Our three months in Foley, Alabama were drawing to a close. It’s hard to believe we had spent almost three months here. The only other place we have stayed for this long was in Michigan last year when we bought our property. When we arrived in November, those three months stretched out ahead of us and seemed like such a long time but, really, it went by in the blink of an eye. This post covers our last few weeks in the area.
After the snow and the cold snap that we had, we were itching to get outside so we took an evening and drove down to Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge in Gulf Shores. They don’t allow pets (because it’s a wildlife refuge) so we left Harley at home and did this walk with just us humans. We chose Centennial Trail, an easy trail that wandered through the trees a little ways then came out near an observation tower between Gator Lake and Little Lagoon. The trail continued on but we stopped at about the 1 mile mark (meaning we did 2 miles – one mile out and one mile back). The view from the observation tower was incredible and there were several little beaches along Little Lagoon that were absolutely gorgeous. It was also very peaceful – we were surrounded by nature and could hear owls calling to each other as we walked. We only saw two other people the entire time we were there! We didn’t see any wildlife aside from a few birds but it was a really nice walk.
We also decided to finally try something new that we had wanted to do forever- we went kayaking for the first time! We rented kayaks from a shop in Gulf Shores that also rents out e-bikes. The shop is situated right on several of the little waterways that wind through the grassy channels and empty out into Little Lagoon. Our hike at Bon Secour let us explore the western shore of the lagoon and this brought us in on the eastern side.
There was a small plastic dock/launch right behind the rental shop and the staff helped us get into the boats. Once we were seated, we slid right down the ramp and off we went! We saw several sea gulls, a few Great Blue Herons and SO. MANY. PELICANS.
The man at the rental shop had shown us a map and gave us advice on places to stop and things to see. We ended up going down about a mile to a small peninsula that was a wildlife area and open to the public. We paddled the kayaks right up onto the beach and hopped out to walk around. It was really pretty but also very gross because of all of the dead fish. The recent cold snap had killed a bunch of fish and they were all washing up on the beaches and getting stuck there when the tide went out. You really had to watch where you walked so you didn’t step on them. We also found several hermit crabs of varying sizes and really enjoyed watching them wander around.
We spent a little time resting there and admiring the view before hopping back into the boats and heading back toward the shop. We had rented the kayaks for 4 hours and were only about half way through but we were exhausted because this was an activity we definitely weren’t used to. It was a struggle getting back across to the channel that led to the shop but we finally made it-fighting the wind and the current the whole way. It was a lot of work but we decided that we really enjoy kayaking and hope to do it again soon.
Our last week in town was definitely a busy one. We obviously had a lot of packing to do since we had been sitting still for 3 months and all of our belongings had migrated onto countertops instead of being secured away so we spent several days packing up and getting everything ready to move.
We got a surprise call from John’s Grandparents our last full weekend in town and they let us know that they wanted to drive over from their home in Florida (about an 8 hour drive) to visit us for the week. They arrived late on Tuesday night and were staying until Saturday. They came over for a visit at the house on Wednesday morning and then we all went out for dinner that night at Lambert’s Cafe. I think they really enjoyed themselves – especially the fact that you are served bread by having it thrown across the room at you by the servers. I didn’t take any pictures this time but we have eaten there and shared photos before.
John took Thursday off and we took his grandparents out for a Dolphin Cruise. We had done one when we first arrived in Foley and were more than happy to do it again and we thought they would enjoy it as well- and they definitely did. The way that this company works is that they run two boats at a time. The boats go off into the bay separately and look for dolphins. When they find a pod, the boats get into position and run side-by-side which makes a big wave in the middle. The dolphins love to jump and play in the wave and it makes a great show for everyone on the boats.
While on the boat, we also cruised by Barber Marina and got to see the Lady in the Lake and his grandparents seemed to enjoy that so after the tour, we drove over there. Barber Marina is a marina that sits at the end of a long road. All along the roadway are weird roadside attractions that you really have to see to believe. John’s Grandma has been having trouble with her knee so we didn’t do the ones that required a lot of walking to get to but we did visit Bamahenge, two of the dinosaur statues and the marina itself. We walked on the docks to get a closer look at the Lady in the Lake and stopped to pet the cats that live at the marina store.
On Friday, John had to work so his grandparents entertained themselves by visiting the local railroad museum in the morning. After work, we picked them up for our final adventure together for this visit.
We had been talking a while ago and they said that they had never been to a Mardi Gras Parade. We LOVE the parades and think that everyone should experience one and, as luck would have it, the first parade of the 2025 Mobile season was during their stay. We decided that this must be a sign so we talked them into going.
We stopped at Buc-ee’s gas station on the way for snacks and a bathroom break so that was a lot of fun watching them experience that for the first time too. I bought a Mardi Gras t-shirt and John’s Grandma got an ornament. We all got snacks and drinks and continued on into Mobile.
We also made a stop at Pollman’s Bakery to pick up a King Cake for them to try. For those that don’t know, King Cakes are a traditional treat dating back to 12th Century France. The cake was originally used to celebrate Twelfth Night, the eve of Epiphany, which is 12 days after Christmas. The cake honors the three wise men who visited Jesus. It is circular in shape to represent the circular route the kings took to visit Jesus. It is usually topped with icing, colored sugar, candied fruit or a combination of those items. It is also usually decorated in the colors green, gold and purple- traditional Mardi Gras colors. A small bean, pea, or coin was hidden in the cake and whoever found the token in their slice was named “king” for the day.
Today, the King Cakes resemble a ring of cinnamon rolls and usually have a cream cheese icing. Instead of a bean or coin, the token inside is a plastic baby (although, thankfully, many bakeries just put the baby on top instead of baking it inside since it is a choking hazard). They are often taken to family get togethers, parties, or enjoyed in the office. Whoever gets the baby is blessed with good luck but will also be responsible for bringing the King Cake to the event the following year.
We ate our cake while watching the Conde Cavaliers parade through town. I received an entire box of mini blueberry Moon Pies and John’s grandma got a stuffed heart (the parade was on Valentine’s Day this year). I think everyone enjoyed seeing the elaborate floats and all of the marching bands and baton twirlers. I think John’s Grandpa especially enjoyed watching the cleanup efforts after the parade when a whole line of workers with rakes gather all of the trash and dropped beads in the street and then a line of street sweepers come through and suck it all up. They usually have the roads open within about 10 minutes of the last float passing by and it is really something amazing to watch.
We had a great visit together but I think we were all exhausted by the end of the week. John’s Grandparents left on Saturday morning and we finished packing up and made the move from Foley to Mobile. On to the next adventure!
