Battleship Park & The Beach

I’ll start by acknowledging that none of my hobbies include marine/navel themes (except maybe reading a book on the bench seat, while John fishes from a boat at the cottage, ha ha), but I was truly educated and impressed with the USS Alabama (battleship, commissioned in 1942, served in WW II – Atlantic and Pacific) and the submarine, USS DRUM (the oldest American submarine on public display). The tour was fascinating – we laughed, we questioned, we were surprised, and were saddened. We spent an amazing 3 hours exploring these massive vessels – time just flew by.

Much like the cave tour at Mammoth Cave, KY, I cannot do this topic justice, so if you’re interested please have a peek at the historical facts and figures for yourself on their website. 

Since it seemed that every minute there was something remarkable to record, I did take a lot of photos. We’re still at the beginning of our journey, but I can already imagine boring my loved ones with the wonderful facts and details when I’m home :o)

If your interest is “not so much”, here are just a few of my pics, below.

Barracks

Example of how every locker had to be packed

Chef’s kitchen

Dentist’s office

The next day we finally hit the beach. As per usual, there were not a lot of people around (families were wearing PANTS, but we were in shorts!). You could easily ID the folks who are just passing through – I’m talking to you, fellow with cowboy hat, flannel shirt tucked in, silver-platter belt-buckle, and your socks and boots on the bench beside you..

Although it did feel wonderfully warm as we lay on our beach towels for a half hour, it wasn’t quite ‘so hot I’ve got to cool off’. John, on the other hand, dove in and enjoyed the refreshing salty water. The town of Gulf Shores takes great care of the public beaches – they are spotless, the restrooms and outdoor shower towers (lots of kids getting their feet wet), and the parking set-up are very impressive. This would be a wonderful alternative to Florida for a vacation.

Somebody tried to take my place as John’s date…. we think it was the salt water from the beach!

A few souvenir shops later and we were ready for our homemade dinner of steak, potatoes and green beans back in the bus. We had to be up early to head to Louisiana!