Tuesday, March 7, 2023

WINTER BREAK AT ORANGE BEACH...

 This is about the 5th time we've gone on a winter break to the Gulf of Mexico!  Several times we have gone to Orange Beach, Alabama, and here's why...

Nice weather!

Great condos - We've stayed in different ones but we really liked The Breakers and Windward Point.

Clean beach - usually lots of shells too!

Fun biking trails - Hugh Branyon and Gulf State Park

Lots of restaurants to choose from!

Plenty of stores - Rouses, a local grocery store, is my favorite!

Lots of treat shops - Buzzcatz is the best!  We also like Southern Grind.

Culture - Friendly, and snowbirds are welcome!

Other fun stuff just a short drive away!


I guess after looking at my lengthy list, we like variety.  Not every day is suitable for the beach, so there's plenty of other things to do here.  Another thing we like is that we can drive - takes us about 14 hours to get here and we love a little road trip.  Give us an audiobook and a couple of fun restaurant stops and we are good!

A few of my favorite pics:



Flowers at Bellingrath Gardens near Mobile

Inside Bellingrath Mansion

Free cooking class on Fridays at Rouses grocery store - see all the snowbirds?

Farmer's Market in Foley

You know it's close to Mardi Gras when they serve Moon Pies with your fries!


Favorite seashells I found!


Mardi Gras night time parade right outside our condo!

Biking fun

Parade floats



Fresh seafood

Puzzle time


Blue jellyfish or Portugese Man O War?

The Coffee Shop that is really not a coffee shop.  

This is the best way to get a break from the dreary winter back home! 
I'm so thankful my husband can work remotely and we can come here. 
What do you like to do to get a break from winter?




Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Thursday, November 10, 2022

ROAD TRIP STOPS: TUCUMCARI, FLAGSTAFF, SEDONA

 We just returned from our Grand Canyon hike, but it was much more than that!  We drove this time and spent some time in other places as well.  

Tucumcari is known for its Route 66 old main street full of old motel signs.  Sadly, most are decaying.  I got a kick out of seeing them, though, and also laughed when we saw the high school gym that said "welcome to the snake pit" (their mascot is the Rattlesnake). We ate at Del's and had ice cream at Sonic.  It was decent.  




My husband's only request:  get a burger at Laguna Burger 66 Pit Stop outside Albuquerque!

Flagstaff is the largest city near the Grand Canyon and we spent several nights here, enjoying some hikes and good food.  My DH worked remotely during the day so I worked on my projects as well.  We hiked in Thorpe park near our VRBO, and also drove to a trail called Fat Man's Loop which I really liked.  We tried a downtown coffee shop and looked in some of the stores.  Josephine's was within walking distance of our stay and it was the best meal we had in Flagstaff. I wanted to go to a place called Chocolita but 2 days in a row it was closed, so maybe next time!


Sedona was our visit after the Grand Canyon hike.  I had planned our activities there, and 3 other couples joined us.  We were glad to get to go there for two reasons:  1) It was warmer!  2) Good food! The Grand Canyon area is not known for its food. We stayed in a beautiful, quiet, neighborhood B&B,  Alma de Sedona, in west Sedona, a bit away from touristy Uptown.  We had two really good meals, at the Golden Goose Grill and Javelina Cantina.  We stretched our sore legs on the Thunder Mountain trail near our stay, and shopped at Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village.  A crazy but scenic outing was the Pink Jeep tour.  It was very bumpy but everyone assured me they were okay.  Sunday morning after our breakfast at the B&B, we worshipped together on the patio before we all headed home.









It was another great trip for us - the Grand Canyon hike, being with our dear friends, and all the little stops before and after!  We really enjoy road trips - car time, snacks, listening to audio books together, and like a recent commercial said, a feeling of escaping!  Road trips give you extended time with your spouse and a little more sense of how big the world is.