Coastal Haven RV Park Campground Review

I just recently checked out of Coastal Haven RV Park in Fairhope, Alabama. This park was a great choice for me since it was close to family who live in Daphne. The sites were pretty basic, with full hookup (water, electric, sewer). The park provided free wifi (weak at times), but not cable TV. Since I spent most of my time visiting family and sightseeing, I didn't watch much TV, but would have liked stronger internet connections for blogging. My site was #18 which was long enough for my RV and car.  The sites had concrete slabs so things stayed clean when it rained. The slab included a little patio area big enough for tables and chairs. Many of my neighbors were full-timers who worked in the area and used the park for their home. The park had a small recreation building with bathrooms and laundry facilities. The camp host, Kris, also lived at the park, so she was available if I had any questions. The cost was about $450 for the month ($15 night).  Not bad for a month's rent, right?

I wrote up a summary of the things that you can do in the area around this campground on my Camino Turtle Travels website if you want to learn more about Fairhope and the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay.

Photo below: St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Fairhope, Alabama. This parish church was one of the closest to the campground and was my nephew's family parish as well. It's an active parish with lots of things to do related to the Catholic faith for those who may be looking for this in their travels.

Comfort Food Southern Style

I have been in Alabama now since September 10th. During these past few weeks I rediscovered the joys of southern cooking and hospitality. The food has ranged from shrimp tacos eaten at a diner table to the best filet mignon steak served to me while I sat on the porch under an old oak tree watching the sunset over Mobile Bay. This post will tell you a little about these places, just in case you ever get to the chance to visit the eastern shore of Mobile Bay.

First, let me tell you about the Bay House Bistro. In the past few weeks I have eaten here twice. The bistro is located in Fairhope, Alabama on the old scenic route 98. The restaurant is in an old summer cottage with a porch/deck built facing Mobile Bay. The menu changes regularly as the chef only uses food that is fresh and local. The first time I went to the Bay House Bistro with my sister Susie. I took a picture of the steak I got because I was so in love with it, but I am not a good food photographer so I decided not to share it with you. Instead I will share a photo Susie took of the amuse-bouche we had with our wine before dinner. After the amuse-bouche, Susie had crawfish beignets and I had a greek trio of dips with pita and olive oil. Sounds simple, but the tastes were so complicated and somehow perfect. The second time I visited this restaurant, we were celebrating my parents' 59th wedding anniversary. The evening was warm, so the owners placed a fan on the deck so we could eat outside. It was a beautiful place to honor two of the most amazing people I know. My parents decided to split a steak and the owners did this for them in the kitchen so the table service was perfect. After dinner, the our waitress served chocolate cake to help us celebrate. Did I tell you, the owners are really nice?

The second place I want to tell you about is the Dragonfly Food Bar. This restaurant is located in downtown Fairhope, Alabama so it is convenient for lunch if you plan to do some window shopping later. The food is pub grub taken to an all new level. Three of my family's favorite tacos are the firecracker shrimp, curried lamb and the five spice duck. I ordered the kung pao chicken with asian slaw and peanut sauce in a bowl. Based on the oohs and ahhs of my family members, I would say that if I go back, I will get tacos instead of the bowl. The bowl had too much rice while the tacos allowed the fillings to take center stage.

The third and final place I want to tell you about is Market by the Bay. Located at 365 S Greeno Rd, Fairhope, this restaurant feels more like a deli or take-out place. When you come in, just walk up to the counter to order your food. I ordered the hawaiian shrimp taco (the order is 2 tacos - I ate one before I took the photo). It came with one side, I got the hush puppies. The shrimp was well-seasoned with a spice rub, sweet BBQ sauce, some veggies and pineapple. Bacon was crumbled on top. (I decided to remove most of the bacon because I thought it wasn't blending, just overpowering to me. Susie loved the bacon and she took the extra, so as you will see it is all a matter of personal taste.) This place is very affordable and the taco menu changes based on the freshest local ingredients.

People on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay in Alabama are very proud of their food and are eager to share it with others. Many of the chefs use local produce and seafood so the quality is high. Several of the restaurants have been award winners.

So, ya'll come on down and pull up a chair now ya hear. The gumbo pot is full and the chef is ready to serve!

Daphne's Jubilee

Sorry it's been awhile since I posted. I've been so busy having a great time visiting my family and enjoying the local sites. (Sorry if that sounds like I am rubbing it in). One of the things I did that I'd like to share with you is the 29th annual Jubilee Festival. This arts and crafts festival in Daphne, Alabama celebrates an amazing naturally occurring event that the locals call the "jubilee". As you may know a biblical jubilee is a blessing from God. This Alabama Eastern Shore Jubilee is so named because a naturally occurring event takes place in the Mobile Bay which causes the water to "de-oxygenate". With less oxygen to breathe, flounder, shrimp and crabs end up swimming very slowly or washing up on the shoreline, often in the middle of the night. When this happens, the locals notify each and everyone runs down to collect as much free food as they can.

Since this often occurs around this time of year, the locals established this festival as a way to celebrate. As a matter of fact, several jubilees have taken place in the time I've been here (I haven't seen them myself, so the photo above is linked to someone else's Pinterest account). What I did get to enjoy was the chance to experience some of the local culture and to learn more about this part of the United States. For example, did you know that the Dogwood Trail Court is a group of young ladies who are selected each year to be goodwill ambassadors for the Eastern Shore? This year was the 55th court. I met several of the ladies at the festival and found them to be very friendly to everyone there. To learn more about the court and the work they do, you can check out their Facebook page.

I am really enjoying spending a full month on Alabama's eastern shore. It has given me a chance to check out a lot of the local places like coffeeshops, restaurants, shops, parks and hiking trails. Everyone is very friendly and it has been great fun. If you'd like to see more of my photos from this part of Alabama, stop by my Instagram site.  If you have any questions about this part of Alabama, or have suggestions on places I should go while I am here, please put those in the comment box below. If you are having trouble adding comments, please email me at caminoturtle2016 @ gmail.com  (just remove the extra spaces when you type the email address). Thanks to all of you who are following this blog. It's nice to know that there are so many friends and others I haven't even met who care about my travels.

Sunsets are Awesome in Fairhope, Alabama

I recently discovered the eastern shore of the Mobile Bay when some of my family relocated near Fairhope, Alabama. This week I had the pleasure of visiting them for Thanksgiving. As part of their regular routine, the family likes to drive down to the pier to watch the sunset and to take walks along the shore with the little kids. They suggested we head down before dinner on Wednesday night. The evening was warm, around 75 degrees with a slight breeze off the bay. As we walked along the pier the locals greeted us and showed my young grand nephews the fish they caught. The boys were excited to run out onto the long pier and to show me all the things they liked about living on the bay. I am afraid to admit this, but I think I am falling in love with this beautiful, relaxing, hospitable place. Everyone here is so friendly and the pace of life is much more relaxed than life in the Washington, DC metro area. I may have found my new favorite place to unwind and thank God for my many blessings. 

Since we are actually in a fall/winter month, the sun set around 4:30, so after watching the sunset we headed back to the house for dinner and some games. It was so fun to spend time with my sister, my nephew, his wife and their three little kids. Lots of laughs and a rousing game or two helped to round out a delightful day. I can't wait for our upcoming outing to Dauphin Island and the west coast of Mobile Bay. I highly recommend that if you are ever driving along Interstate 10 that you take some time to eat some seafood and to watch the sunset over Mobile Bay.