*If you want to see the images without reading the blog, just scroll down to the bottom to the gallery*
So as most of you know, I went on a recent road trip through 3 states. The goal was to get some amazing sunset and sunrise shots. However, Mother Nature said no-a big fat NO. It was cloudy, rainy and/or foggy the whole entire time. You can t see the sun nor all the pretty colors because of all of that.
My first day I went to Biloxi. Technically it was Gulfport because that is where I slept. However, I spent more time in Biloxi and other nearby areas. I stayed at the Oasis resort and I highly recommend this place to anyone! It is very nice and has an amazing history. They have a really pretty fountain with a light show at night. See my shots below:
The next day, day 2, I went to Dauphin Island, Alabama. I love that place! It is so serene there. Nothing about it is commercialized and the beaches are unspoiled. My amazing cousin has a condo there that faces the beach. You do not have to actually walk to the beach if you don’t want to. You can just sit on her big balcony and you literally feel like you are there cuz it is just “right there”. I actually took a nap on the it. At night, I opened up the patio doors and fell asleep listening to the ocean and feeling the ocean breeze. AMAZING! This is the place that I came the closest to getting a sunset image at.
Day 3. I took the ferry from D.I. to Gulf Shores and went on to Pensacola. The water was rough! I was the only idiot that got out of my car on the ferry. I tried to get shots but it didnt work out too good since the boat was swaying and rocking. Thank God, I didn’t eat breakfast that morning cuz I have motion sickness issues! It took longer than normal to get across the bay. I had planned on stopping at a cemetery near Fort Gaines but I decided to stop on the way back instead, since the ferry ride took longer than anticipated. This turned out to be a mistake that you will read about further down.
I loved the drive along the coast. I stopped at the historic St Michael Cemetery and the Pensacola Lighthouse on my way to the beach.
The lighthouse was interesting for sure. It is on the Navy base and you have to stop at the first gate to get through. They have a museum on the grounds of the lighthouse. Lots of great history there! I was going to attempt to climb to the top of the lighthouse even though I am scared to death of heights. However, there was “this” excuse and “that” excuse…but who am I kidding? The truth is that I completely chickened out, lol. I was scared that I was gonna have a panic attack when I got to the top and fall over the edge.
When I went to leave, I plugged in my hotels address and Siri told me to turn right, even though it was the opposite direction of where I came in. I trusted her but I should have not have-that ol **** 🙂 . It took me to the 2nd gate that goes to military housing. I ended up being questioned and having my drivers license “confiscated” for a few minutes. It really wasn’t that bad but I was so embarrassed!!! The little guy manning the gate was super nice and told me that it happens often. GPS gives directions straight through there with no mention of it being a m base. So if you ever go see the lighthouse, DO NOT TURN RIGHT when you leave the parking lot–no matter what Siri or your GPS tells you. Turn left and go the long way around! Unless, you have a military ID. I think they ll let you through if you have one.
St Michaels Cemetery: Its a historic cemetery in downtown Pensacola. It was a lot smaller than I expected but very interesting! I went there twice. The first time, I was not so sure that I parked legally so I just did a quick run through. I went back on my way out and had a little more time but it was raining. I would have liked to be able to spend more time there then I did.
Pensacola Beach was fun. It was so nice to see pretty water! It pretty much rained the whole time while I was there but it didn’t stop me from getting out. I enjoyed the beach but what I enjoyed more was the fishing Pier! It was huge and there were a lot of serious fishermen/women fishing on there.
I have no idea why but I became fascinated watching the people fish. One lady looked like she was maybe 100 lbs and was hauling out an ice chest of big fish that I knew had to weigh more then she did!
They had these buckets that they put the fish in after they caught them. Ya ll… they d catch the fish and grab it by its tail and slam it on the pier to slow it down. Then they put them in the buckets face down with the tails sticking out the bucket. The poor fish were fighting for their lives by trying to get out. You could see their tails moving as they were fighting, trying to overturn the bucket. If they came close to turning the buckets over, the men would grab them by the tail and slam them on the pier again and throw them back in the bucket. It was brutal but kinda interesting to watch at the same time.
You guys know that I am a full time RN thats works remotely. My nursing boss, whom I had never met before, lives in the Pensacola area. She picked me up and took me to dinner and I got to meet her boys and husband. It was so great to actually meet her in person and meet her family. So that was a pretty cool thing that I go to do on my first night there.
The next day, I drove out to Navarre Beach. I really enjoyed the drive there and seeing all the sand dunes. I also loved the little town and beach itself. It reminded me of Dauphin Island but the water was much much prettier. The Pier there is even longer than the one in Pensacola. It wasn’t full of people like the one at Pensacola was. I have decided that when I win the lottery, I am going to buy a condo there 🙂
The weather got a bit worse on my 2nd day there. It was raining more and there were white caps in the ocean. It was very gusty. I stayed for a 2nd night and then headed back to Dauphin Island again. The plan was to catch the ferry again but it could not run that day because of the conditions. So, I had to drive the long way to get back to D.I. It wasn’t bad though..
My cousin that owns the condo in D.I. was camping at an Alabama state park. We actually ended up meeting up for lunch at Lamberts in Foley! It was my first time there! The food was amazing and it was a lot of fun. I caught my first” throwed roll”! 🙂
After leaving Foley, I went on to Dauphin and I had to go back up to the interstate and go through the tunnel and then drive down to the island. It took me 5o minutes to get from Pensacola to Foley Alabama. It took me almost 2 hours to get from Foley, Alabama back to Dauphin since I couldnt ride the ferry. Because I had to go back that direction, I was not able to stop at the cemetery near Fort Gaines as planned 🙁
I made it to Dauphin and enjoyed my last day of my vacay there, hanging on the beach and balcony. I drove back home the next morning. FYI, my cousin does rent her condo out via AirBNB if anyone wants to vacay or visit out there.
I really enjoyed my road trip! It was disappointing to not have the sunsets like I wanted but I still enjoyed it . The one thing that I got a chance to do was RELAX. I rarely have the chance to do that. I typically work 12 + hours a day between my nursing job and photography. It was nice to be able to chill and not feel rushed and be on a deadline.
I hope you guys enjoy these shots. Thanks for reading!
~Tiffany
