After spending downtime in Mobile, my car was ready for action, and I wasn't sticking around Mobile any more. I'm sure there was more to see, but I wanted to hit the road.
The next destination on my list was Dauphin Island, home of Fort Gaines, which also has a ferry service across the entrance of Mobile Bay to Fort Morgan. (Yes, two more forts, Ken.)
En route, I decided to stop by Bellingrath Gardens and Home, which are reputed to be among the nicest gardens in the south east. They charge separately for walking through the gardens and for touring the home. They also offer a river boat ride, but I didn't want to do that, so I just paid for the gardens and home.
A short walk along well groomed brick path and under a bridge finds you at the first of a few types of gardens that make up the grounds - a rose garden, in a traditional English circular style around a multitiered fountain featuring lions spouting water from their mouths. A greenhouse is positioned at the far side of the rose garden, beaconing you to explore it. I didn't...yet.
After hunting roses, I went into the greenhouse, and paused inside to let my glasses and lens to clear from the fog they instantly developed due to the dank environment I had entered. It was full of a variety of tropical and subtropical species - lillies, orchids, cacti, fruits, and many others. There was also a lone hummingbird hecticly flying from end to end, seemingly overwhelmed by the wide selection of nectar filled flora it had exclusive reign over.
After leaving the greenhouse, I headed toward the house. Annuals flank the walkway leading to the house, which skirts wide plush grassy parade areas, only interupted by the occasional tree and it's corresponding flowerbed.
The grassy areas give way to stands of mossy shady oaks and long fountain pools as you approach the house. The fountains continue down the side of the riverbank, leading to the dock from which the boat tour departs.
You may have noticed that every time I type the name, I list gardens before home. This is one of the few famous home and garden combos that actually built the gardens first. The plot of land was used as a weekend retreat for the owner of one of the largest Coca-Cola distributors in the nation. His wife thought the land needed to be prettier for her to stay there often, so she built the gardens, which include on the 65 acre property. Later, they decided to build a mansion on it, resulting in the full name of Bellingrath Gardens and Home.
The mansion is constructed with a English Renaissance theme, and opulently decorated. Unfortunately, photography inside was prohibited, so I have little to show you of it, but it was a very nice home, full of exquisite antique furniture and art, from the original Tiffany lamp worth over $300k to the porcelain figurines and other knick-nacks. They had money and wanted to flaunt it. They succeeded.
Inside the carriage house (garage), a small museum has been set up showcasing the work of Edward Boehm, who was a friend of theirs that gave them numerous pieces of sculpture and other artwork.
On the other side of the house is a boardwalk that takes you out over an inlet of the river.
Dominating much of the landscape in this area is a lake guarded by a lion statue and more waterfalls.
Other gardens, walkways, and boardwalks can be found around the property.
Finally, there's a quaint oriental garden on the way out.
Unfortunately, though I arrived at the beginning of spring, the weather patterns this year have been abnormal, so many of the garden plants and flora weren't in bloom as they should have been - the azaleas had bloomed early, and most of their flowers were wilting, and the Crepe-myrtles were just starting to bud. This made the gardens a disappointment, but they were still pretty.
It was a nice stop, but would have been nicer had the gardens been showcasing their beauty.
Dauphin Island
By the time I left Bellingrath, I knew I wouldn't have time to see Fort Gaines until the next morning, but there's a campground on Dauphin Island, so I continued on down to the island.
Arriving at the campgrounds, I was initially told that they thought they were booked solid, but to come in the office so they could look. When I went in, I noticed a sign hanging on their desk advertising a bluegrass festival that was being held in the fort on Friday and Saturday, which explained why they were nearly fully booked. They checked, and they did have one site available - a small lot, big enough to accommodate my tent and the small table that was there, but that was about all (it's usually sold as an add-on to an adjacent site when groups have two tents). It would have worked, though, so I went back to the office to register.
While I was waiting for them to finish helping another camper, their phone rang, and someone cancelled their reservation for 4 sites. I ended up with one of the larger sites they had. I asked them about the festival, and they said I should be able to get into the fort before the festival opens the next day at 2:00 (Saturday).
After setting up camp, I went for a walk through the Autobahn Sanctuary adjacent to the campgrounds, which had an entrance right next to my tent site. I ended up emerging from the sanctuary on the beach, and decided to walk along the beach back to the campground.
From the beach you can just make out the Sand Island Lighthouse, three miles to the south. I also watched some birds and the sunset.
When I reached the beach access to the camp grounds, I decided to continue around the tip of the island, where the fort is located. Listening to the bluegrass coming over the walls while I watched the sun set on the island, and the lights of the oil platforms just off shore dot the gulf view was a nice way to end the day. I walked the short distance back to the campgrounds, and went to sleep, planning to get up early to go to Fort Gaines in the morning.
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