Column 68 for January 21, 2001

Over the past two years I’ve written a couple "travelogues" about some favorite places I’ve traveled to, straying from my usual wit(?), wisdom(?) and whining about education. I’m going to do it again.

One of the advantages of living in Carrollton is that we have several relatively "close" beaches we can get to rather quickly. No, I don’t mean Tanner Beach. The most popular beach from here seems to be Panama City. Having taught school and done fishing charters from there, living nearby, you might think that would be my weekend destination of choice. It isn’t. Even with all the rebuilding, "PC" seems to be a little trashy to me, sort of the same way I think of Pigeon Forge. The area west of Panama City, towards Destin, seems much nicer, but that’s not my favorite place either.

Many of you have probably traveled to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Alabama, but if you haven’t, you’re in for a treat. My folks spend from Christmas until the end of March in Gulf Shores, and I went to visit this weekend. I’ve been there several times over the past couple years, and I like it more each trip.

I don’t have a radar detector, so I try to drive at speeds that won’t attract the attention of any of Alabama’s finest… From Carrollton, I go down 27 to I-85 in LaGrange. I-85 takes you to Montgomery, where you pick up I-65 towards Mobile. Gulf Shores Parkway exit is at Bay Minette. All of this, so far is an easy 4-hour drive. The last 50 "scenic" miles takes just over an hour. "Scenic" means that you pass what seems like every fruit stand, outlet store, antique shop, and bonsai tree shop in Alabama. Great, if you like that kind of thing, but as for me, I just want to get to the beach.

All in all, it’s still an easy drive. By the time you’ve passed all the "scenery", you’re at the beach. It’s easy to get around. Nice bike paths along the beach road, on both sides, for miles and miles. A beautiful state park. Reasonable prices, and very little of the "tackiness" of Panama City Beach. It’s not far to historic Fort Morgan on Mobile Bay, one of the last strongholds of the Confederacy, and famous in the War of 1812 too. If you like the casino scene, there are day trip buses to Mississippi for as little as $8, including lunch, and $5 in quarters, not a bad deal. It’s a short drive to the wonderful US Naval Air Museum in Pensacola. The beach itself is just as nice as any along the Florida panhandle. I would sum it up as being more "mature" in character than PC, yet not a pricey as the Destin area. Give it a try sometime. Just don’t all go at once. I enjoy the peace and quiet, and I’m going back again on a weekend soon.

As a wall hanging I saw at my dad’s said, "We can’t change the wind, but we can adjust our sails." Good sailing and Peace. tomiswho@mindspring.com