Meaher State Park, Spanish Fort, Alabama
New location, new view!
Remember when your mom would say in her mom voice, “Don’t do it . . .” Remember how she’d drag the warning out as she said it? And you’d smile and say, “OK.”
And then you’d do it anyway? And inevitably you knew. You knew there’d be consequences? But at the time, you either didn’t really believe it, didn’t want to believe it, or didn’t care? And then – – – there they were – – – c-o-n-s-e-q-u-e-n-c-e-s.
We’ll get to the point later.
One of my friends gave us a National Geographic Scenic Drives book as a ‘going away’ gift. Yes. An actual book. One where you can hold the entire thing in your hands and turn pages. Where you can flip back and forth with ease. Where there’s an easily accessible table of contents. You remember those, don’t you? I love it! It boasts having ‘The 300 Best Drives in the U.S.’ Every time we move into a new state, I check it for the possibility of scenic drives in the area.
This time, we hit pay dirt! It’s called the ‘Alabama Coastal Connection’. ‘Bama doesn’t have a lot of coast, but it does have about 60 miles. Our drive today encompassed a little over twice that, plus a 40 minute ferry ride.
Along the way, we saw azaleas galore! They’re in full bloom around here and it seems just about everyone’s yard has at least one. I have no pictures, but they were gorgeous!
We had to drive the outskirts of Mobile before we were officially on the scenic drive part. By the way, it’s pronounced mow – BE – ul by the locals. I’ve been struggling with the pronunciation. I have no idea why, but it gives Blaine a good laugh! Nice I can return the favor once in a while – even if it’s at my own expense. 😊
Mobile.
You can see that pointed tower from our campsite.
The USS Alabama.
We may visit later. Not sure yet.
Blaine says it’s just like the North Carolina, which we’ve visited a couple of times.
A Carnival cruise ship was in port.
You have to drive through a tunnel to get to town from where we were.
There are actually two of them – this one and a 4-lane.
Once we were through town, it was on to Dauphin Island, which included crossing this camel-hump bridge, then our first planned stop was the Dauphin Island Park and Beach Audubon Bird Sanctuary. (How’d ya like to fit that on your stationary??)
Oh look! A plane!
Man did it buzz by close!
Look at this silly road!
It was a pretty place – especially the beach – with about 3 miles of trails.
The road in
What is that on the horizon?
They’re oil (??) rigs!
Isn’t that crazy!
We were expecting “Surrender Dorothy” to appear, but it didn’t.
Take note of what I’m wearing.
There were several costume changes today! : )
When he runs off, thinking I’m done taking pictures, he sometimes gets caught. : )
See the osprey nest over his head?
These were much prettier in person!
Unfortunately, we discovered that the ferry was leaving soon. We either catch it now or wait another 1 ½ hours. We didn’t want to wait. Places to go. Things to see. So we rushed a bit, just like when we used to go on vacation! 😊
The ferry takes you from one spit of land to another. There’s a fort on either end. Both charge an admission fee, so we chose to experience Fort Morgan and left Fort Gaines for another time (possibly).
Fort Gaines
The ride was unlike any other we’ve experienced! Oil (?) rigs were everywhere! Massive things dotting the landscape! We rode almost right beside a couple of them!
Tugboat and barge, but they weren’t moving.
Off the ferry and on towards Fort Morgan.
Don’t know what these buildings are, but they’re painted just like the others that belong to the Fort.
That’s the Administration building.
No tourists allowed.
Some history on Fort Morgan for any history buffs out there:
Construction on Fort Morgan began in 1819. The fort was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers mostly through the use of African-American slaves. Brick and mortar were the only materials that could be obtained locally. Other essential construction materials such as finished granite, sandstone, iron work, and cement had to be shipped by water from New York. The fort was known as the “Work on Mobile Point” until April 1833 when it was named to honor Revolutionary War hero General Daniel Morgan. Fort Morgan was completed in 1834. You can learn all about the interesting General Morgan at nps.gov/cowp/learn/historyculture/daniel-morgan.htm.
Fort Morgan was seized by troops of the State of Alabama on January 4, 1861. Turned over to the Confederate Army in March of 1861, the fort served as the first line of defense for the city of Mobile and provided protection for blockade runners entering Mobile Bay. On the morning of August 5, 1864, Union naval forces fought their way past Fort Morgan and defeated a Confederate naval squadron which included the C.S.S. Tennessee, one of the most powerful ironclads constructed in the South during the war. Union land forces commenced siege operations against Fort Morgan on August 9th. On the morning of August 22nd, Union artillery began one of the most intense bombardments of a single fort recorded during the Civil War. The Confederate’s losses were 17 men killed. The Confederate garrison’s 581 men were forced to surrender the next morning.
