Since our trip from Galveston didn’t quite end as planned, we are determined to make the most out of our stay here in Mobile Bay as we await repairs to get back underway. To end our trip around Louisiana, we were planning on anchoring at Dauphin Island for a few nights then heading into the ICW (Intercoastal Water Way) to stay at a marina in Gulf Shores, AL before the push into Pensacola and further east. We were, unfortunately, towed by,TowBoatUS, beyond Dauphin Island, up the Mobile Bay, into Turner Marine. The marina isn’t anything fancy but it’s wonderful all the same since the TowBoat captain had to use a personal phone number to get ahold of the owner on a Sunday evening to find us a slip. We had to learn to tie onto pilings and how to get off/on the boat since it is a fixed pier/not floating.
After some much needed sleep and boat clean up, we realized that we had some time before the boat repairs could be made. Though we had not planned on visiting Mobile and its surrounding areas, we were going to take advantage of our time here and do some exploring by rental car and by dinghy.
Dauphin Island: Once we had our rental care secured, we ventured to Dauphin Island to see where we where we had planned to anchor at the end of our journey. It was a lovely cove with Pirate’s Cove Bar & Grill just a dinghy ride away on the shore. We were also pleasantly surprised by the vast number of trees and older homes which lined the streets throughout the island. We then toured Fort Gaines which is at the west entrance to Mobile Bay and was used by the South during the Civil War. Fort Gaines is one of the key sites in the famous Battle of Mobile Bay where Admiral Farragut shouted his now-famous order, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” Now we all know where that phrase comes from!
Downtown Mobile Eats & Drinks: An Uber driver informed us that Mobile was the birthplace for Mardi Gras so we needed to check out Dauphin Street, which is like a mini Bourbon Street in New Orleans. With little souvenir shops and plenty of bars/restaurants, it did not disappoint. In true Erickson fashion, we have located the restaurants with awesome cocktails and beer selections as well as the local breweries with our favorite all around place being Loda Beer. We found a couple of brunch spots which are a must if you’re in the area, Ruby Slipper and Big Bad Breakfast. We also stayed one night at the historic Malaga Inn, which was built in 1862. When we asked if our room was going to be haunted, we weren’t given a straight answer which kept us on our toes.
Downtown Attractions: Once we get to a new city, we like to look up museums and such. Our tour the battleship USS Alabama was a great experience as we were able to go through each level and room with very little blocked off to the public. Though the USS Alabama was built in 1940 in Virginia, Mobile itself was a major shipyard for WWll and continues to to be so with Alabama Shipyard with Department of Defense and Transportation contracts and Austal producing the Independence Class Littoral combat ships for the US Navy. It was very cool to have these ships out to view while docked in the Mobile River. To continue our Naval Theme, we also toured the National Maritime Museum. Though it was geared more for younger folks, we still enjoyed ourselves and even learned a new knot which has already proven to be quite useful. Just by coincidence, in researching upcoming events, we got tickets to see Louis C.K. at the Seanger Theater, which was built in 1927. Though we were in the upper balcony, we enjoyed the concert and the preserved history of the building.
Dog River Dinghy Tour: We returned our rental car after 5 days but that didn’t stop us from exploring. We got our trusty dinghy “Lady” off the bow of the boat and inflated her to take a spin around Dog River. Our marina is located at the mouth of the Dog River and consists of multiple tributaries that come in from the north and west. We packed a 6 pack and ended up traveling 20+ miles, under I-10 two times and still didn’t see it all. It reminded us of our old haunts on Clear Lake with a couple of restaurants and marinas but the trees and wildlife were a bit different. We did see an unfortunate sailboat that was sunk quite a ways upriver that looked like it had quite a story to tell.
Fairhope: On our last day with our rental car and in Mobile, we finally made our way across the Bay to the lovely town of Fairhope, AL. If you go to the historical district, there are many local restaurants and small shops and boutiques all within walking distance. It definitely had a more upscale feel to it and I highly recommend spending more than just a morning here. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to spend enough time exploring or take very many pictures as we were anxious to get back to the boat to prep for our trip to Gulf Shores, AL to “restart” our adventures! Skål
THE JOURNEY NOT THE ARRIVAL MATTERS.
– T.S. ELIOT
