After spending the day driving through Mississippi we arrived in Alabama. Another new state. Almost as soon as we crossed the state line we started seeing small handwritten signs about a fresh produce stand. On one of the signs was “Boiled Peanuts.” I had never eaten boiled peanuts. I kept expecting to see it around the next bend.
After at least an hour and after the sun had set, we came to the produce stand. Out front was the boiled peanut stand with miniature women making them. I had a choice between regular and Cajun. I couldn’t decide, so ordered one of each. I tried one and was smitten.
I had booked a couple of nights at a KOA near the border between Alabama and Florida. The drive to it was down one dark road after another. We finally arrived and since they were already closed we were left a map of where our campsite was. A note on it said “camp anywhere in the woods.” We drove past all of the RVs and down a steep road that dead-ended at the shore.
To the left were trees. It required driving over the sand. We weren’t sure they realized we were camping in our van, but we went ahead and drove over the sand into the woods and found a relatively flat spot to park. We were the only ones there. Waking up to the sun rising over Perdido Bay was magical.
What also made it magical in the woods was this small tree. If it was as if there had been a fairy Mardi Gras celebration in the woods.
It was nice to spend a day by the water. The water was so clear. I sat on the pier eating boiled peanuts. We were basically alone except for the RVers that would walk their dogs along the shore. Even the cottages on the shore seemed to be unoccupied. We had the bathhouse to ourselves.
It was fortunate that we were only staying two nights. The weather forecast for the day we left had more severe weather alerts than I had ever seen.
As we drove across the bridge between Alabama and Florida, we hoped to out drive the weather, but the wind followed us all the way.
WanderLyd 