Gulf Shores 2014!! We arrive!!

I should be blogging…. That’s what I’ve been thinking for the past few days.  J  It’s Ya-Ya vacation time again, and this time we’re staying in the states and for the most part, staying put.  No trekking to a new destination every 2-3 days, packing and repacking – we are in Gulf Shores, Alabama for 2 weeks, and I have even put clothes in drawers (gasp).  This will be a very relaxing and low key vacay – so a warning to those that actually attempt to read this, it may be just a lot of food pics and “we went to the beach… again”..  And as always this is where I insert my annual disclaimer – this blog is really for us, a diary of our trip that will help us remember the details when we want to look back (and there will be a lot of mundane details). If you enjoy it too, that’s great – but we’re just here to entertain ourselves.  And just a side note about last year's blog - I never finished it.  We're still in Edinburgh if you believe the author.  I'll try to update it with notes that I have, but I just wanted to warn you in case you subscribe and it sends out.  

It is now Tuesday, July 1^st – but we actually left St. Louis on Friday June 27^th… and we’ve been so busy relaxing that I haven’t a moment of spare time to blog (cough).  I just keep notes in my phone and take some pics to mark some memories and then I fill in the gaps with what may or may not be the truth, at least my version of it.  If the others want their version, they can write their own blog.  There’s just 4 of us on this trip – me, Patti, Dana and Amy.  We actually tried to get others to come, even for a night or two, and we couldn’t get any takers.  The condo sleeps 6 – so if anyone reads this and wants to come down for a visit, we’re here until July 12^th.  Give us a buzz!

Our reservations actually started on Saturday June 28^th – but it was about an 11 hour drive, so we decided to split it in two and spend the night in Tupelo about half way down the road.  We got a nice deal on a hotel thanks to Dana’s co-worker Sherry (thanks!) so we couldn’t pass up staying for a bit in the birthplace of the King.   That Friday Amy met at our house about 2:00 and we loaded up her car.  We were going to take Patti’s car which is a little smaller, but Amy convinced us to go with her car so we’d have more room for stuff.  We all took that a little too much to heart and didn’t limit our packing because we had “so much more room”… by the time we got our stuff in her car we had room for little else.  And we still had to go pick up Dana at her office and put HER stuff in there somewhere.  But we got this..  Except that Dana has a little extra stuff too (this is where Dana balks a bit – no, Dana not as much extra stuff as SOME of us, but a little more than we might have packed if we were in Patti’s car).  We unpack the whole car and re-pack in the middle of Edward Jones’ parking lot.  A few of Dana’s co-workers drive by and wish us well (and maybe heckle a little) as we’re creatively using every available space. Finally we get the right combination of stuff, and the door closes.  We are ON OUR WAY!  

Patti is our driver and Amy our co-pilot, in charge of all things musical – she is super impressed with her tech skillz because for the first time since she has owned this car she gets her phone to hook up to her car speakers so we can listen to Pandora on the way down. And we didn't even help!  If you don’t know Amy, this is truly amazing.  No.  Really. 

We're on the road 10 min and Dana decides to give us our surprises. We’ve been hearing about this surprises for a few weeks now (Dana claims that technically it’s only been one week, but it feels like longer just because of the anticipation that she’s built… our big surprises for the trip that we’re all going to LOVE).   Love Dana because she’s always thinking of the rest of us like that, finding little things that make life fun – and now that’s she’s built them, she’s suddenly full of disclaimers… don’t get too excited, they’re from the Dollar Store… but they're really cool, even though I do love giving Dana a hard time (but don't tell her those nice things about her – she won’t believe you anyway).  They're clamps/spikes that hold down the edges of your towels on the beach.  Dana got dolphins (duh)... Amy the flamingos, Patti the sharks (when you're a shark you're a shark all the way, from your first cigarette... Yes, I know that's the Jets.. But the Sharks don’t have a fun song). And I got crabs.  Makes me smile in a silly way. I got the crabs just so I could say that.   I got the big reveal on video – you can check it out here if you’re interested:   http://youtu.be/iZLCjqxkZC0

Patti is driving down for this trip – she says it’s because I drove all of our last trip (UK) after she had said that she would help drive, but that was a year ago, I’m rested up now and could take a shift if needed.   Amy will drive too.. but not in the afternoon (too tired), or at night.. Or in traffic.. But if you need a morning driver she's you're girl.  If we would have left at 4am - she would have been perfect, she points out.  Next time. Noted. 

