Monday March 20, 2006 was the third and final day of our trip. I got up at 6:30 and organized and cleaned up the car and the campsite before the boys got up around 8:30. They then helped me take down the tent and put up the sleeping bags, dirty clothes, etc. After breakfast we headed to the public beach at the Gulf State Park.
This was the sunniest and warmest day of our trip. While it was in the low to mid 40's across North Alabama, it was 75 in Gulf Shores! It was a red flag day on the beach and the waves were high due to the high winds. The only unpleasant aspect of the beach was that the sand was pelting people pretty hard in the wind. I should have sat down closer to the water so that less sand could hit me.
Regardless, we all had a lot of fun in the sun. The sun was bright and it was easy to get a sunburn in that weather. We had a bit of a sunburn in the areas that we missed with the sunscreen, but for the most part we were ok. We left a little after noon. I stopped at the Winn Dixie and picked up some diet orange Chek Colas (we cannot get those in North Alabama any longer). After Winn Dixie, we ate at McDonalds and started the long trek home at 2:50 p.m.
The driving was easy and comfortable all the way to Montgomery. By the time we got to Montgomery, tornado watches were out and storms were on the horizon. When we went through Montgomery, the temperature was 76. About 10 minutes north of town, it was as if someone turned on the air conditioner. The temperature must have immediately dropped about 20 degrees. We went through a very strong thunderstorm, with cloud to ground lightning, high winds, and torrential rains. It rained the rest of the way home. From Montgomery to Cullman we had to drive between 40 and 60 miles per hour due to the heavy rain and poor visibility. After a quick stop to unload in Cullman County, we travelled on to Huntsville and arrived at exactly 10 p.m. We crashed!
Thank God for a safe and fun Spring Break 2006.
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4 comments:
Hi!
I loved hearing about the Spring Break Trip 2006 to GS.
I have family there, and hearing it makes me excited to "go home" next week!
I have no idea why you were charged parking at the public beach, that is new, but I can find out for you.
Thanks Stephanie! It was great and I hope you have fun too. Let me know what you find out!
Spoke to my "people" on the coast just now, and they think that the money is going to the city to help with some of the Ivan repair? My grandmother, who has lived there for some 13 years, was completely unaware they had started charging to park. She lives in a subdivision off of Canal Road, and so when we go to the beach, it is good to know we may have to have parking money in hand!
Thanks for the info...I don't feel as bad about it considering the need for Ivan rebuilding...
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