Skidaway and Telfair

As you can see, today is a rainy day in Savannah, Georgia. I drove to Skidaway State Park to walk the nature trail and visit the nature center. The nature center was closed so I walked the trail. Turns out the trail was very soggy. The longer I walked the soggier the trail got until I had to walk on the very edges of the trail to keep my feet somewhat dry. By the time I got back to my car my jeans were wet from the knees down from brushing against the saw palmetto plants next to the trail. I decided to spend the rest of my day inside a museum.

I drove to downtown Savannah to the  Telfair Museum. This museum is actually 3 separate museums in the same neighborhood. Here is a view from the Telfair art museum which is the first art museum in this state.When Mary Telfair passed away in 1875 she willed her house to the Georgia Historical Society to be opened as a museum. Her house was converted to a musuem and here is the view from the second story window.

Here is the sculpture of the famous bird girl. Her image was put on the bestselling novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The book was so popular and so many people were coming to the cemetery where the statue stood that it was moved to the Telfair museum for safety reasons. The two bowls she is holding looks like she is weighing good and evil but they're actually designed to hold water in one and bird seed in the other. After that I went to the Jepson Center for the Arts. I arrived at the same time as a school bus full of kids. This was a modern art building. Inside they had an entire floor dedicated to art experiences via computer games. I tried a few. I even tried the virtual reality glasses. On the third floor was a giant statue of Moby Dick. The big whale was surrounded by art regarding whales and whaling ships. After visiting the museums I walked around through Oglethorp square, Telfair square and the surrounding neighborhood full of churches, shops, restaurants, and lawyer offices. Downtown Savannah is very quaint. Much like Pensacola, the sidewalks are very jagged and I have to pay close attention of where I am stepping. Downtown Savannah was very scenic just like I imagined it would be.

Fort McAllister State Park

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Today I left Waycross and drove north and east to New Richmond which is just south of Savannah, Georgia. The drive went well. I chose to take the back roads rather than the quicker route on the freeway. I drove past cotton fields, pecan orchards, and blueberry fields and other fields. I suspect some of them were peanut fields. I see signs for farmers markets but none of the markets are open. I stopped at Fort McAllister State Park. I chose not to visit the Fort which was a separate fee from the state park fee. I am just not very interested in learning about confederate forts at this time in my life. Instead I went for long walk. To get to the nature trail I had to hike the mile long road between the park headquarters and the camp grounds. Only campers can drive their cars down this road. The road goes between a marsh and the Great Ogeechee river. Along the road I came upon a gathering of snowy egrets in the weeds on the river side of the road. I saw a dozen white birds together. Before I could pull my phone to take a picture only three were left and the other nine were flying away with their yellow feet showing. I also saw a tufted titmouse and a belted kingfisher, a great blue heron, many turkey and black vultures and a robin. Once I got to the campground I took the 1.5 mile nature trail. The state of Georgia uses the same signs in their state parks. The sign about a black bear, for example, gives a few facts about the bears and then tells you to go down on all fours and stand up again and then do it 15 times. Yeah, I am not doing that. The sign about frogs suggests you crouch down and leap as high as you can twenty times. The sign about deer suggests you run as fast as you can, touch ten trees, then turn around and do the same thing coming back to the sign. One thing I got to say about Georgia state park signs, they could physically exhaust any kid while on a nature hike.

Okefenokee Heritage Center and Southern Forest World Museums

Today was a rainy day in Waycross so I decided to hit the museums. First I went to the Okenfenokee Heritage Museum. They had a small exhibit about Native Americans, black heritage, the musician Gram Parsons, and the Okefenokee train. 

Here is an inside view of the train that used to take passengers from Jacksonville,  Florida to Savannah, Georgia while stopping in Waycross.

I walked into the Hilliard House and looked around imagining life here in the swamp one hundred years ago. After that I walked a short distance to the Southern  Forest World Museum. The woman met me at the desk, took my money, and took me to the exhibit she thought I should see. She talked to me about it for a good twenty minutes before she allowed me to look at the rest of the museum. She told me all about Stuckie, the mummified dog found inside an oak log. Warning: the next picture might upset you.

The museum docent told me that Stuckie got stuck in the tree by bringing up it's hind legs to make the final leap out of the log when the dog's hips got wedged. Because the tree was open at the bottom and the top, the smell of Stuckie was released. Stuckie was a brown and white hound dog who might have been chasing a raccoon. The fact that they named the poor dog Stuckie cracks me up.