Driving in the Midwest is always fun, you never know what you’re going to come across… like a camel in a yard, a live camel... Amy said what was it doing?  Well what do you think?  Smoking a camel.. what else do camels do?   The trip is fun – we’re reading and singing.. because we’re listening to Pandora we get very few commercials and we get themes. I think that the 70’s was the best track, lots of tunes to sing along to (more video… if you dare.. http://youtu.be/gZpfFSvIYAI) .  

The towns we pass are great too – Friendship, Biggersville, Tishomingo, Black Land (Amy thought she might see some of her people there).  And our favorite was Guntown… we’re not sure if it’s pronounced Gun Town or Gunton… like Gunton Abbey.  We laugh at that a lot too.  It really does not take much.  We love some Gunton Abbey… can’t you see Maggie Smith as an old west gunslinger?

We reminisce – 10 years ago today we were on vacation in Key West.  Well actually Key Largo on the way to Key West, and Amy had her stroke.  We have since called that vacation “Stroke Tour 2004”. Amy had her stroke, we took her swimming.  And then the next day when she couldn’t cut her own food, we took her to the hospital – and then she insisted that we continue our plans and head to Key West, while she was transported to Miami.  Dana called Amy’s mother to tell her, oh your daughter had a stroke.. and we all got toe rings to remember the trip (except for Amy, who got a full key lime pie delivered to her hospital room instead).   Amy still hasn’t been to Key West.  But she’s not bitter (maybe a little).  She called her mother from the car to wish her happy 10^th year anniversary – but she wasn’t home.  90 years old and she’s out and about on a Friday night.  Our kind of lady.

We’re getting closer to Tupelo and we’ve switched over the Mamma Mia soundtrack (all singing all at top volume of course) and Amy reads out a road sign, “30 miles to Tupelo!” – Patti is incredulous -  “Impossible! Has to be 38!”…  and then she check the gps..  29 miles… oh…  and this is one of those truly stupidly funny had-to-be-there moments, but it’s worth mentioning for us because it will be a recurring joke now.  At each road sign, 14 miles to Tupelo… IMPOSSIBLE!! Must be 24!!  Amy is just aghast that she has been doubted – she is after all the bifocal wearer in the group.  She knows an 0 from an 8.. Yes. It’s dumb. And no. It does not get old.

We’re getting hungry and as we get closer I look up recommended places to eat in Tupelo – it’s about 9:30pm though and the Midwest shuts down at about 9pm, so we’re not sure what we’re going to get.  I find a place that is billed as “Steak and Seafood”… except that ALL of the “seafood” is catfish (like half a page of different kind of catfish preparations and combinations – imagine if Bubba liked catfish instead of shrimp). We are obviously in catfish country, and I want some.  I got a hankerin now… Dana calls the place – they closed at 9.  Of course they did.   Well, we find the hotel and get checked in and the only place we can find that’s open to eat is a Cracker Barrel.  I’m a little down about eating at a chain on vacation – but the others rally around me and lift my spirits by telling me that technically vacation doesn’t start until tomorrow, so chin up.  And they did have catfish, so there’s that.  The food beside the catfish is pretty bad though – but tomorrow we feast on seafood!

Saturday June 28^th-----------

The bed was pretty comfy – higher end than I expected for the price. Dana and I were in one room and Patti and Amy in the other – and each of us had our own bed war.  The comforter was one of those really heavy down comforters that’s perfect if the AC is set on 63, but otherwise is just smothering.  Amy and Patti both fought to keep it off of them and ended up with what equaled a 3^rd body wadded up between them.  I thought that the comforter was just not big enough, coming only the edge of each side of the bed – until I got up for a midnight trip to the bathroom and saw it draped to the floor on Dana’s side as I returned.  Dana woke up and we evened out the blanket – but by morning we were back to the way it was.  I took pictures for evidence – not that I’m trying to prove that anyone is a blanket thief or anything.

My side

Dana's side

Showering brought on another challenge.  I felt like I was back in Europe, each shower was different and you had to figure out how to work the thing, and sometimes that took a committee of people to gather around and brain storm.  Makes me feel like I’m the monkey in one of those experiments where they hang the bananas in the middle of the room and someone is watching to see if I know how to stack the crates to get to them.   There is the larger knob that clearly turns the water on and off, and then within that there is a smaller knob that determines temperature – but how to get the shower to turn on… you actually had to bend over and under to see the little button you push in for that.  Patti and I laughed later that it reminded her of our showers in Europe – “Why do I get undressed before I figure out how to work the shower?” … we’ll never learn.

