Orange Beach break

25 to 28 Feb 2019

We decided to visit Orange Beach, Al for a few days just relaxing and exploring the area.  We stayed at the Hampton Inn in a suite on the ocean front.  As we approached the hotel, we were surprised by all the barriers that were being setup along the road and wondered what was going on. We soon found out that it was Fat Tuesday and there would be a parade coming by shortly.  After checking in and checking out our view from the room, we headed down to watch the parade that soon was passing by the hotel.

Over the next few days, we spent a lot of time just enjoying the changing ocean front view. 

26th

27th

We have been here many times before with the motorhome but did not explore the area as we could now with the car.  The Gulf State Park is nearby, and we spent one morning hiking some of the many trails in the park.

One evening we drove to a restaurant on the outskirts of Fairhope that we went to with an RV group. They prepare a great pan-fried flounder.  According to Anneke, it is the only place she has found in the USA that resembles the way the Dutch prepare it.

The sunsets where amazing, but still Anneke got up the last morning to take sunrise pictures.

Manatee Springs Fl and a night in an historic inn

14, 15 Dec 2019

We have developed a pattern for our journey home after a cruise. This includes visiting some interesting sights and staying in a bed and breakfast for one night.

On this return trip, we stopped at Manatee Springs State Park to check it out as we have not been here before.  It is a first magnitude spring, which means it must produce an outflow of an average of at least 65 million gallons per day.  This spring's peak flow is 150 million gallons per day. 

It also has walking trails and boardwalks along the spring to the river.   There is a campground and hiking and biking trails.  We enjoyed viewing the spring and walking the scenic boardwalk to the river.

We spent the night at the Allison House in Quincy, Fl.  The house was built in 1843 by former State Governor Abraham Allison.  The current owners, John and Bek, are very nice and accommodating.  We had a very pleasant stay.

The owner recommended a Mexican restaurant in town that proved to be very good.

Costa Maya, Mexico

13 Dec 2019

Costa Maya was our last port of the cruise.  This area has grown into a popular tourist trap as a result of the construction of cruise ship docks.  The village at the head of the pier is supposed to represent a Mayan village.  Surrounding it are several other tourist attractions.  There are also numerous excursions you can take from the port.  The village is, like most cruise port activities, trying to separate you from your money.   We did a quick walk around and returned to the ship.