West Side of The Okefenokee Swamp

Today I drove down from Waycross, Georgia, to the western edge of the Okefenokee Swamp near the Stephen Foster State Park. I went into the national wildlife refuge first and walked over the dam and along a channel. There was a path to walk on. I could have walked down the hill and along the shore of the channel but I thought it would be safer up her at the top. Turns out I was right. Look at the size of this alligator! Two guys were fishing nearby and said it was a small one. I think it was at least 5 feet long. One of the two guys caught a black bass while I watched. I think that fish was at least four pounds.

As I hiked the long hike back to my car I spotted this unusual hunk of Spanish Moss that was caught at two ends by two branches. I thought it forms a nice swing or even a hammock for a wood sprite.

I drove to the state park to eat my lunch. After that I walked by the boat launch. I looked down into the water and spotted not one not two, not three, not four, but five little gators among the lily pads.

Then I spotted this big alligator in the mowed area next to the canoes and kayaks. Since it was 3 p.m. it was getting too late to rent a kayak anyway. I didn't want to bother this one.

I came upon this cute turtle in the water with the alligators. I am unsure what species of turtle it is.

Bastard Out Of Carolina

When I left on my trip I grabbed a couple of books off of Offspring #2's bookshelf (with permission). Since I am in the south I thought I would read Dorothy Allison's semi-autobiographical novel Bastard Out of Carolina. The story is narrated by Ruth Ann who is usually called by her nickname, Bone. I came to like Bone so much I was sad when I came to the last page. I enjoy coming of age books and this one was excellent.

Laura S. Walker State Park

Today I visited the Laura S. Walker State Park. First I hiked the nature trail where I came upon what I think is a gopher tortoise burrow. There was a sign about gopher tortoise burrows just a foot away. I know those tortoises dig burrows 30 feet long and that other animals use them too. No way was I sticking my hand down there to find a tortoise. Along the trail I read information about bats, bears, deer, copperhead snakes, coral snakes and cottonmouth snakes.  All those snakes are venomous. I have not seen any snakes on this trip yet.

After the nature trail I took another hike down to the lake. This state park has a pedestrian bridge over the southern tip of the lake. As I walked out there I saw a turtle head poking out watching me.

This lake has gators. At the two small swimming beaches there are nets around the swimming area to keep the swimmers safe. On my walk I saw a pileated woodpecker, a red bellied woodpecker, a bluebird and a goldfinch.

Laura S. Walker was a resident of Waycross, Georgia. She was very interested in forestry, history, and roadside beautification. The state park named in her honor is very beautiful. I saw a couple dozen people camping there today. Granted I saw no tents only campers and larger RV's. At night it gets down to around 40 so that would be too cold for me in a tent. I am happy to have a bed tonight in Waycross, Georgia and also WiFi but I did have a good day at the state park.

Okefenokee Swamp

Today I left Jacksonville and drove north into the state of Georgia. I headed for the Okefenokee swamp to look around. I paid the small fee and got a 7 day pass. I parked by the boat launch and walked a mile long trail along the canal. Just like at the Big Bog state park in northern Minnesota, some guy got the idea of digging a canal to drain the swamp and have rich farmland. Both men failed in their endeavors. I saw a red cockaded woodpecker, a pileated wood pecker, a blue headed vireo (only because some other birders pointed it out to me) and some great white herons. I drove the wildlife drive with my window open. I could hear but not see sand hill cranes calling. Two bald eagles flew overhead. At the end of the drive is a mile and a half boardwalk with a 40 foot tower at the end. Here is the view from the top of the tower of my boardwalk path.

Here is another view from the tower of the swamps. Some of those deeper lakes have alligators in them.

Here is another view from the top of the tower. Such a beautiful day in Georgia!

Here is the last view from the top of the tower showing how much Spanish moss is hanging from the trees right next to the tower.

The Testaments

Thirty years ago I read and loved Margaret Atwood's book, The Handmaid's Tale. Last year my neighbors lent me a dvd of the Netflix series based on the book. The Handmaid's Tale is a difficult book to read because it is so dark and oppressive. The Netflix series was worse and almost more than I could bear. Now I just finished reading The Testaments, the 15 years later sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. This book brought back some of the same characters including the evil Aunt Lydia. This book is more hopeful. I'm glad I read this book but now I think it is time for me to read something lighter and heart warming for a change.

