Weeks Bay Pitcher Plant Bog

Friday, 26 April (Part I)
Gulf State Park  — Gulf Shores, Alabama
Temps: Lo 58F / Hi 77F (14C / 25C)

We left home early this morning to do some sightseeing.

The bonus of our early departure … I managed to photograph a couple of murals we came upon by happenstance before they were blocked by vehicles.

I processed this mural photo for the Viewfinder blog, but I will post it here instead.  There was no signature that I could find, but the theme is appropriate since it is on the side wall of Blalock Seafood & Specialty Market in Gulf Shores.

Anyway, on with the primary goal of our day — exploring the Weeks Bay Pitcher Plant Bog (WBPPB).  Had we not taken an alternate route down US-98 on our way to Gulf State Park on Monday, I would not have seen the sign for the bog, and I probably would not have known of its existence as it does not seem to be a much publicized place when you ask about things to do in the area.

23.4 miles (37.5 km) from Gulf State Park to the Pitcher Plant Bog (B)
and another 11.5 miles (18.5 km) from the bog to Fairhope (C).

I’ve been fascinated by pitcher plants since I first came across a mention of them.  Judy (of Travels with Emma) showed me my first pitcher plants when we visited her at Okefenokee NWR at Christmas (post here).  They were different varieties from the ones that are most prevalent here at the WBPPB, so I was excited to get going on the Kurt G. Wintermeyer Trail, which runs through the bog.

Parking the car in the lot across the road from the trail, we set out to explore the bog.

For those who, like me, aren’t familiar with bogs … what is it?  It’s a unique habitat created by the right combination of water, soil, and environmental conditions.  It’s not as wet as a swamp or marsh.  In fact, a healthy bog is dry enough to burn occasionally.  The soil must be porous to allow the water to drain.  Those are some of the basics.  Rather than turn this post into a thesis on bogs, however, I’ll just refer you to this excellent flyer from the website I linked to above.

From the signage: Bracken is found most often in open woods with relatively dry soil.  It can
form large colonies of wavy, dark green, almost horizontal leaves.  Growing to 3 feet (~1m)
high, the fronds are the earliest to appear in spring and the first to die with the frost.

Since the surface of the bog is fragile, and walking on it can compress the soil and allow water to pool, the raised boardwalk that runs through the bog is essential to its wellbeing.  A circular section about halfway up the trail provides the most advantageous views of the pitcher plants.  The trail then continues onto Weeks Bay where a small deck offers water views.

The trail runs through a heavily forested area before ending at Weeks Bay.

The soil that pitcher plants grow in is quite acidic and low in nutrients.  But that’s not a problem for these carnivorous plants — they get all the nutrients they need from the insects that make their way down the hollow tube (really, the leaves of the plant) where they die because they can’t come back up through the obstacle of stiff, downward-pointing hairs that encourage them to travel down into the tube in the first place.  A pool of enzyme-rich liquid at the bottom of the tube helps the plant digest the insect and gives it the necessary nutrients in order to grow.

A panel at the head of the trail provides information about the bog.
[click for a larger, more legible image]

Admittedly, we were a little early in the season to see the pitcher plants in full glory, and there were few other wildflowers, and none of the orchids that bloom in the summer.  One local I spoke with before we left confirmed that by mid-May the place is really spectacular.  Still, we thoroughly enjoyed visiting the bog.  That we had the place entirely to ourselves for the majority of the time added considerably to our pleasure.  If you want to enjoy the solitude of the bog, go early as the parking lot was filling up when we left shortly after 10:30a.

A stand of white-topped pitcher plants … the only variety we saw today,
and the most numerous at this bog.

White-topped pitcher plant Flowers.

Though numerous at this bog, white-topped pitcher plants are considered rare because
they grow in a very restricted range along the Gulf of Mexico.  As well, the beauty of the white
pitchers and crimson flowers, has led to over-collection and eradication in some areas.

