2/9/13 Saturday

  Drove across the Mobile Bay, a magnificent huge long and tall bridge on I 10.  Saw the USS Alabama from the bridge,

USS Alabama in the Harbor

We  then headed south on 59 to get a little closer to the water. Lots of wet, swampy areas.  When we got to Gulf Shores and   Orange Beach there were lots of houses on stilts and a few huge hotels.

 We continued along the gulf on the 98 but due to the numerous stop lights we finally headed north at Navarro on the 87. 
     The rest of the day was on the interstate.  We didn't see any of Pensacola (it's very flat here) and by dark found an RV park West of  Tallahassee in Quincy.   You may not see much on the interstate but you sure get places faster!

2/10/13
     In the morning we hit the I 10 again and missed Tallahassee but caught the 27/19 south and slowed down a bit. Went through small towns and neighborhoods.  Some azaleas and tall trees with pink  and white blooms.  also saw some yellow flowers on vines. The woods on either side of us are thick with vines and pams about 5-8 feet tall.  We see what I think are bald cypress trees (they loose their leaves in the fall like dawn redwoods)  with the knees popping up around them.  Lots of water and swampy areas in the woods.  Perry was a sweet town and I thought of you and Don, Greta!

      We have traveled over 4,000 so far and our relationship is fine but I just discovered when Jerry needs some loud rock on the radio, I can listen to the XM radio with our earphones!!  Hurray!  A relief for both uf us! 

    We stopped in Fanning Florida for lunch at the Suwannee River!!!  Yep, the "Way down upon the Suwannee River" river! Very relaxing and beautiful.

       Saw my first armadillo, I think.  It was dead.  Found a wonderful wood place on the side of the road.  Jerry is looking for  a slab of something for his bar in Salyer.  Very much like a redwood burl place in Humboldt County.  A lady came out of the woods (she referred to her house back there but we couldn't see it).  She did wood burning on some of the pieces and she said she and her husband had been there for 35 years and sold ceder and cypress and pecky cypress ( has holes it it)  She said she had hardly been off the property in all those years but has 3 boys and two with PHDs and the youngest in Jr. college!  Sounds like they had enough of the family business!  We talked for awhile but didn't see anything we wanted but at the end she gave me a small piece of the pecky cypress so I could grow an air plant in it like she had.  So nice.  

  Lots of churches in the south!  "Eternity is too long to be wrong",  "We can't follow God if we don't let him lead".  

     Had heard the Crystal River is where to find manatees so that's where we stayed.  Reserved a place on the boat tour to swim with them the next day and drove and walked around to get our bearings.  Went to a dock where folks said they might be and low and behold we saw one!  Soo fun!

 

 

 Ibis are everywhere

Just in case you didn't get the shape of my picture.

     That afternoon we also found "Crackers", an outdoor cantina and grill.  We listened to Reggae and calypso music.  Lovely!  That night we had the pictures developed and boondocked in a small shopping center parking lot. In case ya'll don't know what that means, we RVers get to stay for free in some places.  WooHoo!  Thanks, Lorna and Doug.