Category: Photography

Oak Mountain State Park; Review

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This was a spur of the moment trip for me a few weeks ago. Oak Mountain is about 3 hrs and 45 minutes away from me; one way. It’s located in Pelham, Alabama. By the time I arrived home, it was around 10 p.m and I’d hit the road around 6 that morning.

Upon my arrival, I would come to see how huge it is. Since I was short on time, I didnt see nearly half of the park. Taken from the website: “From its humble beginning as a 940-acre park atop Double Oak Mountain established by the Alabama State Lands Act of 1927, Oak Mountain State Park has grown to 9,940 acres making it Alabama’s largest state park.”

Cost to get in was $5.00 and cash only.

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Bellingrath Gardens and Home

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Bellingrath Gardens and Home is about an hr and twenty minute drive from me and also one of my favorite places to visit. There arent as many flowers in bloom during the fall/winter months compared to spring and summer. It’s still worth visiting to see what is in bloom as you can see from the pictures I took at the end of my post.

You can read about the history of the gardens by clicking the link. Bellingrath Gardens and Home

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Fort Pickens – Part 1(Picture Overload)

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Fort Pickens – Click to Enlarge

I’ve visited here plenty of times. And each time, I’m always in complete awe of the history, and the architecture. You can read about the history here: Fort Pickens.

The price for admission:
Per person (pedestrian, cyclist, etc. 1-7 days) – $15
Motorcycle (1-7 days) – $20
Vehicle (1-7 days) – .$25
Park Annual Pass – $45

You can camp at Fort Pickens; RV or tent with electric and non electric sites. There’s access to the beaches, which to me are a lot less crowded and you can fish. If you plan to camp or just hang out for the day, I suggest doing research before heading over, as in keeping track of the weather and possible closures. From the website “Warning: Fort Pickens Campground / Road is subject to flooding, evacuations, closures due to severe weather; Please make alternate plans for last minute cancellations.”

Finding shade may be an issue at some of the sites – hurricanes tend to destroy our trees. Considering how hot and humid it can get here during the summer months, keep that in mind if you plan to tent camp. If you’d like to go have dinner somewhere or visit the main beach (Pensacola Beach), take into account how far you’ll have to drive. It’ll take about 22 minutes, one way.

Is it worth it? Absolutely!

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Walking to Get Healthy

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Walking is one of my favorite things to do because (1) I’m getting some exercise in and (2) being outdoors does wonders for my soul and (3) I learn quite a bit of history about my city and surrounding cities when I stop to read the plaques/signs posted (4) I find myself meeting new people.

The weather here n Florida can be so unpredictable and lately all it’s done is rain just about every day. Not today though so I decided to take advantage of it even though it was hot as hell outside. The real feel was around 91 I believe. Staying hydrated was very, very important and so I brought my water bottle with me filled with water and ice.

I brought a 100 calorie snack by Emerald, that has almonds, dried cranberries, and cashews to eat on my walk. I also brought a protein bar by One (the blueberry is so good), which was half way melted by the time I returned to the car. The next time I’ll bring my insulated bag with ice pack to out it in.

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Baby Bird

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About a week ago I kept hearing birds outside chirping more than usual and noticed what appeared to be a bird on the ground. I thought maybe it was sick or something and decided to go check. Turns out it was a baby bird (fledgling) which I left alone considering it wasn’t injured. Momma and daddy were close by.

I thought it was pretty cool seeing this right outside my front door. I kept a close eye out as best I could since cats like to visit my yard. There’s something peaceful about seeing nature in action. I’m not sure what type of bird this is.

(After coming home from an outing, I checked back to see if him or her was still there and it wasn’t. Hopefully it went about safely to do what it was needing (learning) to do; fly and be independent.