Escaping the death trap!
If you look closely, you can make out the cilia — the stiff, downward-pointing hairs —
that encourage insects to move down into the pitcher.

As I noted above, we were a little early to see the other flora that bloom in the bog, but I didn’t come away entirely empty-handed.

Sawtooth Blackberry

Fly Poison
[not sure; let me know if otherwise.]

The Sundew is another carnivorous plant; it catches its prey on drops of sticky dew.

From the WBPPB we took the advice of the staffer at the Alabama Welcome Center and headed to the town of Fairhope, another 11.5 miles (18.5 km) northwest of the bog.  But … that’s for another post since this one is plenty long already.

A Day At Home at Gulf SP

Thursday, 25 April
Gulf State Park  — Gulf Shores, Alabama
Temps: Lo 57F / Hi 78F (14C / 25.5C)

Today consists of a few quick notes  since we didn’t do much of anything.

It was a mostly cloudy day, so we took a pass on beach time.  Instead, we stayed home, relaxed in the screen shelter, and enjoyed the birds and bunnies visiting our site.

I finally managed to get a decent photo of one of the two species of dark-colored birds that frequent the grass patch adjacent to us — turns out to be a brown-headed cowbird.  Since the mowers have come through, the number of them visiting us has increased exponentially.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds website has an interesting description of how these birds raise their young:

… Females forgo building nests and instead put all their energy into producing eggs, sometimes more than three dozen a summer.  These they lay in the nests of other birds, abandoning their young to foster parents, usually at the expense of at least some of the host’s own chicks.

Still working on a decent photo of the other dark-colored birds that visit us.  From the sheen and spots on their feathers, I think they might be European starlings.  Hopefully I will be able to confirm that soon.

Bunnies — which I still think are eastern cottontail rabbits — are plentiful at this campground.  We see them everywhere we walk.  Obviously the bobcat that frequents the backcountry trails isn’t doing a good job of keeping the bunny population under control ;-)  What about the alligators?  Do they like rabbits?  Hmmm.

This bunny comes by to see us daily!
OK, OK … it just likes the meadow where it can munch away without worry.

When I wasn’t clicking the shutter I was using our day at home to catch up on my reading — be it blogs or other material.  The campground has a good wi-fi system that has been quite speedy so far.  They have plenty of repeaters to transmit the signal throughout the campground … despite its size.  We drove it the other day and it’s about 2 miles (3.2 km) from one end to the other.

Anytime I can do my internet browsing outside is a good time!
Mui made good use of the grill (left corner of our pad) tonight!

In addition to an 11-mile trail system outside the campground — which we plan to check out later in the week — there are several unpaved paths within the campground that go a short distance into the wetlands or to the lakes.  When the sun came out late in the afternoon, we walked the short trail to the Middle Lake Overlook.  Not only did we have the path to ourselves, but there was no one else at the small deck at the end.  Had we not had plans for grilling, we might have returned there with some sandwiches for dinner with a lake view.  Maybe another time.

A glass of chilled wine … grilled gulf shrimp for dinner — Mui made a run into Pensacola and stopped at Joe Patti’s to replenish our supply.  A great way to end a quiet day at home.

Tomorrow we have plans to explore a place that caught my eye as we were driving down from Gulfport via the alternate route we opted for.  From what I have researched since spotting the sign, it sounds like an interesting place.  That’s all I’m going to say about it for now.  Oh, OK.  I’ll give you a hint … it involves some special plants that I’ve been wanting to see for a while ;-)

No More Mississippi Sound … Hello Gulf of Mexico

Wednesday, 24 April
Gulf State Park  — Gulf Shores, Alabama
Temps: Lo 57F / Hi 74F (14C / 23C)

On Monday (April 22), we left Mississippi behind and made the 131-mile (210 km) move to our new home at Gulf State Park, in Gulf Shores, Alabama. 

131 miles (210) km from one temporary home to another.

