Today was the longest drive since day 21 and could easily have been considered boring, but we have learned that every day offers something. Today we watched as pine forests began to encroach on the changing colors for fall. And those pines began to remind us of home. We also added another piece to the agriculture jigsaw puzzle by slipping the cotton piece into place.
The road today was neither interstate nor back road. A beautiful four-lane divided highway gave the appearance of an interstate, but the occasional driveways and stop signs imparted a rural look. Towns with names like Okolona, Shuqualak, Scooba, Shubuta, Citronelle and Chunchula made us feel we were out of the mainstream.
I now know the purpose of the Rocky Mountains. They have been strategically placed to balance all of the bricks used in Southern buildings. It seems like every house, church, business, courthouse and library is built of brick. Beautiful homes are everywhere. And prices are unbelievable.
We asked at the desk for a dinner recommendation and then headed for the Original Oyster House out on Battleship Causeway. Probably the best dinner since Boston. We started with a couple of Coronas and sharing a bowl of seafood gumbo. Best gumbo we’ve ever had. Flounder, crawfish, shrimp, beans, rice and who knows what else. I had Blackened Shrimp and Grits. Sounds a little far out, but seafood and grits seems to be a southern thing. Dinner included red beans and rice, red potatoes and hush puppies. Barb had the same except for grilled shrimp instead of blackened.
On the way back to the motel we stopped so I could get a photo of the USS Alabama (BB-60), which is now a museum ship on permanent display in Mobile Bay. Now up to 8,145 miles and I think Alabama is number 28. Tomorrow we will take a lazy drive along the gulf coast to New Orleans, Louisiana. 473 miles today.
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