Gulf Shores Alabama

Oh, I guess I should start blogging again! And I guess I’ll start where I left off, in (or near) Gulf Shores, Alabama.

First, some thoughts on full-time travel

I’ve been traveling full-time since August 18 – which is hard to believe in itself! – and I still don’t think I’m quite used to it. So far, it feels more like a sabbatical. I’ve gotten lots of projects done (like making it through almost 3 years worth of emails) and I’ve been reading a lot and watching movies. Resting, really, as well as a little sightseeing. In Gulf Shores, I took a nap almost every day. I guess I needed it! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone could do this? Take the time we needed to recharge? I can tell you, I needed more than a week of vacation to fully decompress.

The problem I seem to be facing now is that I’m moving around too much – it feels too frantic. I think I would prefer to be in one place for at least one month at a time. There don’t seem to be many housesits available for a whole month – I just came from one that was three weeks and it was *amazing* – but otherwise, at least during the pandemic, I’ll probably be doing more Airbnb monthly stays than housesits. We’ll see how it goes. Even after three months, it seems I’m still trying to figure it all out.

Anyway, back to Gulf Shores

My first stay actually was almost three weeks, and it was really nice to be somewhere that long. After driving down through Alabama to see some important Civil Rights sights, I settled into a backyard cottage in Robertsdale, AL (affiliate link, btw.)

It is a fur piece from the actual beach, but it was what was available for the length of time I needed it. And the host is a hoot! I wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again anytime. It was a full two-bed, one-bath cottage (plus a pull out couch) with a little kitchenette. I was able to make anything I wanted to and it was an extremely comfortable stay. I kinda miss it.

But it was in the middle of nowhere, a bit north of Foley, AL, which is a bit north of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach proper. In all, still only about a 40-minute drive straight down the beach express. I spent a good chunk of my time doing background work on the blog and having a nice expensive car repair.

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach

I did manage to spend a couple whole days on the beach, however. My favorite spot was a spit of land next to the Perdido Pass on the Orange Beach side, but before you get to the Florida line. Google calls this Alabama Point East or Florida Point. It’s a part of the larger Gulf State Park. If you are on the main boulevard heading east, right after you go over the bridge, you can turn left into some parking under the bridge and a boardwalk out to the beach. It is a longer walk to get to the beach but it’s much quieter than anywhere else. And take the left-hand long boardwalk – the one on the right is a hard trudge through the sand!

On my first visit here, the water was like being in a warm bath, and I mean that in the best possible way, it was SO nice and calm. The second time, a hurricane was heading towards Texas and it was really too choppy to get in. In fact, the beach had eroded away into a ledge. Putting my blanket right on the edge felt like being on a boat in the ocean.

Driving along Gulf Shores

I took a day to drive the length of Gulf Shores, from Fort Morgan in one direction to the Florida line in the other. I also drove up Mobile Bay, through the towns of Daphne and Fairhope and into Mobile.

Mobile is prettier than I thought it would be – there is a lot of Spanish-style New Orleans-type architecture. I visited the Mobile Museum of Art (and was the ONLY one there.)

Fairhope is a real gem of cute shops and restaurants and really precious shopfronts and courtyards. It’s pretty posh (i.e. out of my price range) but fun to walk around. I did find one fantastic used bookstore, the Book Inn, that had great prices.

Next up

I’ll talk about Memorial Day visits to two of the big shopping complexes in the area, and why I don’t think I’ll be riding any roller coasters in the near future.