Fort Morgan Beach Report
Posted by ReactionaryIf I said I was sorry for not posting lately I’d be lying…
Just got back from the Fort Morgan area of Gulf Shores. Now, I consider myself to be a connoisseur of beaches and coasts - I’ve driven almost the entire Atlantic coast between Maine to Key West and the Gulf Coast from Key West to Cancun - and been to almost every beach on the way. In my subject matter expert judgment, Alabama has the finest beaches.
Let’s start with signs and bumper stickers - Peggy Givhan has the most signs up, also saw a huge McCain sign by the Ruby’s in Greenville (plus some McCain yard signs in Gulf Shores), Twinkle and McLemore signs, then lots of local signs in Baldwin County. I saw one ‘Kerry Edwards’ sticker on a car from Arkansas; saw a ‘Mitch’ sticker on a SUV with a KY State Senate plate; saw several ‘W’ stickers.
I watched parts of a couple of Baldwin County Commission meetings and a Baldwin County Planning Commission meeting on TV (yes, I am that much of a party!). The Planning Commission was pretty informative to me, those guys were grilling the proposed developers of a fishing destination called ‘Cypress Point’ at the Bon Secour River. I was pleased to see that the developer was working with the site (biological surveys, planning around trees and habitat) to minimize the human impact on the site. I was pleased to see the Planners focus on not dredging, permeable drives (conserve rain and limit run-off), and road safety.
Attended the Fort Morgan Candlelight Tour. IIRC the Baldwin Chamber of Commerce said ‘Ghost Stories’, but it was really a tour with historical skits performed by period re-enactors. A good crowd of about 300 people attended. The tour ended at sunset, on the western tip of the peninsula, with a firearms and artillery demonstration. The ‘Commanding General’ asked for serving military and veterans to come forward, and they fired a salute just as the sun set.
I had noticed on previous trips some foreigners were working as maids, but this time I saw lots of Eastern Europeans: the Ukrainian beach chair attendant, the Moldavian girls working at Souvenir City (they forgave me for thinking they were Romanian), and the Armenian guest services guy. They all preferred the Gulf to the Black Sea - much cleaner plus nicer people…
Note that Tacky Jack’s (one of my favorites) has opened a new restaurant by the Fort. Also, the Gulf Shores WalMart is the biggest Wally I’ve ever seen.
And finally, the beach. Fantastic! Sugar white sands; gentle surf; shells, sanddollars, and starfish. Saw dolphins from the balcony every morning, saw beach mice every night. Also saw pelicans, seagulls, alligators, lizards, turtles, fish, crabs, and raccoon.
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July 7th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
What shape were the old coastal artillery forts in? Last time I was down there, they seemed to be getting back filled in beer bottles.
July 8th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Brian,
I couldn’t agree more. Even after living in Australia for two years I think Alabama’s beaches are the best! I believe Fort Morgan is probably in the beginning stages of some explosive growth! I guess that is both good and bad. Glad you enjoyed your vacation.
July 8th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
walt - Fort Morgan was in good shape, but there is construction on the east wall (building better foundation to keep it from washing away). Last week or so while digging they found a LIVE 100 pounder artillery shell fired by the US Navy during the Civil War. The rest of the site is well-kept and they seem to get a lot of visitors, which is good to see ($$$ and awareness).
I haven’t been to Fort Gaines in two years but it was in good shape then, although preserving the beach on a barrier island is a tough job (Mother Gaia likes for the barrier islands to move around
IMO, Alabama keeps the forts in pretty good condition - I’ve toured several of the ’star forts’ built in the early 1800s - ours are among the best.
Saw some litter on the roads, but not much… I think that the coastal cleanups really help keep the beach cleaner, plus raise litter awareness.
July 8th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Good to hear that. Always liked crawling around the things as a kid.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Daisy,
I wish it was me who was on vacation, but it was my intrepid co-blogger who enjoyed the sandy beaches and Baldwin County politics.