Gulf Shores Vacation - part 1

Let me just start out by saying, we had a really great time at the beach once we got there. The drive was another story. After listening to Gracie ask are we there yet a million times, driving the forever it feels it takes to get across Mississippi, we get to Alabama, the home stretch. We decided to pull in at the Welcome center to stretch our legs and get a map, and as soon as we took the exit we heard a pop. One of the tires on the camper blew!! Ok, no big deal, we have a spare. After a quick change we are on the road again. We make it about 3.6 miles from the Foley exit to Gulf Shores and hear another pop!! The other camper tire blew!! No second spare! It's Sunday, so we are panicing wondering how we are going to get another tire. We get out the lap top and start looking for a mobile tire service, just so you know there are no mobile tire services in Alabama. We make several phone calls, our insurance company (couldn't help us), several big name stores (again no help), and my dad who the camper belongs to (no help). So, we are stranded on the freeway with two kids and a dog about 30 minutes from our destination. Jerred makes the decision to limp it up to our exit to the nearest gas station. We make it, meet someone who tells us Wal-mart (yay walmart!!) sells the right kind of tires. We leave the camper at the gas station(second one on the right, super nice guy!! thank you!!) find a wal-mart, buy the tire, go back to the gas station, and change the tire. 5 hours later we are making the last 30 minute drive to gulf shores!!! AAAArrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhh!!! Then the gps doesn't even know where it's going to get us to the Gulf State Park. We finally make it there around 7. Here's the part that my dad keeps laughing at me for. As we are checking in one of the ladies informs me that I need to be really careful with my dog because there are alligators in the park and they LOVE dogs!! Especially needed to be careful after dark. Be sure and take a flash light to the bathroom. Ok, so now I am freaking out!! And of course our first night there I had to go in the middle of the night (we don't have a bathroom in the camper) I ran there and back terrified I was going to meet a gator ready to eat me. My dad is still laughing at me................and I had to go in the middle of the night all week........probaly because I was so scared to go down there because I don't usually do that.

So, on with some pictures.................

Let me just start by saying Jadyn is starting doing everything big sister is doing, since sister kept throwing herself down in the sand, so did she. It made taking pictures very difficult, but I got some good ones............
We went to the beach every day except WEdnesday (we went shopping) because I was sooooo incredibly burnt! Jadyn didn't care for the ocean but she loved the sand and us putting water in her pool. Gracie and Jerred loved boogie boarding. That's my little surfer girl!! Me, I would get in the water, but not far, mainly I walked the beach looking for shells and just relaxing. The waves hitting the beach is the best sound................I miss it!!

Jadyn playing in her pool.

We stayed at the Gulf state park, which was destroyed by hurricane Ivan in 2004. A lot of the reconstruction just got finished the summer. It was really nice at the park, very clean bathrooms. They are in the process of completing pool, laundry room, and tennis courts. The beach pavilion was also a new addition. It was really nice! We had to pay five dollars to park to go to this beach but it was worth it because it was clean, and hardly any people on it. We visited the free public beach, but with a child who puts everything in her mouth it was worth visiting a free beach if she had her choice of hundreds of ciggarette butts to choose from. So we gladly paid five dollars!

Our first night we ate at Mikee's, very good. It was late so the kids were pretty awful and our waitress was very nice and understanding. We ate at Bahama Bob's, Lulu's,Cosmo's, and The hangout. My favorite was Lulu's. We sat on the water, listened to live music, and just the whole place was a nice atmosphere. The Hangout would have been great, but we had horrible service! The view was the best though! That's all I can say nice about it. Our whole trip, everywhere we went ( with this one exception) everyone was extremely friendly. One place you must visit- Hope's Cheesecake! Enough said!