before. Applauded their foldingness and critiqued their frail tires (yes we did have another flat but I think this was a Rio Grande Valley leftover). Until now we had not gone further than about 7 miles at a stretch. GSP trails gave us the opportunity to put in about 10 ½ continuous miles. That’s when you begin to realize just how small a 20” wheel really is. Compared to a big boy bike with 26” wheels the twins need 30% more cranking to travel the same distance. So our 10 ½ miles (uphill in both directions of course) are like your grown-up 13.6 miles . No wonder we get the “butt weld” from hell.

And you thought we were just wimps.

Apology accepted.

Lefty has her own billing on the printed trail map. Not so named because of her writing preferences – she’s missing part of her right front leg. Doesn’t interfere with amour apparently since she was surrounded by baby gators.

Babies are about 4' away (in the bushes and grass to the left - out of frame).

Had to zoom in to see them

Momma's watching everybody

Weather is warming up – tomorrow we head for the beach and I am going in. 

No really.