By Clif Knight 

Blue skies and bright sunshine gave Geanell and me the opportunity to bid farewell to the last days of fall-2022 visitors to Gulf Shores. We observed a few families as they walked the beaches hunting seashells, fished and swam in the waves and watches the brilliant colors of sunsets fall over the City of Mobile. Luckily, we spotted nine cargo ships anchored outside the Port of Mobile awaiting their turn to move into the port to unload and watched a U.S. Navy pilot making practice runs in view of Fort Morgan vacationers.  

Geanell and her brother Billy and five first cousins shared quality family time at a side-by-side seaside cottage owned by John Griffin and Kenny Thompson. Their activities included three days of shopping at two malls and other retail outlets in Foley, eating out at two famous Gulf Shores Seafood restaurants, playing card games and soaking up the sun on seven straight rain-free days. 

Despite having ideal weather for traveling through the state, traffic delays were a problem for most of the travelers. Geanell and I were caught in a 45-minute traffic jam north of Birmingham. One of her cousins and a friend were delayed for five hours in Jefferson County and spent 11 hours on the road while they normally complete the trip in six and one-half hours. We had hoped to see a lot of color in the leaves of trees along the Interstate I-65 drive but were disappointed. Actually, we found the leaves have more color in North Alabama. 

We’ll be making a weekend trip to Gatlinburg this week and have been told the trees in the mountains are showing a lot of pretty color. We’re looking forward to the mountain scenery but expect temperatures to be in the freezing range.  

When we filled the car’s tank with gasoline before we left last week, the cost was $3.10 per gallon. We were disappointed but not shocked when we pulled over to gas up in Baldwin County and found the price to be $3.40 per gallon. The price took another 10-cent jump during the week we were on vacation. The price jumped 30 cents per gallon in Hartselle in the week we were gone on vacation. I won’t be surprised if it tops out at $4 per gallon by Christmastime.