Gulf Coast - Alabama and Mississippi

My hunt for Big Foot has taken me to the twin mono-vowel states along the Gulf coast. Alabama and Mississippi both had something to offer in a hunt for the elusive creature. Alas, I was not successful this time and I have some theories why but more on that later.

I started my search for Big Foot in Alabama. I spent Thanksgiving Day at the campground and went to dinner at restaurant in Foley - Local and Company. The food was excellent and I enjoyed the Chilean Sea Bass on risotto much like the first pilgrims did in New England. Ok, they didn't have that but they also didn't eat the turkey and green bean casserole most people eat so I am being traditional by not dining like them. Besides it is more important to be thankful and less important to eat turkey so I was thankful. Disappointed that there was no Big Foot at the restaurant but thankful I could enjoy a fine meal.

RV park was right on the water. Ozzy enjoyed it very much.

 

Thanksgiving dinner. Really delicious along with beet and goat cheese on arugula salad. Just like grandma used to make. 

I searched at several establishments for the creature including a drive to Fairhope, I sampled several options at Fairhope Brewing Company and kept a keen eye out for the beast,  I was not successful in spotting my quarry but I did meet a nice couple at the bar. R&C are early retirees and have a home in Wisconsin and a condo in Alabama. In addition they have an Airstream they that take out on other adventures. I had a lovely conversation with them for several hours and it was a blast being able to talk to people living their dream. Before I knew it was dark and I was running late. It is possible that Big Foot walked in and I missed it so I started doubting my finding skills.

Yep, it's a bar. I try to avoid pictures of people which is why you will get these types of photos a lot. I have to quickly snap a picture without anyone in it and not draw attention to myself. In return the pictures kind of suck. As I have mentioned before, the blog is free. Amy would always say when people asked for free legal advice that you get what you pay for. This blog is evidence of that. Besides, this has nothing to do with the photo and yet it is the caption. Really it's just excessive verbosity.

I continued my search and even checked out some model homes while in the area in case Big Foot was looking to buy there. Unfortunately Big Foot was not at the model home and the home was in a crummy subdivision so I am sure that Big Foot would not have liked it. Plus there was no basement or decent tornado shelter which confused me since while in Alabama I had three days that had a tornado watch alert. 

I found another brewery to look for Big Foot but unfortunately I arrived in the middle of a world cup match between the US and Iran. Big Foot is not a fan of metric football apparently since there was no sign of the mythic beast but the beer was rather tasty. Big Beach Brewing had a nice indoor and outdoor space and several excellent options, The crowd was too enthralled in the game so I was unable to ascertain if anyone had seen any cryptozoological creatures. 

Big Beach. Check out the headband on the bartender.. It looked worse in person. Also not really friendly either. Come to think of it, I didn't really like the people there either. You can't cheer every time the ball is kicked unless you are watching a ridiculously boring sport. You don't see that nonsense in hockey. 

After searching the coastal region for a week I decided to try Mississippi. This is my first visit to the state and it greeted me as I expected. The first campground where I had reservations and prepaid was interesting. It backed up to a bayou so it was pretty that way, but it also had a lot of longer term residents and a bar. Knowing my love for hanging out in bars for the social aspect, I was bitterly disappointed by the obnoxious odor emanating from the place. Since it was apparently the place one would check in, I had no choice but subject myself to the putrid smell of cigarettes. There are no laws on this topic in Mississippi so it is up to each business to decide. While the libertarian side of me appreciates that, the side of me that breathes does not.  The first site they offered was 20 feet deep which was great for the truck but really not ideal for a trailer. In addition there was no water available. The next site had water but I could not hook up electricity and the sewer drain was three feet in the air. Despite paying, I decided one night in hell was enough and found another campground. I ended up in Kiln, MS at McLeod County Park. This was the nicest public park I have ever been in and nicer than nearly every private one too. Every site had a concrete pad along with water, electricity, and sewer drain. In addition, there were numerous trails in the park and the dogs enjoyed several hikes. I realize they were pooped out after 2 miles when we started this adventure, but we were able to do 5 miles one  day with no one needing to be carried. The weather was ideal although it did rain a couple of days. The highs were in the mid to upper 70s and it was quite nice. There were about 200 sites and only 5 to 8 people in there for my visit.  

Water along the park.

Lucy and Ozzy on a pier on the nature trail. 

I was also close to a brewery by random luck and I decided to take a look for Big Foot over several days. Lazy Magnolia is a micro brewery that also packages their beer for sale. I sampled their wares and even tried their food. On one occasion I met a nice couple from Iowa who have been snow birding down here for the last several years, I had a lovely time with them and picked up some good tips. As luck would have it, the brewery had some short fills and unlabeled beers and they gave me a case of beer. It pays to be nice. I was not able to find Bug Foot there but getting a free case of micro brews made up for it.

Lazy Magnolia. Nice place and nice people.

As I mentioned I was concerned that perhaps my searching skills are not what they need to be. I have been geocaching on occasion to continue to hone my abilities and was successful in places as diverse as the Isle of Skye in Scotland and the Florida coast. Unfortunately at the park in Mississippi I was unable to locate two caches. I realize that a film cannister is smaller than a Yeti, but I have the GPS coordinates of the film cannister and do not have that for the larger creature. I will need to practice more as this is concerning. It reminds me of when B and C were living at home. When C and I didn't want B to find some food we would "hide" it by moving it down a shelf. This was generally quite successful and I am beginning to wonder if that is my problem. It is possible that Big Foot walked right passed me already and I missed it. I will need to redouble my efforts in the future.

I am off to Louisiana next and that is my first visit to that state. After a week there I head out towards Johnson City Texas and the hill country. I am looking forward to being settled down for a month and it should be interesting. I have a list I am working on for where to winter over next year and it will be nice to see how Texas is in the winter. As long as I can avoid freezing cold, it will be fine. 

Until next time,

Thor

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