Beginning in 1895, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction of a new fortification system at Fort Morgan. Reinforced concrete batteries replaced the old brick fort as the main fortification protecting Mobile Bay. During the time of war, electrically detonated underwater mines protected the entrance to Mobile Bay. Between 1900 and 1923, Fort Morgan became the largest permanent military base in Alabama with a garrison of over 400 Coast Artillery soldiers. Over 100 structures were built by the U.S. Army Quartermaster Department to support the coast defense mission. During WWI, 2,000 troops were stationed at the fort. Many of these men trained on the new artillery weapons that were becoming commonplace on the battlefields of France.
With the end of WWI, Fort Morgan’s garrison was steadily reduced and in 1923, the post was ordered closed. However, Fort Morgan’s role as a coast defense post was not over. In November 1941, the U.S. Navy reoccupied the post and in April 1942, units of the 50th Coast Artillery Regiment arrived to renew the fort’s coast defense mission. In July 1944, Fort Morgan was abandoned for the last time and its role in America’s coast defense officially came to an end.
The War Department turned Fort Morgan over to the State of Alabama in 1946,and the Army again abandoned the fort in 1947. The War Department disbanded the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps itself in 1950.
Fort Morgan was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and is current a historic property of the Alabama historical Commission. They’re the historic preservation agency for the State of Alabama. The agency was created by an act of the state legislature in 1966. They currently own, operate or have custody of 26 historic properties in Alabama. So even though it’s listed as a National Historic Landmark, we couldn’t use our National Park Pass to get in. ☹
It has some interesting history, just like every fort does.
This is a rather sad tale!
Isn’t that a sad story??
The Fresnel lens
Look how these men dressed. So dapper!
They must have been sweltering! And I’ll bet, ripe-smelling as well!
I found these menus interesting!
Wonder what they ate the rest of the year?
The lighting was horrible here! Not a good picture! But look how ornate they made the entrance.
A container ship came right by!
Pretty little tri-corn flowers!
Reminded me of the hats men used to wear. : )
There’s that cargo ship again.
The real picture though is that little brick building.
They used it to heat up cannonballs before sending them into wooden ships, aiming especially for their powder rooms.
Keep this picture in mind.
Later, I’ll show you pictures of a citadel that used to be inside the walls here.
There was a lot of limestone dripping through the brick. From the brick or from the mortar or from the ground we don’t know.
Blaine says I have an eye for spotting snakes.
It’s from all the years of looking out for spiders!
The snake was at the end of that ‘moat’.
Evidence of decay.
Notice it’s not the original brick part that’s decaying.
That’s the ferry we were on
This is a former airstrip.
Now, the tourists are allowed to drive on it. It’s a pretty bumpy road. Best to have a Jeep!
Contemplating a jump.
He decided to take the ramp. Not as young as we used to be. : )
Here’s the citadel I mentioned earlier.
Can you believe they built that huge thing in that space??
This is the newer part, added in the 1900s
Notice how deep the steps are!
Lighting made it difficult to take a picture of this.
It talks about how difficult the laundress’s had it, living with a bunch of soldiers.
Laundress quarters
Some places the Fort seemed to be in really good shape especially considering the brick part’s over 180 years old! Some places it looked pretty fragile.
Let’s go outside the Fort now.
This is the . . .
well, I forget now if it’s Union or Confederate that built this and set up cannons to bombard the Fort.
Of course, this is a reconstruction.
The Bowyer Battery, used from 1895-1918
Severely damaged in a hurricane, this building doesn’t look much like the picture now.
The inside
The back held up a little better.
Isn’t this tree beautiful?
Perspective picture of where the guns used to sit
Now there’s a unique looking ship!
Took this picture as we were leaving the Fort.
Beach houses along the way to our next stop.
Our final sight-seeing stop was the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. (The name “Bon Secour” derives from the French phrase meaning “safe harbor” due to the secluded location on the inside coast of the Fort Morgan peninsula of southern Alabama.)
Our first stop in the Refuge.
After looking at the sign (which specifically said ‘No Nudity’ lol!), we decided to walk a different trail down the road.
This was a nice spot that seemed to be little used – at least today.
We had visions of the last time we hiked on sand trails like this one! Today was about 20 degrees cooler! Much, much more enjoyable!
Gator Lake
This is Gulf Shores.
Looks more built up and busier than Mobile!
This is Little Lagoon. About 15 feet across a sand road from Gator Lake.
Blaine went to check out the gator in the water.
Turned out to be a piece of rotting wood. : )
This is an observation tower.
We didn’t observe too much today in the way of wildlife, but the view was pretty!
Doesn’t this look like a crab or lobster claw?
We were planning on checking out the Gulf Coast, but traffic in that area was horrendous, so we headed toward home instead, planning on finding a place for dinner somewhere along the way. Blaine put me to that task while he drove. I found a nice, quiet place called Shux that has a water view and great seafood.
