Birmingham Mick and I walked a couple of blocks to the greyhound station and boarded a bus destined for Birmingham, Alabama. It was a surprisingly good trip. Quiet busload of people, relatively quick and it was squeaky clean. We were staying with Kisani & Kevin from couchsurfing and after Kevin picked us up from the bus station he took us on a mini tour around the downtown area and a cup of coffee to recharge. We stowed our stuff at their place, freshened up and then spent the afternoon at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute where we learnt a little more [View Full Entry]

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We are now a bit outside Birmingham in a place called Hamilton and about to cross over into Mississippi. It's been an experience and feels like we've been on the road for a lot longer than we've actually been traveling. My car is holding out! YES! The trip to Orlando Friday night was marvelous. We met up with Ryan in the Gaylord Palms which is just as magnificent as I remembered. A very amusing part of that trip was the reactions of the bellboys to the fish which we left on the baggage cart with our two bags, a bottle of [View Full Entry]

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When we trek to beach, I always make sure to have a few basic first-aid supplies. Whether we're in Orange Beach or Gulf Shores, I find a little preparation makes a visit to the Alabama Gulf Coast even more enjoyable. Here's what I take: Alcohol wipes Bandages Tweezers (great for removing stickers from sand spurs) Aloe Bottled water (for washing off sand) Triple antibiotic ointment Zipper-seal freezer bag (to fill with ice for a compress) Spray-on sunburn treatment (look for 1 percent lidocaine spray, as this is a topical pain reliever) The most important first-aid item? A hug! [View Full Entry]

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As a youngster visiting the Alabama Gulf Coast, I hated wearing sunscreen. I wanted a carefree day to swim in the blue Gulf waters, build castles from the sugary sands or anticipate a seafood feast prepared from the fresh catch available at stores in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach. But without fail, going without sunscreen meant one thing: a week of agony because of sunburn. In those days, options were limited for sun protection. There was zinc oxide for faces (it was greasy and streaky and never got absorbed) plus a few items that smelled like fermented coconut. On a recent [View Full Entry]

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An often-overlooked beach accessory is a hat. Perhaps because everyone gets focused on swimming and playing, it's easy to forget how critical headgear can be. It's no easy chore to get some folks (ahem, guilty) to wear a hat. If you have one of those folks in your group, leave time for a quick shopping excursion as you plan your day on the Alabama Gulf Coast. In Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, there are as many places to buy hats as there are styles to choose from, it seems. For example, many souvenir shops offer custom airbrushing on bucket hats, visors [View Full Entry]

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There is so much to keep track of on a family excursion that it can be tempting to leave behind the camera gear. With the chances of dropping something in the Gulf, losing something in the sand or leaving something behind, perhaps it is a good idea to leave your quality camera at home. What, you ask? Take the tykes to the beach and not take a camera? Impossible. Well, you can get the best of both world - lasting memories without the worry of ruining your camera. On your way to the Alabama Gulf Coast, stop in to a retailer [View Full Entry]

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Sometimes, getting ready for a full day of fun in the sun on the Alabama Gulf Coast with the whole family reminds me of trying to plan a military invasion. But a little bit of forethought can make “storming the beach” a whole lot simpler. Here are a few tips I've learned for making the most of the least amount of supplies: Tip 1: Store sunscreens and lotions in zipper-seal freezer bags in the cooler with drinks. On hot days, this makes reapplications refreshing instead of seeming like a chore. Tip 2: Keeping things cool requires lots of ice - unless [View Full Entry]

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I just wanted to send a last blog entry saying that I've made it home safely and soundly. I know my blog entries trailed off at the end, but things got a little difficult toward the end, and time wasn't as readily available for blogging. Thank you all for your thoughts and/or prayers. I really appreciate all the support. Love y'all, John [View Full Entry]

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Locations: Columbia, SC; Savannah, Georgia; St. Mary's, Georgia; Cumberland island; Juliette, Georgia; Atlanta; and Tuscaloosa, Alabama Wow, so I can't believe that it has already been five days since I left Columbia, SC. It was hard saying goodbye to my friends -- especially Sarah. Our last day went pretty nicely though as my roommie and our friend, Kristi headed over to IHOP for one last breakfast before going over to Coker. We gave our powerpoint presentations in a small lecture hall in the basement to a very quiet crowd of lab techs and biology professors. I of course was being stupid [View Full Entry]

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Can you say HOT...... [View Full Entry]

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