Take a Hike with the Claytons

Take a Hike with the Claytons

Monday, June 4, 2018

Meaher State Park


Hottest camping trip ever!  It was scorching the whole time we were there and our campsite did not have much tree coverage.  We kept looking for water to jump into but unfortunately the waters around this campsite likely have gators as well.  What do you do? I guess you just have fun anyway!


This trip to Spanish Fort is something we hope is an annual trip for us.  Children of the World (the agency we used to assist in adopting Cora) hosts a picnic the first of June for families who have adopted from India or who are considering it.  Since we want to stay connected to the agency and also help anyone in the process, we’ve committed to making the trip each year. Meaher State Park (pronounced like “mayor”) happened to be directly across the street from the picnic this year, so that was a win for us.  

So, we started pretty early Friday morning (I took a vacation day at work) because we did nothing the night before.  I woke about 6:10 and started the loading process. Even though Kelly and I were not really motivated this time around, it went really smoothly and I managed to keep my “we’re taking too much stuff!” comments to myself.  We ended up getting the kids in the car around 8:20 and we were off. The ride down was fine … the kids could probably have been better, but who’s keeping score when they are packed in the back of the truck like that. The highlight of the ride to Spanish Fort was stopping for lunch, at Shoney’s!  What?! Yes, we exited and were heading to Zaxby’s but happened to see a newly renovated Shoney’s advertising a $5.99 lunch buffet. We jokingly brought it up and Kelly had me run in to scope it out and we decided to go for it and it went really well, especially since all three kids ate for free!


We rolled into Meaher around 2:00 and got everything set up without too much issue.  The kids then convinced us to go to the playground for a bit, but Kelly and I were itching for something a little more fun.  We considered mini-golf but there was nothing close. Fortunately, we happened upon a pretty cool animal exhibit center and then a sweet little splash pad area with a nice playground and ended with some live music.  The animal exhibit was a lot of fun and kept the kids entertained for a while. The best part was when Kelly was holding her camera up an to aquarium that housed a small alligator. He was not a happy little guy and so he snapped at Kelly.  It scared her so much that she jumped and gave out a little yelp. As she was basically running away from the aquarium she tripped over Caroline and ended up splattered against the wall, where she almost knocked off the prize bass that was mounted.  It was a classic moment and I really needed a laugh like that! The kids haven't stopped talking about it and we overheard Carter telling one of his new friends about it!




The kids had a blast at the splash pad and we stayed pretty late, even though no one had figured out dinner yet.  Well, if you know us you know we are always going to make food happen. I saw someone sitting at the splash pad with some pretty good-looking seafood, so I inquired and learned about David’s Catfish.  Yum. We headed that way with our eyes wide and fired up about some catfish! For some reason they decided to put us in the back room all by ourselves. Wise move in their part because our crew is never very tame at restaurants.  Ironically, tonight they were and we feasted on slaw, catfish, chicken fingers, fries, and cheese grits. It was so good. After this, we made our way back to the camper and went to bed. Kelly and I sat outside and soaked up the bay breeze for a bit before retiring.  The night wasn’t too great … Kelly ended up awake several times due to various kid issues, but we did make it.


The next morning started out very hot.  Cora and I went to the grocery store to find donuts and other miscellaneous items.  Eventually, we got everyone ready and headed over to the picnic. When we got there it was very hot and when we left it was even hotter.  In between we had a lot of fun with the Children of the World families. The kids seemed to have a blast meeting new friends, playing yard games, and getting henna tattoos.  It was wonderful meeting new families and of course catching up with Pat and Terri who both had integral parts in bringing Cora home!

  



Once we left the picnic we went back to the camper long enough for Cora to nap and everyone to put on their swim gear. We loaded everyone up, got some Chick-fil-a, and landed at the Fairhope public beach area.  This was just what we all needed. Some water to cool off in and some good just-let-it-all-out fun. Cora was absolutely crazy in the water … I mean floating around and getting plastered by the waves. Carter and Caroline did their normal thing with the waves, and we all managed to just relax for a bit.  We ended the evening by watching a beautiful sunset and walking to the end of the pier. On that walk, we met a nice lady who had just caught a catfish. Kelly and I were ushering the kids away before she cleaned the fish, but they were curious. Caroline was the most interested in seeing what was about to happen and Kelly continuously cautioned her, all the way to “Caroline!  She is about to jab that knife into the fish.” We thought for sure this was scare her away, but nope … she was all about it. Cora and Carter made it back to the scene and we all got a lesson in catfish dissection.




After this long day, the kids would surely fall asleep on the way home, right?  Negative. They seemed to have even more energy. They finally went to bed around 9:00-9:30 and once again the night didn’t go the best for Kelly.  I managed to sleep through most all of it, like always, while Kelly did the work. She’s just too good.

The next morning we basically began loading up around 8:30 and hit the road at 10:00, the earliest we’ve ever departed.  Overall, the trip was great and we seemed to have a really good time. Maybe next time it won’t be so hot...

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