But suddenly, our plans changed! We were driving through a town and I happened to notice very large lettering in the distance. Wondering what it could possibly be, I kept my eyes on it until we got close enough to read it. “Lambert’s”. “Hmmmm. . . . wonder what that is? . . . Oh!!”
“Blaine! That was Lambert’s!” He casts a quizzing gaze my way. “Lambert’s! The restaurant where they throw the rolls! The one those ladies told me not to miss!”
So we make a U-turn (you’re allowed around here), park the car and head toward the entrance . . .
I have no idea what that is on the top of the picture.
It wasn’t there when I took it off my phone.
Scary!
Look up the word gluttony in any dictionary and you should find “Lambert’s Café in Foley, Alabama”. I believe God sent us there to teach us exactly why gluttony is a sin. There are always consequences for sin. Consequences. Today’s consequences are a waddle in our walk, extended bellies and feelings of abdominal discomfort. It’s possible we may not eat again for days. Well, at the very least we shouldn’t. . . .
How did we end up here?
That’s a story in itself. Remember a few posts ago when we were back in Stephen Foster for the second time? I ran into two ladies who asked what direction we were headed in and immediately, they expounded on this restaurant named ‘Lambert’s’ in Foley, Alabama. I now believe they were messengers of Satan.
As we walked toward the entrance, a couple was coming toward us and she said, in her drawn-out-warning-Mom voice, “Don’t do it. . . ” And we chuckled and said OK. We should have listened to her. Just like we should have listened to our moms when we were kids. Consequences.
We can see right away that it’s not really what I would consider a “café”. To me, a café is a small, relatively quiet place with relatively few offerings. This was nowhere near any of that.
There were lots of other gleeful sinners in here to join us, but we were still seated very quickly. I’m sure the establishment didn’t want to take the chance of losing any of us. It looked like a typical casual place that has gobs of stuff all over the walls.
Joy quickly comes to our table. (Great name for an emissary of the evil one, isn’t it?) She smiles. She greats us warmly. She asks if we’ve been here before, and when we told her no, I swear I saw a wicked glint in her eye.
Lambert’s is known as the ‘home of the throwed rolls’. They’re homemade yeast rolls and they’re hot, and they’re huge; about softball size, and a guy walks around the restaurant voicing ‘Hot rolls!’, and if you raise your hand, he’ll hurl them across the entire eating area with precision accuracy into the waiting hands of the customer. In the time we were there, he never missed. Surely some major league team has him signed up by now?
Sounds great so far, doesn’t it? But wait, there’s more . . .
There’s a girl who walks around offering homemade (yes, everything here is homemade) apple butter and sorghum. The apple butter is divine! The sorghum tastes like molasses but not the black strap kind you cook with. It’s lighter, more like honey with a molasses flavor. Also really good!
There’s a man walking around offering bites of deep fried okra. We don’t normally care for okra too much, but these were sensational!
You get the rolls and okra like appetizers before your dinner arrives.
Yep. That’s all one roll! And I took a bite out of the apple butter piece!
They have a pretty extensive menu of ‘comfort food’ options. Of course it’s comfort food! The gluttony demons wouldn’t have it any other way. Blaine chose roast beef and mashed potatoes. I chose chicken pot pie because Joy said it was her favorite.
With our dinners came a choice of 2 sides. Blaine requested baked beans and cole slaw, I ordered cucumbers and onions (the vinegar kind, not sour cream) and beets. Other than my beets being pickled and cold like you’d put on salad, everything was groaning-good. The beets were good too, I just expected them to be hot and maybe fried fresh instead of pickled.
Blaine’s anxious to get started. Can’t even wait until I take a picture. : )
But wait! There’s more!
Along with this meal, we are entitled to “Pass Arounds”. Pass Arounds are more sides! Employees walk around with bowls or pots full of these things announcing what they have. You just let them know if you want some. As much and as often as you’d like. Besides the okra and rolls and their toppings, they offered fried potatoes and onions, boiled cabbage, black-eyed peas and macaroni and tomatoes (the only thing we didn’t care for – too sweet).
They don’t offer dessert. Even gluttons have no room after this meal. Everything is so sinfully delicious, you just keep eating. And eating. . . And eating . . .
But just like any sin . . . it was fun and thoroughly enjoyable while it lasted!!! 😊😊
It’s not until you leave that the moaning and groaning and second-guessing and ‘why’s?’ come into play.
I’m certain that if we return to this area, we’ll walk through the doors again. And we’ll be sure to pass on the recommendation to anyone we talk to, because everyone caught up in sin wants others to join them. (sly grin)
Where do you think the phrase, “Misery loves company” comes from??
TOTAL HIKING MILES: 4.5 (not NEARLY enough!! Ugh!!)
Year To Date: 206.5
Daily Average: 2.79 (74)