We get and take advantage of our free breakfast courtesy of Hampton Inn.  We were informed last night that the hotel was completely booked, and this morning we see all of those people foraging for free breakfast like the rest of us.  There is only one person working breakfast and she’s just beside herself, can’t keep up with the eggs and bacon, poor dear.  Dana will not be denied, and even though I have given up hope of a hot breakfast, she is a beast and not only gets her a plate but gets me one too.  Thanks for lookin’ out! 

We are in Tupelo, MS – birthplace of Elvis Aaron Presley – and Patti thinks that we’re just going to hit the road.  But at the last min I put the birthplace in my gps and just as it calculates, the next exit (like 5 ft in front of us) is the one we need – exit NOW!   We park – which surprised Amy – she thought we were just going to do a drive-by.  Patti jokes that white people don’t do drive-bys.  And that’s how we roll. 

The house is TEENY TINY – we get our pics and have to ask this guy just hanging out on the porch swing to move please..  we actually thought that he worked there and was working the entrance to the house, but realized later that he was part of a youth group travelling together.   We take our silly pictures and we hit the gift store – who doesn’t love a gift store.  We’re tempted to buy the potholders with the peanut butter and banana recipe… but we leave it behind in Tupelo.  We take more pics at the guitar at the entrance before we get back on the road - a little over 5 hours before Gulf Shores.

We’re leaving early enough and we can’t check in until 4pm, so we’re checking out things along the way, and we see this sign for “Captain Amish” store… duh, Captain Obvious – we’re going to the Captain Amish store.. The Amish stores at home (well, Bowling Green) are better (more actually Amish), but I walk out with some cheese curds and a can of “Beef”.  Just canned beef.  I can’t not try it.  I’ll let you know.  

 Next door there is a flea market and we peruse that as well.  I’m so tempted to get the John Deere lamp made from an old Singer sewing machine, but we just can’t fit another thing in the car.  Amy has her eye on some leopard print wicker chairs – I tell her that we could strap them to the top, but sadly they stay behind as well.

Patti is watching the gas tank – it tells us how many miles are left in the tank, but Amy insists that once it hits 30 that means 0 – it lies.  We were at 70… and then we went 50 miles without a gas station.  At 30 it stops telling us how many miles are left and just reads “-----“.   So that’s awesome.  We finally stop for gas and its hoppin...because it’s the first place for gas in 50 miles.  We’re in line for gas and the car in front  has MO plates.  Patti tells Amy to go ask them where they're from - so she does.  And they’re from St. Charles. And Also going to Gulf Shores!  It quickly becomes a pattern.  We see people later in stores with MO shirts on – 4 out of the first 5 people that we talk to are from MO.  Now I see why so many of our MO friends had advise about Gulf Shores – it seems to be a favorite MO vacation spot.  We saw some boiled peanuts - must be a southern thing because they're everywhere.  I may have to get some and eat them with my canned beef. 

We’re about an hour from Gulf Shores – but we see water!!  We smell ocean!!  And then we see Felix’s – a place that Patti’s friend Larry had recommended and we decide that we should take advantage and go ahead and eat before we hit Gulf Shores.   We do not regret it.  If you are in the area, you MUST go here.  It’s now 2 days later and we have yet to find anything to compare to it.  Have the oysters, they’re the size of fists (not just a hand, not just your palm).. the crab soup?  Dear lord.  And whatever you order, make it “Oscar” (add crab meat and hollandaise)… mmmmmm.  Just do it.

OCEAN!!!

Under Felix's

HUGE Oysters!!

Snapper "Oscar"

We are really happy with our decision both because of the food, but also because soon after we hit the Gulf Shores traffic – slow going all the way in – like Branson slow (6 miles in about 45 min).  By the time we check in it’s about 7pm (left at about 10:30).  The condo is beautiful.  Patti handled all of that, I was just along for the ride on this trip – and since we usually get a house, that’s what I was picturing – but this is a condo complex.  We have a unit facing the beach, and it’s the smallest condo among a strip of condos (which means much fewer people on our strip of beach).   We unpack and walk down to the beach – had to dip our toes.  And then we just hung out and went to bed.  TMW – big plans.  Wal-Mart.