We didn’t intend to dally along the way, but sometimes things don’t go as planned … mostly because our fuel/propane stop at the Flying J just outside Gulfport took nearly two hours.  Why?  Because first the trucker in front of us at the diesel lane, and then an RVer near the propane fill-up station left their rigs in place after filling up instead of pulling ahead and clearing the way.  With a car in tow, it was impossible to back up and maneuver, so we had to wait and wait and wait to take our turn.  Oh well; this is the first time this has happened since getting on the road in December.  It probably won’t be the last time.

The delay at Flying J put us at the Grand Bay Alabama Welcome Center just in time for lunch.  We were planning to stop here anyway to collect some brochures, so that worked out well.

Alabama joined the Union in 1819 as the 22nd state.

The bonus … murals inside the visitor center.  Someone said that once you become aware of murals you’ll start finding them everywhere.  How true!

Once off I-10, the GPS wanted to route us to Gulf Shores via AL-59/US-90, but Streets and Trips showed construction on the road, so we came down US-98 instead.  That added a bit of driving time as we had to go through some small towns.  Finally, we arrived at the campground at 3:00p.

You can make camping reservations in advance at Gulf State Park, but you can’t pick your site until you arrive.  The procedure here is to put you in one of the 496 sites they have, and then you can drive around and see if there’s another site that catches your fancy.  Seems a little bass-ackwards to me, but so be it.  We picked a pull-through to make it easy for us to move, dropped off the Phaeton at the site, and went site-shopping.  All but two of the “on lake” sites were occupied, leaving us with little choice but to pick the one with the smallest view of the lake.  Oh, but what a site it turned out to be.

Site 277 is the last “on lake” site on Gator Road (see red arrow).

One thing we always look for in a site is privacy, or at least plenty of living space.  Site 277 has both … and in spades.  Going in head-first and facing the wide meadow between us and the lake gave us even more privacy.  The daily rate for this 50Amp FHU site is $34/night, but with the weekly rate, we get a $4/night discount for $210 a week.  Not bad … although the 11% lodging tax does add quite a bit to the total.

We’re delighted with the site we landed!

Going in head-first into this back-in site gives us more privacy …
and we get to enjoy the view from the cockpit.

There’s plenty of room between us and our neighbor on the hook-ups side of the site;
and the trees add privacy on this side as well.

In the few days we’ve been here, we’ve done everything in our power to enjoy our site … and the wildlife, which don’t shy away easily, have added to our pleasure.

There are a ton of birds hidden in the tall grasses and brush, chirping their little hearts out all day long.  Mockingbirds and eastern bluebirds, and black birds that I have not been able to identify are all over the place.  Cardinals flit about, flying headlong into anything shiny that reflects back their own image.  Mourning doves come by throughout the day to pick through whatever they can find in the grass.  We’ve seen a couple of turtles crossing the roads around the campground; and a few snakes too.  I could do without the latter … and luckily there have been no sightings of them near our site.

Left: One of the many mockingbirds that sing all day long.
Right: Eastern Bluebird on one of the many warning signs in the meadow near our site.

And we have rabbits that come calling frequently at our site.  I thought they might be jackrabbits at first, but their ears are too small, so I think they might be eastern cottontail rabbits instead.  They just come and make themselves at home in the meadow in front of our site.  They stay put unless someone makes a sudden move, but if you take your time, you can get quite close to them.

Eastern Cottontail Rabbit

With such a great site, it’s difficult to tear ourselves away, but both mornings since our arrival we’ve gone to the beach for walks of 3-4 miles (5-6½ km).  Doesn’t sound like much, but the soft sand at the beach across the road from us is not the easiest to walk on, so we’ve really been getting a workout.  As the crow flies, the beach is not far.  But this campground is big, and it takes a while to walk to the boardwalk, so we drive to a small parking lot nearby instead of wearing ourselves out just getting to the beach.

The sign near the boardwalk asks visitors not to walk on the dunes.
So what’s with the footsteps to the left of the boardwalk?

Yesterday, we walked in the direction of the Gulf State Park Pier …

What’s with charging a fee for walking onto the pier?  I don’t get that at all, so …

… we stayed on the beach and played under the pier!

