After my Cheaha Mountain trek, I headed south through small town Alabama, including Shinbone, Lineville, Equality, and Wetumpka, before hitting Montgomery and hopping on I-65. From there is was 177 miles of some pretty flat and swampy terrain before hitting the city limits of Mobile.
Most people think of New Orleans when the subject of Mardi Gras comes up. Mobile actually has the oldest Mardi Gras celebration in America, beginning in 1703. New Orleans wasn't even founded until 1718.
During my week long stay I attended 15 Mardi Gras Parades, and was pelted with various items slung from the floats including frisbees, stuffed animals, bags of roasted peanuts, Mary Janes, Super Bubble, plastic doubloons, Moon Pies, and of course, beads. Lots of beads. Considering the volume of items flung in my direction, it's surprising that I only got smacked in the face once. A set of beads found their mark on the bridge of my nose. By Fat Tuesday, I was paraded out.
As a break from the parades, on Sunday Jennifer and I headed south to Dauphin Island to ride the ferry across Mobile Bay from Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island to Fort Morgan and Gulf Shores. During this outing, I spotted two new birds to add to my list, a Cedar Waxwing (seen at the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail #42) and a Royal Tern (seen at the ferry landing on Dauphin Island). I would have added more, but I forgot my binoculars like a dope. Later that week I also spotted a Boat Tailed Grackle in some reeds after I dined on some fine fried shrimp at Ed's Seafood on the Mobile Causeway. So, three birds when I hoped for ten. I'll take that.
I enjoyed my first visit to this area and look forward to a return trip....without forgetting the binoculars.
Mobile Bay from Dauphin Island (Including natural gas rigs in the distance, they are everywhere, as far as the eye can see!)
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