Part 5, Days 6-9 Beachy Days
This is a VERY picture heavy post!
This trip was taken in June, I am just getting around to posting more now...
We checked out of Pensacola and headed to Perdido Key for our full beach/sand day. The water was rough. The "funniest" thing on this beach was the squeaky sand - DD LOVED that she could run on it and it sounded like really loud courdoroy pants.
The heron just hung out and watched the kids play in the sand. He wasn't bothered at all!
We enjoyed lunch at the Shrimp Basket - it was quite tasty! No frills but good food.
We drove to Orange Beach, Alabama (yes, we'd go back...). We stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites - it was a great resort and we wish we'd spent a little more time there.
We started off with daquiris for all (virgin for the kids!)
We rented beach chairs and umbrellas for a couple of hours. It was wonderful to relax and enjoy!
In the entertaining category for this stop....First up - These two ladies sat in the water, each with a beer and were going to do EVERYTHING in their power to keep the saltwater out of it. We were dying laughing watching them.
Second - the WalMart parking lot. Yes....you're not seeing things - it IS a golf cart!
We ordered pizza for dinner - hubby and kids were in bed by 8. I sat out on our balcony absorbing the last of the surf I would hear on this trip. It was heavenly!
DH & I got up at sunrise and took a walk on the beach (sunburned and all...)
It was a gorgeous morning!
We had breakfast at the hotel and headed for Fort Morgan then took the Mobile Bay Ferry We stopped at The Shed for lunch then drove on to Canton, Mississippi for the night.
Day 8: We headed north toward Tupelo via part of the Natchez Trace Parkway. I was the only one of the four of us who enjoyed this part.
We stopped in Tupelo to see the Civil War Memorial
and Elvis' birthplace
We headed into Tennessee to Shiloh National Military Park
The funniest thing we heard was a visitor talking to a park ranger:
"It's so hot out there that I saw a dog chasing a cat. They were both walking"
He had summed up the heat very well! WHEW!
Yes, that is armadillo roadkill. But let me tell you a story about this picture. My husband had wanted to see an armadillo SO bad. So we were driving down the road and he literally locks up tthe brakes, backs up so I can take this picture... So - I guess he got his souvenier photo!
Onto a cheerier note - food!
Day 9 - We had a quick breakfast and headed into St. Louis (YEA!!!!). We had lunch at Pappy's Smokehouse. YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!! (if you're ever in St. L - make it a stop!)
This is the "Big Ben" at Pappy's - it feeds all 4 of us.
We made it home by mid-afternoon and got started on:
Mount Dirty Laundry
We all had a great time!
Just the stats:
We drove 2,834 miles through 7 different states
The most expensive gas we saw was when we left home: $3.68
The cheapest gas we saw was near Canton, MS: $2.89
One of the things that surprised us most was all the pine trees in Mississippi
I mentioned this southern gentleman from our tour of Beauvoir in Biloxi
DS dubbed him "Sean Connery" because he kept flirting with all the ladies on our tour in what we can only assume was his impression of Sean Connery. It was somewhat entertaining.
Thank you all for going along on our vacation with us.
(IF you are interested in seeing the other segments, click on the 'travel' tag to the left)
awesome photos
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures but I have to say I LOVE the Gulf side beach - sugar sand...so white & beautiful :) THanks for sharing them with us!! Have a great weekend <3
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures!! Looks like fun! :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like it was a wonderful trip! I wouldn't be able to manage that many miles in the car, but I'd love to visit those places. :)
ReplyDeleteWow! great photos and sounds like an awesome vacation. Thanks for visiting my blog! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat photos, looks like an amazing vacation
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great trip!
ReplyDeleteAnd being from STL, love Pappy's here :)
What fun!! DH and I drove the Natchez Trace on a trip to MS a couple of years ago, I loved it and he kind of eh. I might revisit your blog in February when we're covered in snow here in Ohio :).
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your awesome trip!
Love the 'tour'. We should all revisit this post in January! Great idea.
ReplyDeleteMom
what a fun trip! and now a daiquiri sounds delish ;)
ReplyDeleteWow !! What a great vacation. I would love to do something like that - you saw so much and did so many different things. Great photos!
ReplyDeleteWow...what a trip!!! You were in my neck of the woods for a little while! I've never seen Elvis' birthplace, but I want to! I grew up in Memphis, so I'm more than a little attached to The King. :o)
ReplyDeleteThe beach pictures look amazing! It's been two years or more since I've been to a beach. That is wayyyy too long for me. LOVE that picture of your daughter looking out at the water from the boat!