Pottsburg Creek

On my last full day in Jacksonville I decided I had to go back to the beach. Normally I live in the middle of our wide continent. I don't get to see the ocean that often. The pounding waves have a soothing effect on my nerves. So I drove to the beach and walked barefooted in the sand for a couple of hours. I can walk in the water but the water is cold. I can walk in the firm wet sand but the wet sand is cold. I can walk in the less firm dry sand but that is difficult. I can walk in the tire tracks left by the lifeguard trucks and that is fun to do. After the rain yesterday some of the sand showed where rain had fallen but no one has walked yet. That was my favorite sand to walk in because of the interesting texture.

After lunch I thought I would go kayaking. There is a place called All Wet Water Sports right by my tiny house that rents kayaks at a reasonable price. I rented one for 90 minutes and explored  Pottsburg Creek I paddled upstream past a television tower and under Hodge road - the road I take to my tiny house. I saw only 4 other people using the creek.

When I am kayaking my mind goes slack and I have no worries. Kayaking is good for me. I saw a great blue heron fly right above my head, a great egret catch and swallow a fish, and some other small birds that I could not identify. I didn't see any reptiles but I did see a large fish jump..

Right where I decided to turn around and head back I came upon this unusual plant growing next to the creek. I am not sure but I think those yellow and white uplifting plant parts might be the flowers. 

Jacksonville Beach

On my second day in Jacksonville the weather was predicted to be warm and sunny until 4 p.m. when it would rain. I decided to spend a day at the beach. I drove 9 miles east from my tiny house and parked for free at the beach where it intersects with I-90. As soon as my feet hit the beach sand my sandals came off. I walked south for 40 minutes keeping up a good pace. The sun was in my eyes so I had to keep my big sun hat tilted downward which made it hard to see. The ocean here on the Atlantic looked similar to the Gulf of Mexico except here was more foam on the shore. Tiny puff balls of foam blew across the sand and sparkled in the sun. I waded in the water and it felt colder to me than the gulf waters. Later I saw surfers wearing wet suits so that confirmed my idea that this water is colder than what we saw in Alabama. The waves here were plentiful and a half dozen men were surfing despite the red flag that was hoisted which means dangerous rip tides are present and no one should be surfing. After 40 minutes my bladder told me it was time to head back. I headed back and traveled a few miles south to buy a salad from Trader Joe's and eat it for lunch. I brought my salad back to the beach to eat. Ring billed gulls were around but I guess my kale and edamame salad did not interest them. After lunch I took another walk but this time I went north. I had a beautiful day at the beach. Kids were running and playing catch. Surfers were surfing. Kites were flying. Families were gathered. Young and old people were laughing. Some brave souls were swimming. I stayed dry myself. I really enjoy walking barefooted in the sand. The air smelled so fresh. The ocean breezes are refreshing. The sky started to cloud up so I went back to my car. Remember how rain was predicted at 4 p.m.? At precisely 3:59 the first drops of rain fell. Any day spent walking the beach in bare feet is a good day in  my book.

The Hate U Give

I read Angie Thomas' debut novel, The Hate U Give, on my way down south from Minnesota. This is a young adult novel and has been challenged as inappropriate by many. Now it has been made into a movie. This sad tale is about a 16 year old girl, Starr, who witnesses the death of two of her friends. The first friend is killed in a drive by shooting at age ten. The second friend is killed by a police officer after being pulled over for a traffic stop with her in the car. Starr becomes involved in a national news story but she is just a child. Her parents try and protect her as best they can. Life in the neighborhood of Garden Heights is complicated. Starr and her family are between a rock and a hard place. I enjoyed this book even though it was sad and difficult to read. The Hate U Give is one of those books that I feel it is my duty as a US citizen to read.

Fort Caroline

Entrance to Fort Caroline

Yesterday I drove from the capitol city of Florida to Jacksonville in northeast Florida. I could have taken the interstate but chose to take I 90 instead. A slower drive through small towns seemed like a better option. After all, I am retired and in no hurry anymore. I drove into town and eventually found my tiny house airbnb. This tiny house has a kitchen with a tiny fridge, a microwave, a giant television, a table that folds down against the wall, a kitchen sink with a small cupboard. a small shower, a composting toilet, and a full sized bed. I think it is comfortable and large enough. The strange thing is the kitchen windows have only short curtains. There is a long curtain that separates the kitchen from the bathroom and the bedroom so when I want privacy, I close that. The tiny house is parked in a yard at the end of a road near a creek. Chickens and goats walk around the yard. Today I left my tiny house and drove to Fort Caroline. Fort Caroline is part of the park system called Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. I walked to the visitor center at Fort Caroline. At the dock near Saint John's river dolphins were spotted this morning. I walked down there but did not see any dolphins. I took the mile long nature walk and that was interesting. The Spanish Moss here is plentiful. Sometimes the moss hangs over the path and touches me on the head. After that hike I crossed the road and entered the Teddy Roosevelt area of the preserve and hiked the two mile Spanish pond trail. After hiking for more than what seemed like a mile I came to the salt marsh and the end of the path. I walked past the place where the Brown cottage stood. A man named Willie Browne grew up in this cottage. He grew up here. At the end of his life he was offered millions of dollars for his property. Worried that Jacksonville would become a concrete jungle, he donated his property so that future generations would have a place in the woods to go to. Willie was a big fan of Theodore Roosevelt so he asked that the area be named after his favorite president. I am glad I chose to explore this area of Jacksonville today.

