Honden Holiday

So it's been just shy of 4 years since we took our last road trip.  It was a 2 week drive from Belgium, south to Barcelona, the French Riviera and circling back through the Bordeaux region of France.  Splendid obviously.

So this is not that, but it is a vacation and turns out, it was so much better than I expected.  We headed east, then south to Dauphin Island, Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico.

Dauphin (not pronounced like the porpoise) is French for heir apparent - and in this case, the eldest son of the king of France.  The island was originally named Massacre Island (google that), but was renamed for Louis XIV of France's great-grandson and heir (dauphin), the future Louis XV of France. 

There's only one road and you can see the Gulf and the Bay at the same time.

We've two dogs (Winslow & Eames) that aren't quite as welcome in our neck of the woods as they are in Europe.  Hence we took a road trip for dogs.  Dauphin Island, Alabama is touted as dog friendly so we decided to find out just how dog friendly they are.

Neither of them was too keen on getting in the water.

Ross joined us and it was really nice to spend time away reading books and working crossword puzzles and cooking.

We rented a beach house on the Gulf because a beach house not on the Gulf is just a house.  We got lucky in our choice because it was perfect.  The inside was great, but it was the expansive porch that kept us outside nearly every waking hour.  After almost 6 years without hearing a wave breaking on the beach, it was hard to stay indoors.

The weather was quite nice for late October.  A tropical storm nearly delayed our trip one day, but it moved out quickly and left behind several beautiful, sunny and warm days ahead.  Our final day included a pretty good thunderstorm, but it was interesting to see the big waves and turbulent water.

Dauphin Island really is an island with a long and high bridge connecting it.  With only 1200 residents it is quaint and very nostalgic.  There are no red lights and only one four-way stop.  There is no fast food - none.  No big chain grocery stores - only one smallish market called the Ship 'N' Shore.  You're basically an hour away from much of anything and we liked that.

The island has been dubbed "The Sunrise and Sunset Capital of Alabama", but I'd find it hard to believe there are better of either anywhere else.  It is situated such that both are gorgeous so we made sure not to miss a single one.

 Sunset

 Sunrise

 Sunrise

 Sunset

 Sunset

 Sunset

Sunrise

Jim did a little fishing ...

and he and Ross took the ferry to check out Fort Morgan.

A little mishap on our departure, but the rental agency responded quickly and we were on the road again!

I can definitely recommend this little island, but if you're looking for a pristine white sand beach and sparkling blue water, this is not it.  However, it is a calm alternative to the fast pace of Destin and it's dog friendly.  I hope we can visit again very soon.