Summerdale, AL
No excuses! Both of us are feeling fine. The sun is out, temperatures are mild, winds moderate. It's time to go exploring!
So we loaded up the toad and took off for Gulf Shores. Gulf Shores, AL. that is. This is the town that sits in the middle of one of the premier beaches along the northern Gulf Coast. Over 20 linear miles of wide white sand and usually warm water... when someone mentions "idylic white-sand beach" this is the mental picture that springs to mind.
The good news is the beach is still there. The bad news is that much of it near Gulf Shores is hidden behind private condominiums and beach houses. Apparently, this is just another version of pay-per-view. We drove mile after mile along Hwy 182, the closest road to the beach and only occasionally caught a glimpse of the white sand and water. It seems developers have gone wild and local politicians have let them sell off the beach, lot by lot.
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| From Gulf Shores & Fort Morgan |
Right or wrong, it's my opinion that the beach, the shoreline, and clear access to it should belong to the public. In contrast to what we saw here, the beach in the Gulfport -- Biloxi Mississippi area, about 80 miles west of here, is wide open for 20 miles or more, with almost no structures between the beach road and the shoreline, with public access and large public parking areas at regular intervals. Other forward thinking cities in the USA do this too... Fort Lauderdale, FL comes to mind. What happened to Gulf Shores? And who's going to bail out these beach dwellers when the next Cat 5 hurricane come blowing ashore? Huh? I'll bet we all know the answer to that one.
I can't even imagine how crowded and congested this place is in the summer when all those condo owners and their families bring everyone they know to the beach. Even though it wasn't busy at all when we were there (early April), it has a "tourist trap" feel to it. One can almost visualize the traffic gridlock and throngs of people in line to buy beer, visors, and sun screen... to rent scooters, wave runners, and beach umbrellas. The other thing we both noted was the number of "For Rent" signs that are lined up in front of literally every building and house. I don't know what the current economic crisis has to do with it but the shear number of "For Rent" signs telegraphed a sense of desperation... on someone's part. I mean it's well into April and literally every place had a "For Rent" sign in front of it? What does that mean?
After our tour of Gulf Shores we headed west on Hwy 180 along the Fort Morgan Peninsula -- out to where it ends at the mouth to Mobile Bay. At the very end -- and I mean at the point where I could throw a stone into the main channel of the bay -- is Historic Fort Morgan. Built in the 1830's as a means of protecting and securing the entrance to Mobile Bay, it was active, on and off again, for over 100 years. The most notable action that took place there was during the Civil War when Confederate Forces had control of the fort and the Union undertook action to regain control of the Bay. In August of 1864, Union Admiral D. G. Farragut and the forces under his control were successful in breaking through the South's defenses and sailed into Mobile Bay. It was during this action that some accounts have Farragut saying that famous line: "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead."
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| From Gulf Shores & Fort Morgan |
The fort has been described by some as one of the finest examples of military architecture in the New World. The basic structure is a 5 sided pointed star that provides the ability to self protect itself from siege and land assault. But within just a few years of it's construction advances in weaponry and high-explosives made brick fortresses like this obsolete. During the 175 years since it was completed it was actually manned by the U.S. Military for less than 50 of those years... primarily during crises like the Civil War (by the South), the Spanish-American War, WWI (as a training base), and again, briefly, during WWII. In 1946 it was completely decommissioned and turned over to the State of Alabama. Our visit here was educational and enjoyable.
We eventually found a piece of beach where we could relax for a while, near the Fort about 18 miles west of Gulf Shores... where we could take a walk at the waterline, and enjoy the unspoiled surroundings around us. The Northern Gulf can be a wonderful place to kick back and enjoy nature. But you might have to search for it.
T
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