Porch Lights

Yesterday I had some extra time so I stopped at the local library in Tallahassee, chose a book off the shelf, sat in a chair in the sunshine by the window and read the whole dang book in one sitting. Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank isn't a great book but it managed to keep my interest for the two hours I sat there. Jackie is the main character. As a nurse serving in Afghanistan, she is called home when her husband dies suddenly in a work related accident. She and her son Charlie struggle with their grief in New York City so they travel to Jackie's island home in South Carolina.  In South Carolina with the support of Charlie's grandparents, Jackie and her son process their grief together. This was a heart warming story about family and about resilience.

Tallahassee Museum

Today I decided to visit the Tallahassee museum. I drove to the side of Tallahassee near the airport past the post office. I paid my fee and entered the museum. Ninety percent of the museum is outside. I took a trail that took me past some old buildings. I saw an old caboose, an old school house, an old church, and an old slaves quarters. I walked down a trail with a few of the trees labelled. Most of the labels were so faded from the sun I was unable to read them. I walked past the wildlife trail. There was a black vulture and bald eagles in a fenced area. I walked past a cougar, some foxes, a bobcat, a skunk, and three red wolves. Was this a museum of a zoo? I walked past a children's playground. Past that was a trail with dinosaurs made out of scrap metal. Later I came to the farm area. I saw some donkeys, a pig, several chickens, a goat, a corn mill, a sugar cane processor, a herb garden, and a vegetable garden including cabbage, turnips, collard greens and rutabaga.I walked past a cypress swamp (see pictures). I walked into a nature center. At the bird feeders I saw a tufted titmouse, a Northern Cardinal, and a Carolina chickadee. I saw some turtles in a pond. A few snakes were in cages. The Tallahassee museum had high ropes and what they called tree to tree adventures. I was not about to walk the high ropes through the cougar enclosure. This museum seemed to have a mixed focus. The 

Tallahassee museum was part zoo, part museum, part nature trail, and part playground. I have seen better museums and better zoos and better nature trails. The cypress swamps along Lake Bradford were great though. If I ever come back to Tallahassee, I would not visit this museum again.

Saint Mark's

Today I drove south of Tallahassee to Saint Mark's National Wildlife Refuge. I stopped at the visitor center to see the exhibits and get a trail map. The woman asked "Are you a birder?" I replied yes so she gave me a map of where to see rare birds such as a vermilion flycatcher, a nesting great horned owl, an eagle nest, a flamingo, and a roseate spoonbill. I hoped to see some of the birds today.  Off I drove down to the lighthouse and walked around.The is part of the big bend part of the shore. The big bend is where Florida curves from east west to south north. The water here is very shallow. If I walked into the gulf waters for a mile,  the water would be one foot deep. I would have to walk five miles before the water would reach my chin. 

The birds I saw today included turkey vultures, osprey, great blue heron,anhingas, snowy egret, great white heron, Carolina chickadee, tri-colored heron, brown pelicans, canvas back ducks, ring necked ducks, kingfisher, gray catbird, American wigeon duck, hooded merganser, Gadwall duck, red winged blackbirds, and killdeer. 

I got a picture of the tri-colored heron. About four o'clock in the afternoon I thought I would head back to the park headquarters to use the bathroom and leave the refuge. That office was closed already so I drove five miles back into the refuge to use the other bathroom that I saw. On my way to use that bathroom some cars were parked at the side of the road. I carefully drove between them. As I did that I saw why they had stopped. There perched on a branch a few feet above the road in the bright sun light was a Vermilion flycatcher! Score! I used the bathroom and saw the flycatcher again as I drove out. Today was a great day of birding.

