On March 7 we traveled a couple of hours west along the Gulf Coast to Gulf State Park near Orange Beach, Alabama. By about noon we were pulling into the large and well-organized Gulf State Park Campground and settling into site 198.
The campground is impressively equipped. There are swimming pools, sports courts, paved bike paths, bathhouses, and hundreds of full-hookup sites spread through a pine forest just a short distance from the Gulf of America. It feels a bit less like a luxury RV resort than our previous stop, but at about $100 per night instead of the $200 we had just paid in Florida, that seems like a perfectly fair trade.
The park has a posted speed limit of 15 mph, though the occasional vehicle seems to glide through a bit faster than that. Fortunately, we were here primarily for the extensive bike trails and a visit to the beach, so the traffic didn’t bother us much.
Because we arrived early in the day, we decided to make the most of the afternoon and explore the park by bike. Gulf State Park has one of the largest paved trail systems on the Gulf Coast—over 25 miles of paths known as the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail network.
We rode west toward Woodside Restaurant, which sits near the heart of the trail system, and stopped there for lunch. Afterward we continued riding around Lake Shelby, a large freshwater lake surrounded by forest and marsh habitat.
From there we continued east along the shaded Gulf Oak Ridge Trail before looping back west on the Catman Road Trail. The route eventually took us through the Sawgrass Trail and finally along the Campground Trail back to our site. While most of the trail is paved, long portions are wood boardwalks over marshland. It was fun riding over these walkways and the way they made our bikes sound like trains traveling down old tracks.
Altogether the ride came to about twenty miles and turned out to be an excellent way to see the park. The section near the restaurant and around Lake Shelby was quite busy with both cyclists and pedestrians, but with a bit of patience and careful riding it was still enjoyable.
After returning to the campsite we headed over to the pool to cool off. The warm Alabama air and sunshine made the water especially welcome after the ride. That evening we enjoyed a quiet dinner at the trailer and a relaxed evening in the campground.
Early the next morning, March 8, we were awakened by the sound of thunder rolling across the Gulf Coast. The sky flashed repeatedly with lightning and rain poured down in sheets. I have always enjoyed nighttime thunderstorms, and this one did not disappoint.
When it was actually time to get up, we prepared for church and drove toward the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse where the Foley Ward meets.
We arrived right on time only to discover that the building was being remodeled. A sign outside directed visitors to a temporary meeting location. We followed the directions and drove over, but when we arrived the parking lot was completely empty—which is never a good sign on a Sunday morning.
After checking the Church’s website more carefully, we realized what had happened. The ward is part of the Mobile Alabama Stake, and that particular Sunday was stake conference weekend. The meetings were being held in Mobile, more than an hour away. At that point we decided to turn around and head back to the trailer and hold our own quiet worship service there.
The rest of the afternoon was spent studying for our upcoming mission assignment, planning our next stop near New Orleans, Louisiana, and enjoying a walk along the beach.
We entered the beach at the Shell Beach parking area and walked west toward Alabama Point East. The Gulf stretched out green and restless under the partly sunny sky, and the beach was nearly empty. The surf warning flags were red that day, indicating strong currents and rough conditions, but we were content simply to walk along the shoreline and wade a bit in the water. Our beach visit ended by a walk down the park’s peer where we enjoyed a beautiful sunset before leaving.
That evening we returned to the trailer, prepared for our departure the next day, enjoyed a nice dinner, and reflected on how much we had enjoyed our short stay. In just two nights we had managed to ride miles of beautiful trails, explore the park, walk the beach, and enjoy the quiet rhythm of life along the Gulf Coast.
| Nights | Total Nights | Miles | Total Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 371 | 88 | 32337 |