Glimpse of the high rises of Gulf Shores … no thanks, we’ll stay at the campground.

Today, we wandered in the direction of Orange Beach, passing by the beach pavilion (free parking for those staying at the campground).  Since we were walking into the sun, I let my shutter finger rest, except when we came to a castle …

Nah!  Mui didn’t build the castle … he’s just posing with it at my request.

There are surprisingly few shorebirds on the beach; perhaps because they can go to a nearby refuge instead.  Our old friends the laughing gulls, willets, and sanderlings are here, however.  As are the royal terns.  We haven’t seen any great blue herons on the beach, but evidence of their presence can be seen in the footprints in the sand.  Most exciting for me, though, have been sightings of three new-to-me birds.

Willets
you look that way, and I’ll make sure no one sneaks up on us!

You can imagine my delight in this first-time sighting of an American Avocet …

… even when this willet horned in on the photo-op!
I posted My favorite shot of the American avocet in my viewfinder blog … worth taking a look.

I’m thinking these are sandwich terns.
(If not, let me know.)

A Sandwich Tern (right) with what I am thinking is a Forster's Tern.
(Could be a common tern, but my bird reference says they’re very rare in this area;
let me know if I am wrong.)

This is the only evidence we’ve seen of great blue herons around here.
(To give you perspective, I wear a 6½ shoe.)

I’m going to wrap up with sunset from the Gulf State Park Pier.  It turns out that this beach is not good for over-the-water sunsets.  Still, it was a nice way to bring yesterday to a close.

From this …

… to a more colorful sunset when I zoom in to the scene.

  We plan to to see — one of these mornings — if the angle of view is better for sunrise!

Biloxi Bay Bridge: Walking Over Water … and More

Sunday, 21 April
Shields RV Park — NCBC Gulfport, Mississippi
Temps: Lo 50F / Hi 71F (10C / 22C)

Another beautiful day of sunshine and comfy temps.  Giving us two such days in a row, Mother Nature repays us for the overcast, muggy days — not to mention soaking rains — we experienced during our first few days in Gulfport.

We had no real plans for the day, except that we knew we wanted to walk the Biloxi Bay Bridge (BBB), which carries US-90 over the water and connects Biloxi to Ocean Springs.  At 1.7 miles (2.7 km) each way, the BBB is shorter than the St. Louis Bay Bridge (SLBB), which we walked last Saturday (post here).  But there are some similarities.  Like the SLBB, this bridge was also severely damaged during Hurricane Katrina.  And like the SLBB, the renovated bridge has a pedestrian/bike path that is decorated with copper panels designed by local artists. The panels, I have since found out, are actually copper plates from the old bridge.

The new Biloxi Bay Bridge opened to service in late 2007, a little over
two years after the original bridge was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Rather than park at the casino, which was teaming with gamblers despite the early hour, we drove across the bridge to start our walk from the Ocean Springs side.  Our reason for doing so was two fold: easy parking at the foot of the bridge; and a chance to photograph a beautiful mosaic mural while the light was right.  Plus, this direction put the sun behind us while it was still low on the horizon.

This shot captures three of the four panels that make up the mosaic mural.

The 120-foot (36.5 m) long, wave-shaped, multi-panel mural is simply beautiful.  The Gulf Coast magazine we picked up at the visitor center describes it as: “… Four large mosaic panel pieces, depicting the natural beauty of the Mississippi Gulf Coast make up this one-of-a-kind piece of art.  The mosaic is a combination of artwork by local artists Patt Odom, Chris Stebly, Susie Ranager and Ching Walters, with artist Elizabeth Veglia arranging the overall placement and installation.  The entire mosaic process took one year to  complete.”  Unfortunately I was unable to find a vantage point from which to photograph the entire “wave.”  But here are some details shots from each panel.

If you find yourselves near the BBB, I highly suggest making a detour to see the mural; you won’t regret it.