Tallahassee

Now that I am retired and can go wherever I want, whenever I want and however I want,I need to decide what to do next. After dropping off my traveling companion at the Pensacola airport, I drove to Tallahassee, Florida. Why Tallahassee you ask? I know no one in Tallahassee. I have never been to Tallahassee before. Tallahassee is a cute name to say and I admire the double letters so here I am in  Tallahassee. I am sure I will find something to do!

Pensacola

Today was a rainy day in Pensacola. We could not go to the naval air museum because it is closed to the public due to a high security alert. Only military personnel are allowed onto the base. I am sure it has to do with the Saudi aviation students who were sent home as well as the terrorist attack on that base just last month. Instead we went to Jones Swamp and wetland preserve. We walked on some paths that were less than desirable. We saw trash and old mattresses on the path. We found a better path. Here we walked along a stream. In the stream they made a rock weir (see top photo). The rocks are piled to disrupt the flow of the stream. Some of the stream flows slower and some flows faster. The faster stream digs a deeper channel. This variety of stream speed leads to more diversity in plants, animals, and insects that live in the stream. After that we went to the historical old town Pensacola. This is a collection of museums, old houses, and reenactment people who give tours. We walked through the T.T. Wentworth museum. This museum had the typical things you would expect in a museum on the first two floors. They had the military history of Pensacola and information about the people and the industries. To our surprise on the third floor was an exhibit about science fiction monsters on television and in film. We thought that was an odd combination. We visited the museum of industry which talked about fishing, logging and railroads. After that we took a guided tour of three historic homes. The church was unavailable for tours of weddings today. Here is a photo of a coal stove in one of the historic homes. After our tour the rain was falling down hard. We found a swing on a porch of a house where we could see the people walking around the historic village. We even saw a bride and groom walk by holding umbrellas. If it was nicer we could have walked around the town more or even go the beach. Even in sunny Florida some rain must fall.

Goodbye Alabama!

Today was our last day in Gulf Shores, Alabama. We packed up our car and took one last long walk on the white sugar sand beach. The fog that was present ever since we arrived was finally gone and in it's place was a cloudy sky and an air temperature at least 20 degrees colder than before. As we walked the wind blasted the sand at our ankles. I still walked in the water which was as warm as before. After our walk we drove through Orange Beach, Alabama into Florida. I stopped at a tourist shop to get a map of Florida. We drove to Big Lagoon State Park. We hiked the trails while wearing sweatshirts to stay warm.We had lunch on the beach while watching the pelicans fly by. After lunch we drove to Pensacola. We found our place to stay. We explored the air before bringing our stuff inside. We rested a while before heading out to eat at Dharma Blue restaurant. We ate a delicious meal and decided to walk around a few blocks. A horse and carriage ride was available at the corner. We walked a few blocks and came to a police blockade. Pensacola was having some kind of event. Crafts were for sale in tents along the street. Families gathered with their children.  I think they were celebrating the lunar New Year. In any case we walked around for an hour watching the people. We drove back to our place. Tomorrow we will explore what Pensacola has to offer.

Dolphin Cruise

Today after breakfast we took a long walk on the beach. As soon as we cross the street and get in the sand my shoes come off. My feet really enjoy walking barefoot in the white sugar sand. We walk down to the waters edge where the sand is hard packed. Waves come up and cool off our feet now and again. The sanderlings run back and forth with the waves searching for nuggets of food. On our walk back we noticed a dolphin in the gulf waters and that was very exciting to see. After our walk we pack up a lunch and head out to Orange Beach. We stop at a beach area, park, and hike out to the water again. We find a nice spot to swim and enjoy the view. We eat our lunch. Gulls come and beg for food. Some gulls are really loud about begging for food. We don't give them any food but they stay as long as we stay. Eventually a great blue heron comes begging for food. The heron is cool about it. The heron doesn't talk and doesn't come as close as the gulls come but we know it's begging for food because why else would it be standing so close to us? After lunch we head over to Happy Harbor for our dolphin cruise. We get on the boat and head into the  Bayou Saint John to look for dolphins. Our captain takes us past Ono Island. Ono Island is mostly in Florida and just a tiny bit is in Alabama. The only bridge to Ono Island is in  Alabama so the whole island is considered to be in Alabama. This is a private island with it's own security guards. If you don't belong on Ono Island you are not getting on Ono Island. He showed us the former home of Farrah Fawcett and the current homes of Tom Selleck and Oprah Winfrey. Eventually we saw some dolphins out in the bay. A few were jumping off in the distance. We came to a spot where quite a number dolphins were hanging out. When they dispersed our captain revved up the engines and we took off at a good clip. A few dolphins followed the boat and jumped in our wake for about ten minutes which was great fun to see. The dolphins tired and eventually veered off. We motored back to our Happy Harbor content and satisfied with our dolphin cruise.Later we ate dinner on the bay.We sat outside with the pelicans and ate our meal. 

