Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Alabama

We visited Gulf Shores and Orange Beach on the Alabama Gulf Coast this weekend. I needed some photos for my new site. The weather was a lot better there than it was here. So, off we went.

The State of Alabama is constantly replenishing the beaches with sand. When we first began spending a lot of time on the Alabama Coast in the early 1990's, sand dunes covered with sea oats were plentiful. Hurricanes and tropical storms coming in, one right after the other, has pretty much wiped them from the beach. Dredging and spreading has put thousands of tons of sand on the beach, but the dunes are slow to build. They usually get leveled before they are strong enough to hold up against even weak tropical storms. Fences like these are strung out across the beach to hold the sand in place long enough for vegetation to build the dunes from the bottom, up.



Hurricane forecasters are predicting a strong hurricane season this year. If that's the case, and they come ashore anywhere near Gulf Shores, what little dunes have been built will be swept out to sea yet again.

Until we began building out the beaches it was impossible to lose them. They just moved from one place to the other. Now we've plunked down billion dollar developments on the sand and decided nature should stay still.








Because our trip would be short, I didn't take my rods this time. Winter isn't the best time for surf fishing, but if you sit long enough something will hit - in January, usually whiting.



While I was taking pictures, Kathy was picking up shells.




Yes, believe it or not, people actually surf in Alabama. Here's a surfing family.



This one's caught a wave, albeit one that won't be confused with the smallest waves in Waikiki. The Alabama surf can get rough though, a lot rougher than most people think. While some coastal residents have moved inland to higher ground before a hurricane's landfall, others are hitting the beach with their surfboards.





The Perdido Pass Bridge is a favorite place to fish in winter.



The dolphin cruises guarantee that you will see a dolphin. That's an easy guarantee. Dolphins are always in the back bays. This one is in Terry Cove.



No problem finding a brown pelican either. Hard to believe that these birds were almost extinct at the early part of the last century. All big coastal birds were almost wiped out to put feathers in the hats of stylish women.



Mardi Gras trees have been catching on at the coast. Businesses and restaurants just take down the Christmas lights and out up Mardi Gras colored ornaments. I imagine there are some homeowners who do the same.



This is advertised as being the biggest Ferris Wheel in the southeast. It is at the Wharf, a new development in Orange Beach on the Intracoastal Canal at the toll bridge. We took a ride on it before the development was officially open. You can see all the way to the beach from the top.



The Wharf has been open a little over two years. Since Orange Beach doesn't have a city center, this was supposed to be it. There is shopping, movies, restaurants, entertainment, a marina, condos on the canal and even a amphitheater. Its taking off slow, largely due to the real estate crash. The poor (putting it mildly) economy isn't going to help it either.

Arrowhead Art

I came across some nice arrowhead art yesterday and collected it on a Squidoo lens.

http://www.squidoo.com/arrowheadposters

Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park

Tannehill State Historical Park covers 1500 acres, dipping into the edges of three Alabama counties - Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, and Bibb. Most of the park has been left in its natural state. On even short hikes it is possible to see whitetail deer and raptors. Ducks, squirrels, and small birds are always nearby. All of the wildlife that is native to this part of Alabama are within the boundaries of the park, but most of it will sense you before you see it. On this trip we spotted a small deer drinking from a creek as soon as we entered the park. A few minutes after we parked the car, we saw a red-tailed hawk.

There is a nice restaurant in the park, but it was closed on this visit. A candy and ice cream store and a small old fashioned grocery store are also in the park.



Tannehill is very popular with campers. We visited on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and there were very few campers. The campgrounds can be very crowded, especially during the summer and most holidays.

For the kids there is a miniature railroad that runs from near the park entrance to the Trade Days area.

Many people like to visit the park during Trade Days, which is a giant flea market at the far east end of the park. Trade Days are March until November, third weekend of the month. I personally don't like Trade Days or any other of the times where the park is crowded. The less people, the better for me. But if you enjoy history and nature more than crowds, most of that part of Tannehill is never crowded once you get past the parking lot. Walk about a mile or two downstream, and it is very possible to leave everybody else behind.

Just past the furnaces is a rock bluff that overlooks the creek. The views are beautiful.





There are hiking trails of varying lengths in the park. All of them offer great scenery. Most of them follow or link up with pretty creeks.

The main attraction at Tannehill is the remains of furnaces that supplied the Confederacy during the Civil War. Much of them have been reconstructed. At peak production Tannehill was producing twenty tons of iron a day that was made into everything from pots to cannonballs. On March 31, 1865, during the last days of the war, production came to a sudden halt when three companies of the Eighth Iowa Cavalry attacked. When the fighting stopped the furnaces were in ruins and the supporting structures were burned to the ground.






The furnace site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Civil War Discovery Trail. The furnaces have also been designated an international landmark by the American Society for Metals.







Near the Trade Days area, on Mill Creek, is a working grist mill. The original mill that was located here was built in 1867. This area is very popular with photographers because of its beauty.