Two things that make this bridge different from the SLBB … the grade on the BBB is slightly steeper and longer.  Still easily doable, though — especially since there are conveniently placed benches along the way where walkers/bikers can take a load off.  The longer SLBB doesn’t have anywhere to sit en route.  Of course, you can also take a break by stopping and pretending to study the copper plaques installed every 1/10th of a mile.

The benches would make a great spot for sunrise, but we’re too late for that today.

A beautiful day; few vehicles; and even fewer walkers/bikers … makes for a great bridge walk.

It was 11:00a when we returned to the car.  A little early for lunch, so we decided to check out the Davis Bayou area of Gulf Islands National Seashore.  Primarily we wanted to look around the campground operated by the National Park Service (NPS).  We were told that this first-come, first-served campground had some big-rig friendly sites.  A couple of them looked like they might work for us and we might stay there on another pass through the area.  No photos of the campground … the place was packed and I didn’t want to invade anyone’s privacy.  But to the left is a photo I took of an exhibit at the visitor center, where we stopped to chat with the ranger on duty.  Looks like they may have to eliminate some of those great ranger programs we all enjoy if they have to reduce the number of rangers on duty to just one person due to the sequestration.  What a shame!

The bonus for stopping in at the visitor center — a mosaic compass rose on the floor near the entrance!

Another beautiful Elizabeth Veglia mosaic; it stretches 8 feet (2.4 m) across.

On our way back out of the park, we stopped at a boardwalk bridge crossing over the bayou for a quick look-see.  We were rewarded not just by beautiful, peaceful scenery, but also some wildlife at Gator Pond.  There was a woman throwing rocks into the pond to wake a sleeping alligator, but she quickly skedaddled when she realized I had seen what she was doing.  You know, kids may do stupid things like this, but a full-grown adult?!?  Somehow I expect better of us big ‘uns.

You mean you can’t see the gator behind and to the left of the clump of
grass on the far side of the pond? …

… Yeah … it is well hidden, but here’s a glimpse of it.  And …

… sharing the pond are a couple of yellow-bellied sliders that provide us with
a “double the pleasure” photo-op.

We don’t have time to do the park justice this time, but we’ll plan a longer visit next time we come through the area.

On that note, we drove back across the BBB and made our way to McElroy’s Harbor House for lunch.  I’m sure there are other places with better ambiance (and better seafood) in Biloxi, or Ocean Springs, but we spied this place during our brief stop at the Town Green yesterday and thought its location at the small craft harbor across the channel from Deer Island would make a great place for lunch.  Despite arriving at the peak of lunch service, we were seated at one of the few tables on the balcony.  Sure it was on the cool side in the shade and with the breeze coming off the water, but that was easily solved with a light fleece jacket.

A couple of Blue Moon beers to toast a beautiful day …
with Deer Island …  and Laughing gulls … as a backdrop.

The gulls were plentiful, but they didn’t bother us.  Can’t say the same for the empty tables where, as soon as the patrons left, the gulls did a parade fly-by in hopes of whisking away a tidbit or two.  The busboy was too fast for them, however, and only a few got away with stealing lunch!

Speaking of lunch … no photos of our meal ... I was having too much fun watching the gulls.  I will say that the broiled flounder fillet we both ordered was good, but nothing to rave about.

No sooner did the woman behind Mui vacate her table that the gulls showed up en masse.

The day was just too beautiful and we weren’t ready to go home after lunch was over.  We’d come prepared to spend time at the beach, so that’s where we headed next.  We had no problem snagging a beach-side parking spot, which made it easy for us to carry our paraphernalia to a patch of sand that we called our own for a couple of hours.

A well-deserved break after walking nearly 17,000 steps today — or 5¼ miles (8½ km).

So glad we bought this easy-to-set-up beach shelter; a few stakes in the
sand and it’s not going anywhere.

This is the life!
(No swimming today; the muddy waters of the Mississippi Sound is not to Mui’s liking!)

And thus we bid Mississippi farewell … for this year.