Orange Beach, Alabama

March 24th – March 31st

We were excited to get to Alabama! The drive was beautiful. It seemed like the more south we got, the more beautiful the terrain. Driving over all the bridges with water everywhere, bayous and swampland was new for all of us. It always is amazing to us how well the boys travel. No DVD’s, movies etc. Just good music and conversation for hours on end. There are certainly those moments we all need to get out of the truck and get some fresh air! So we took in all the scenery with one another driving over the Mississippi River, through Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Finally, we arrived to our destination in Orange Beach. Pandion Ridge RV Resort!

This was the best RV resort we’ve ever stayed at. Beautiful large sites with a lake on the property! We had a bike trail from the property that took us into the Gulf State Park. We set up shop and went to “The Wharf” for dinner and exploring the area a bit. We walked around the marina and the boys enjoyed seeing all of the boats & yachts. We finished the night out with ice cream and the Ferris wheel.

The next day, the boys were ready to get busy fishing after school. They are absolutely hooked on fishing! Boy, they were in for a treat this trip. We went down to a local fishing shop called J & W tackle and spent some time with a nice local guy who gave us all kinds of insight. We grabbed the gear and headed back to get our lines in the water. Boom! Bass fishing heaven. The boys brought in 2 to 3 Bass per day. They had a blast.

One of the things we had been looking forward to was chartering a boat and going for some bigger saltwater fish. I found a local guy that took us out one morning. I’ve got to say this day has to be one of the highlights for all of our adventures. We headed out early in the morning with Captain Michael and had the time of our lives. We all got in on the action catching Sheepshead and Spanish Mackerel. Then, it happened. Dylan hooked up a 20lb Redfish! It was incredible. He reeled the monster in all on his own. The skipper helped to keep his pole above water but other than that, it was all Dylan. It was great to see it happen. After an amazing day of fishing and cruising the boat, we had the most delicious lunch at a place called Luna. The food in the Gulf Shores was incredible. After the food coma, had a nice nap and enjoyed the rest of the day.

Towards the end of our week at the RV resort, the boys made friends with our neighbors and they had a great time riding bikes and fishing with one another. It is difficult to watch them say goodbye to all the friends they meet on the road. We have met some incredible people on the road. The folks in Alabama were incredibly kind and hospitable. At one point, some friends we met ended up telling us they were a bit uneasy seeing that our license plate said “California”. We ended up having some great conversations with them and prayed with them before they left. As the Dad was leaving he said: “You can’t judge a book by it’s cover”. I hear that.

We’ll always remember Alabama. The beautiful beach, bike rides, fishing, quiet time at the lake, meeting new friends and eating incredible food. While school and work take up good chunks of the day, we had some great adventures in Bama!