Day 5: Atlanta, GA → Gulf Shores, AL.
Some of the trip was meticulously planned. Some decisions were made on a whim. Days before departure, I had seen a cute little town in a movie – Fairhope, AL, near Mobile, AL. Why not? It would take us right down to the Gulf area, and there was quirky BBQ place on Harvest Hosts for a free place to park. Sadly, they were booked, and other reservations were hard to come by. I was discovering that I was going to have to plan further in advance than I had hoped. With more folks on the road, and COVID restrictions reducing available spots at some campgrounds, mapping things out more was going to be needed for certain sections.
We headed to Fairhope anyway to check things out and then south to the Gulf Shores, AL, where we spent a quiet night at Gulf State Park. While entirely booked, they leave open a few spots for folks passing through. These are big sites with easy pull-throughs… no fancy maneuvering. Not a big deal for me, but super thoughtful for folks on the road with big rigs.
This is a huge campground with great trails on boardwalks that take you out to the Gulf. Zeke and I had a great time exploring and enjoying the sun and warm breeze, but couldn’t go out to the water, as he wasn’t allowed on the beach. One of the challenges of traveling with a dog is that there are restrictions on some of the key trails and sights. I knew this going in and had made peace with it. As the trip went on, I got better at researching and getting advice from locals for dog-friendly alternatives.
Sorry… that all sounds negative, and it was really a great day of driving and exploring, but it was also a day of lessons.
[All photos snapped on iPhone]
