Folklore Brewery and Meadery, Dothan AL

 Camper tanks all fresh ready for several days on the road.  About 200 miles to this brewery.  They have a large selection of beer and mead, with sampling. We made some choices and I think the deer camp gang will be happy; although it’ll probably be at cow camp.  And Carlene picked out something for her group too.  They also do food here so we got some supper to go with the beer & mead.    

It’s about 7 pm now and this place has really livened up  it seems popular with the outdoor workers, judging from the orange and hi-vis yellow/green t-shirts present.  Sounds like a good game of corn hole going on.

Nice big open field with one other camper.  He is headed to PA from his winter work in FL and has an older dog that Skye wore out in 3 minutes. 

It was a very nice sunny day for a drive across Florida’s panhandle.  There were some picturesque big bridges but a lot of it was more green tunnel. It opened up better when we got off the interstate.  

Tomorrow night is a peach\pecan orchards in GA. 

The green tunnel in FL

Someone watching me get fuel

Blakeley SP 3

 We split our activity today.  I have wanted to tour the USS Alabama for several years.  We have toured two aircraft carriers so a battleship just seemed appropriate.  We see her every time we drive through Mobile on I-10.  It was a great tour, it took be about 3 hours but I saw just about everything there was to see.  Then there was the submarine USS Drum also on site.  Then there were several airplanes on site.  Including a Blackbird!  First one I’ve seen in person.  That’s the super high and super fast spy plane, California to New York in an hour & a half.

While I was doing all that Carlene went for a bike ride here at the park.  But she had a tire problem.

So I bought Carlene some cycle tire tubes and blueberries on the way home.  No, they are not related.

When I got back there were things to do.  Changed the worn tire on the camper, put on the new one I bought a few days ago after the flat.  Hopefully this will prevent the next tire problem.  

Then we went down to the battlefield for a tour of the sites.  We had just gotten started yesterday.  Further down the road was the biggest part of the field.  Fort Blakeley was really just a lot of earthworks outside of the town of Blakeley.  On the Blakeley River.  This was the last defense of Mobile AL.  3500 Confederates tried to hold off 16,000 Union troops.  When the frontal charge took place it only took a half hour.  

USS Alabama

Looking back from the bow

16” guns

Looking toward the bow from the battle bridge

Six 90 pound bags of black powder used for each shot

Four gun set of anti aircraft defense

The Brig, you didn’t get much comfort there

USS Drum

Torpedo ready to go in the tube

Rear torpedo tubes

USS Hunley, the Civil War submarine (repro)

SR 71 Blackbird

USCG display

Retired Marine 1 

Transport for Nixon through GHW Bush

B 25

Blakeley battlefield

Center of the Confederate defense

Blakeley River

Cypres tree

Us on tour

Camp

Blakeley SP 2

 That was a wild night last night.  About 0300 there was quite a thunder storm that lasted over an hour.  No big wind, just a constant flash boom.  Occasionally very nearby Big BOOM!  Some booms that would make the camper shudder.  We haven’t been in that much thunder since Wichita KS many years ago in a pop-up camper.  Although that one had a lot of wind too.  

Today I wanted to hit the local Bass Pro Shop for a pair of slippers.  Found them!  And they were on sale too!  And a pair of shorts, also on sale.  Then routine stuff like propane and groceries.

Back at camp we had time for a walk around the park to check out the Civil War battlefield at Fort Blakeley.  I was not familiar with this one.  But on a plaque it said the battle was on April 9, 1865.  I recognized that date as late in the war and then realized it was the same time as Appomattox.  Obviously nobody in AL knew what was happening in VA, so they didn’t know Lee was surrendering.  So this was the last major battle of the war and led to the Union capturing Mobile.  As near as I can tell all there was to “Fort” Blakeley was breastworks.  What we saw today was mostly the Union lines, where various Union units were located.  We didn’t get to where the Confederate troops were.  Maybe tomorrow.  After a morning of rain it was nice to have a sunny afternoon to walk around.  But I didn’t take any photos!  Carlene took some flower pictures but didn’t send me any.

Tomorrow I plan to go tour the USS Alabama, a WWII battleship in Mobile Bay.  Carlene took her bike out of the camper to ride around while I’m doing that.  

Relaxing after the walk.

Laying on her bone and with her stick

Blakeley State Park, Spanish Fort AL

 Left early this morning so we’d have plenty of time to get here. Good idea.  Ran into a couple heavy rain storms on the way. One had us down to 50 mph with full wipers for a few minutes.  But it passed.  The weather report said it was moving east at 30 mph; we were moving east at 60. 

After checking in here we got set up and took a walk around the campground. It quit raining for now. It will rain more tomorrow.  We’ll plan around that.  

It was mighty hot last night. We left all the windows open and slept on top of the sheets and we’ were still warm.  Tonight we’re sitting out in the chairs reading and writing. Enjoying summer weather.  But the bugs will drive us indoors soon  

The scenery has sure changed. No more big open views. It’s back to the green tunnel.   No photos from the road.  You all know what an interstate highway looks like with trees lining each side, in the rain. Not that there weren’t some pretty cool views in the Atchafalaya, some rivers all covered in fog this morning.  That 17 mile long bridge. The I-10 a couple feet above water level at the head of Mobile Bay. 

 

Skye pulled out a vine to play with

True to form Skye found a bone while we were walking around the grounds. 

Vermilion Museum, Lafayette LA

We left early this morning to get to our latest Harvest Host site. This is the Vermilion Living History Museum in Lafayette LA. It features a village depicting various stages of life in Acadia LA after the British kicked the French speaking apoplexy out of Acadia Canada in 1758. 

It was an hour before closing but we wanted to go in and see it anyway   Glad we did!  Since it was late they let us in free, even though we are already camping for free anyway   Nice place!  They had a live Cajun band in the entertainment building so we sat in on that too  

Then out to a Cajun restaurant  yum!

The drive over here was uneventful and we were quite glad of it!

It started very cloudy and some very light rain. Eventually it was sunny by the time we arrived.  Just scattered clouds tonight. We’ve seen the forecast for some heavy rain and threatening storms but those are east of us and blowing farther east all the time.  So we are just behind the bad weather.  Coming out we were just a couple days ahead of it. 

Whistling Duck Wine, Weimar TX

 Lovely day for a drive across Texas.  It started with a nice sunrise (that I had to drive into) the clouded over a bit but the sun came out and the temperature went to 81 in the afternoon.  Plus we left the desert behind and gradually drove into much more green country.  First it was just the leading out of the mesquite.  Then more tree variety.  Then finally came green grass!  I do not miss the green while I’m in AZ, I’m fascinated by the desert, but it sure does look nice when I return to it.

When we were 30 minutes from the Whistling Duck Winery for tonight’s stay there was this BANG, I knew we had a blowout.  Pulled over and sure enough the right rear had blown on the trailer.  We were right at an exit and the tire was clearly ruined so I drove slowly past the exit to get more room.  I got the spare off and got the blown tire off then found a 3’ piece of tread had wound itself around the axle behind the drum.  It was well stuck and I couldn’t get it off.  I called Roadside Assist and an hour later Kevin came along to help.  He had done this a few times. It still took the two of us almost an hour to get it finished.  

Luck changed for the better after that.  The tire fixing place in Weimar was still open, had a tire my size and put it on the rim, all just before closing.  

Then a few miles south to the winery.  It was late and we were tired so we didn’t get to check out the wine.  It is a beautiful place with a pond and a bunch of ducks to entertain Skye!

Sun rise this morning

‘Watching me hitch up

I’ve never seen that before

Wow, there be ducks here!

And green stuff!