Biking

This morning we went back to Gulf State Park to take advantage of the free bikes offered by the state park. We had to download an app, sign up with a credit card, take a picture of the QVC code on the bike and voila! The bike unlocks and it's free for us to use for the next 3 hours.Within the 3 hours you can return the bike and take it out again to keep it for six hours. This is a very nice service offered by the Alabama State Parks! We biked from the park headquarters all the way east to the sports complex outside the state park. These bikes had no gears and coaster brakes so they were easy for us to ride. The hills were small and far apart. We biked around Lake Shelby over an oak ridge. We biked near the campgrounds. A long stretch of our bike was on a board walk and that was enough to rattle my teeth. We biked through the RV campground. Each RV campsite has their own septic tank. I saw a few warblers along the way along with a brown thrasher. Some people were walking the trails and others were biking. The sky was overcast so I wore a sleeveless top without worrying about sunburn. We had a good workout. When we finally got back to the park headquarters I was more than glad to be done. My phone said we biked 16.2 miles. I think I would have been happier biking 14 miles. We returned our bikes and drove to Fort Morgan for lunch. We sat on the pier by the boat landing and ate our sandwiches. We watched the brown pelicans, great egrets, great blue heron and cormorants fish while we munched our food. The water at Fort Morgan was calmer than the water by our place so it was a good place to swim. I didn't swim. I prefer my swimming be done in water that is 80 degrees and this water was not anywhere near 80 degrees. I watched the white crabs come and go from their holes in the sand while my companion swam. The fog horn blared repeatedly in the distance. In the evening before it got dark we went for another foggy walk on the beach. As we walked the fog got thicker and thicker making it hard for us to see the boardwalk where we leave the beach and go back to our place. The willets and sanderlings and gulls don't seem to mind the fog.

Bird Hike and Kayak

Today we drove back to Bon Secour for a guided bird hike. Two Fish and Wildlife Refuge volunteers lead us on our one mile hike. One guide was from Bemidji, MN and the other one was from Michigan. On our hike we heard a blue jay and we saw yellow rumped warblers. That is all. I've been on many bird hikes in my life but this one was the least productive bird hike ever. We still had fun though. After that we drove to Gulf State Park. We rented kayaks and ate our lunch out on lake Shelby. There we saw a slew of coots, several cormorants, brown pelicans, and a great blue heron. When we got close to the coots they would start swimming faster and in a more nervous pattern. Then they would start flapping their wings and running across the top of the water to escape us. We kayaked around bird island and gator island. We kayaked under the oak trees with Spanish moss hanging down. We saw people standing on the pier close to gator island and they stayed there a long time. We kayaked over there hoping to spot a gator. Past the viewing pier was a little canal. We kayaked up as far as we could on that canal. On the way our I saw a head of a little gator in front of me and it disappeared under the water. We saw it one more time before we could not see it anymore. The weather was still foggy so we couldn't see very far. I felt so good being out on top of the water propelling the kayak with my paddle. I had my big hat on and my sun shirt to protect me from the sun. The tops of my feet are a little tanned though.

That is me under the big hat.

Coots

Bon Secour and Fort Morgan

Today we visited Bon Secour national wildlife refuge. We stopped at the visitor center for a map.We hiked a 3 mile round trip walk to gator lake. We saw no gators. Evidently Hurricane Ivan washed salt water into Gator Lake turning it brackish so all the alligators left. We did see a pied billed grebe and some warblers. The warblers moved too fast but I think I saw a yellow rumped warbler. After that we hiked to the shore. The weather was foggy and overcast. You probably can't see it but in the middle of this photo is a willet foraging for food. Ever since we arrived the sky has been overcast which makes the water and the waves appear to be the same color as aluminum foil.

Here is a small flock of sanderlings. The way they run back and forth with the waves is very endearing to me.We also saw bufflehead ducks, herring gulls and brown pelicans..

On our hike to gator lake we saw this track. I thought it was a bobcat but the naturalist suspected it was from a coyote.

After a picnic lunch on the beach we explored Fort Morgan, Alabama. This tunnel leads into the star shaped fort. The fort was built between 1819 and 1830. It played a significant role in the Civil War, the Spanish  American war, world war one and world war two.