Here is the post that goes with the photos below.

Have I mentioned how beautiful Alabama is?  No, I am not getting paid by the Alabama tourism board.  There are the beautiful beaches along the Gulf Coast.  FYI, there is no oil on the beaches, so come on down.  It is not only the fishing industry that’s hurting because of the oil spill.  Tourism has taken a big hit as well.

Heading north I drove through very green, beautiful hilly areas.  There are forests everywhere.  I think I am ready for a change of scenery.

The eastern part of Alabama is all about lakes.  As you know I stayed at Lake Martin, 44,000 acres of clean water.  I nick named it the Hamptons of Alabama.  I was told that people have their second, third or even fourth home here on the lake.  Families often only spend the summer months in these million dollar mansions.  I was not impressed by the homes.  They were big, however, they lacked character.

I did go on that boat ride on the lake, four hours of riding around in a little boat with an eight horse power out boarder, fun!  Just a tip in case you should be spending any time on the water this summer.  Apply plenty of sunscreen!  Thanks to the cooling breeze the sun does not feel hot and you easily burn to a crisp otherwise.  I am sure you already knew that.

The time at the lake was tranquil.  The park has over 600 campsites on 1,400 acres.  Over the weekend it gets crowed with families.  Once Sunday rolls around people start to clear out and peace and quiet return.  Only five of the forty sites in my area were occupied, total silence.  The sounds of children playing were replaced by the sounds of song birds, ducks, Canada geese, squirrels, and woodpeckers.  

Could you think of a better way to end the day than sitting by the lake, watching the sun set with a little campfire burning and a cold beer in your hand, oh well make that a cup of tea?  It is very relaxing to just look out onto the calm water, just what the doctor prescript.

Wait, I wanted to write about fried food.  OK, when I arrived in Gadsden I asked for a place to eat.  I was told about this great seafood place not too far from the campground.  Yeah, seafood.  Well, when I looked at the menu I was not so thrilled anymore.  Fried, fried and more fried fish.  The only vegetable on the menu was the baked potato that came with most dishes.  So, I settled for some fried crawfish and grilled shrimp with French fries.  Neither was that great.  The best part about this dinner was the cornbread, I usually don’t like corn or anything made with corn, the coleslaw and the pickled onion, which was a first for me.  

What’s the deal with crawfish?  It is very popular down here and in the South.  It is not even a fish, more a cross between shrimp and lobster.  I had it in gumbo and fried and neither time did I find it particular tasty.  The fried version was the size of popcorn.  I haven’t eaten out to dinner ever since.

Speaking of food.  Did you know that all foods in Alabama get taxed; prepared and fresh, even milk?  Sales tax is 9%, that’s more than we pay in New York City.  Adds almost 10 cents to every dollar spend, that’s a lot!  Just a little food for thought since NYC is considering a 1% tax on food.truck camper  travel  ford