Our one stop in Alabama is for four days at the Styx River RV Park, between Mobile and Pensacola (closer to Pensacola). According to a sign at the entrance, it was voted the best RV park on the gulf coast. Out of curiosity, we asked the lady at the entrance when that vote was taken. She said she didn't know for sure, but she had worked at the park for 21 years and the sign was there when she arrived. The park is nice, but was obviously built when RVs were much smaller. If the vote were taken now, I would be surprised if the "best on the gulf" sign would not have to come down. The interior roads are very narrow and winding. In negotiating one passage, I knocked down the adjacent fence (and, of course, did some minor damage to our rig). That's one of the hazards of dragging around such a behemoth.
One thing we've noticed in our travels is that in some places fireworks are a very big business. Becky was excited to see one store here as a sort of personal tribute.
Daisy discovered that the ground here is quite sandy. It must have reminded her of the sandstone at Zion National Park, since she proceeded to dig a large hole next to our rig---which she did daily when we were at Zion. She is in Heaven.
On Sunday we watched the Academy Awards, as usual. We actually saw two of the nominated movies this year---Up and The Hurt Locker. Both of them won Oscars. Good. They were both worthy.
On Monday, Becky decided to ride her bike to the nearest Red Box to rent Inglourious Basterds. It turned out to be farther away than the 11 miles she expected. At 20 miles she called me to pick her up. The Red Box turned out to be 30 miles away. When we got there, it was broken. Fortunately, we found another one a mile farther away. I thought the movie was very engrossing. Becky did not agree entirely. It's worth seeing if for no other reason than watching Christoph Waltz. He's marvelous. The movie is very violent and bloody, and more than two hours long.
On Tuesday, we took a quick field trip to Pensacola, just to get the flavor of it. We entered the city from the west, on a local highway, and saw what must be its seediest side. We ended up at the historic downtown area, which was beautiful. There are numerous old buildings that are in magnificent condition, and a number of new buildings that have been designed to replicate the look of the older ones.
Very near the downtown area is the port. They take appropriate civic pride in the history of the city. It was settled by the Spanish in 1559---well before St. Augustine, which is the oldest city in the country. At the port, there is a statue of an unnamed (i.e., generic) Spanish explorer. It's really a pretty area.
Pensacola is the location of significant Navy air installations--including the home of the Blue Angels. They decorate the freeway overpasses with representations of the Blue Angels, and there are several "statues" of the planes around the city.
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