Freezing in Gulf Shores, Alabama

By
Jane

January 29, 2018

“Live this year as if someone left the gate open.” – Author Unknown

We are still trying to keep warm, as in coats, scarves, gloves, socks! Swaying palms help, cold though they must be, and a big chunk of CokeCola Cake (yes, correct title) really helps, but still, how far south do we have to GO?

Even on the beautiful Gulf shore, at our wonderful little RV park, we are all experiencing below-freezing nights with howling winds. We have de-winterized and with the help of fellow RV‘ers (who warn us against poop-sickles…) are learning how to manage the very unexpected cold. One thing’s for sure, our furnace works like a champ!

John has spent quite a bit of time making RV adjustments and repairs-lots of trips to Camping World and Walmart. Glad I live with an onboard engineer. We even had to replace some items in our brand-new rig, like the darned mattress (and neither of us are Princess and the Pea types). After 4 ridiculous nights, we gave in. The nice folks at Mattress Firm sold us comfort and took our four-night-old mattress for donation.

One morning we were taking a bundled-up walk and heard, “Hey, are you two from Missouri?” And there were Dennis and Bonnie, two acquaintances from the Missouri State Beekeepers Association where John was President for a term. Small world! (As Dennis says, “you have to behave yourself just everywhere.”) They showed us around Gulf Shores, took us to a Farmers Market, Billy’s Seafood Market (oh yeah), and helped us with RV tips. Thank you, Dennis and Bonnie!

Another morning we had a (first) knock at our metal door. There stood 92-year-old Red with a Welcome to the Park Cream Pie! He explained this is his hobby. He has been driving himself here, alone, for many winters in his big, beautiful rig from his home in Afton, MO. He walks his dog several times a day, goes to the nearby gym every morning but Sunday at 6:30, helps people around the park, and makes pies! There’s some motivation for us all… Oh, the pie was terrific!

Still bundled up, we drove out to Mobile Bay’s Fort Morgan for some southern edification, and we got it right away. The entrance volunteer, after congratulating us for our age, gave us free entry and with a Gone With the Wind drawl explained, “Fort Morgan was very important in the war against the northern aggressors.”

So there, Northerners…

Located right on gorgeous Mobile Bay, Fort Morgan is a star-shaped fort whose military history stretches from the Revolutionary War to World War II. As our volunteer advised, its most active role was in the Civil War against the you-know-who’s…