Day 52: Saturday, October 27, 2012
Underway: 0:00 am Motor Off: 0:00 pm Miles Traveled: 00 Stayed At: Marina
First Things First: Enjoyed our first shrimp Po-Boy sandwiches in Creola, Alabama; saw first armadillo (roadkill on side of road).
Mile 16 to Mile 16: The day dawned cloudy, cool and windy and stayed that way all day. We thought it would be fun to go into Mobile and explore but we struck out trying to get a car from the local Enterprise office (they will come and pick you up which is nice when you don’t have any transportation). They were out of cars so we went to Plan B.
We wandered around the park – they have a nice walkway along the river and a small scenic pond in the middle of the campground part of the park. A brochure in the park office advertised a local restaurant called the Louisiana Cajun Market and Deli that had a variety of southern specialties including Po-Boy sandwiches. Well, I somehow convinced Cindy that we could walk there even though it was almost 6 miles away (she really wanted a Po-Boy I guess). Well, we hadn’t left the parking lot before someone visiting the park stopped to ask if we wanted a ride – we decided to take him up on his offer and invited him to join us for lunch. We had a wonderful time learning about him –his name is also Mike – and his family and eating our amazing fried shrimp po-boy’s with lettuce and tomato on toasted buns. Mike has two daughters – a 21 year old and a 10 year old – plus 2 young grandkids he is incredibly proud of. Now that is an adventure. We also met the owner of the restaurant and he shared some samples of his other specialties – we have never really tried Cajun foods. What a great experience.
Mike offered to drive us back to the marina but we really wanted to get some exercise – we needed to work off those huge sandwiches. Before we said our goodbyes, Mike gave us a chunk of heavy cypress “for protection” and to use as a walking stick. It’s reassuring when you know other people are looking out for you. Thanks Mike, good luck on your future adventures.
It was a long but scenic walk back to the marina. Except for a few barking dogs, we felt very safe and enjoyed the sights along the way. We were thankful that Mike gave us a ride there though because we were tired when we got back and just relaxed and read until it was time for bed. Another day full of pleasant and unplanned surprises on the Great Loop.
