The Retired Life

Evidently, many people from Canada and the northern states spend the winter in campgrounds in the south. These are the “seasonals”. They get special rates, and it can be a good deal. We got a taste of this lifestyle at our next campground, 40 minutes outside Mobile. As we drove to the campground, we saw several signs for RV parks. The park we stayed in is behind a small golf course. There were five rows of RV’s, lined up one right next to the other with some trees. 

Although we prefer the more scenic parks, we were thrilled to have full hook-up. That afternoon we attended a “customer appreciation lunch” where they served hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, potato salad, potato chips, cake and various fixings for the dogs and burgers. David was delighted to partake. I enjoyed the chocolate cake. I asked a woman who was from Montreal what they did while they were there. She said the campground had planned activities; the nearby town had outlet stores, and there were many places to eat inexpensively close-by. Also there are things to do in Mobile and other nearby towns; you can golf, and the beach is 20 minutes away. We compared notes with another couple who also have a North Trail travel trailer. They were from Wisconsin and were planning to return in a few weeks, when it stopped snowing. They had just bought their travel trailer and were dismayed that some things were already failing. Like us, the overhead cabinet doors had popped out. I told them we had a list of items to fix when we got back from Canada. 

That afternoon we went to Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. A trail leads you to a large lagoon. On either side are bare, dead trees and palmettos in the sandy soil. The trees may have died from Katrina.

The following day we drove to Mobile. When we got there, police were blocking off streets and people were setting up for a big Mardi Gras parade. David said he didn’t want to get trapped downtown, so we turned around and left while we could. Instead we visited some smaller towns. Fairhope is a small, nicely-landscaped town with big old live oaks lining the streets and lots of galleries and nice shops in the small downtown area. We found a nice park on Mobile Bay to have a picnic.

We walked a boardwalk at the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Reserve and got back early to the campground, lucky for Neptune who got to go for a “walk”. (Plato also got to go outside, but he likes to stay close to the trailer.) We did some laundry, and I met a women from Scotland who lived in Ontario. We had a nice long talk while our clothes dried. She told me about an accident she and her husband had in their travel trailer. They ran off the road and flipped over. She broke three vertebrae in her back but fortunately has mostly recovered. Her husband was unscathed. Now they have a smallish motorhome. 

In the morning, the owner of the other North Trail came over to ask David’s assistance. David showed them how to use their tv and how to fix their leaky toilet. We decided to give Mobile another try. I stopped by the office to ask a question and found out that Mobile, this being Fat Tuesday, was having an even bigger parade. People were off work. Kids were out of school. And I thought I was clever to avoid New Orleans during Mardi Gras. It would be fine if we were staying in town and could escape, but we didn’t want to drive there. So we decided instead to go to the Naval Aviation museum on the

naval base in Pensacola, 45 minutes away. Good decision. It was awesome, much like the Air and Space museum in DC and also free.

We followed an excellent tour by a retired Korean War fighter pilot, who explained the history of the many military planes in this huge museum. You can easily spend all day. And just around the corner is the Fort Barrancas National Historic site where a ranger gives an interesting tour of this fascinating fort. The inner walls are supported by sand. 
Happily, when things don't go as planned, other things happen!