Alligator Marsh Trail – Gulf Shores, AL

On the last morning we were at Gulf State Park, we decided to walk a trail that wound around the campground.  There were some interesting sights to behold…..

Yellow Fronds

I told you in a previous post how fascinated I was with the type of palm that grew here, sort of a fan palm.  It seems to pretty much be a plant type of palm, instead of a tree variety.  Here’s one that had yellow leaves.  I think it must be at the end of its life cycle, but I did like the different color.

Spring Green

Probably because it’s the beginning of spring, I was very taken with the bright, yet soft green that I saw on many plants and grasses in the area.  This was some tall grass that grows along the trail.

At a Distance

Finally!  There are warnings all over the park about how dangerous the alligators were and to be alert to seeing them (and staying away!).  I wouldn’t even let Jeff let Miki off her lead when we were walking because I was afraid she’s go off into the brush and run into one.  As we finished up walking the trail, a couple of other folks told us they just saw a gator just off the main road into the campground.  We walked in the direction they pointed and saw this guy.  Now, I have to admit, gators make me a lot more nervous than the bears we encountered a couple of years ago in Alaska!  Why?  Well, to me, bears have a brain and they use some sort of logic (altho I do not profess to be any sort of expert on bear logic).  I had some idea of how to stay safe around bears.  However, gators are just big reptiles, and I don’t think reptilian brains follow much logic.  Therefore, they are much scarier to me!  That doesn’t mean I’m not curious, tho…….and besides, this guy was on the other side of a small creek or river that ran alongside the campground road.

Enjoying the Sun

This guy just laid right where he was at enjoying the morning sun for quite a long time.  Many different folks stopped by to see him, including a couple of park rangers, and he just stayed in the same spot.  I think gators always look as tho they are smiling….perhaps thinking about what a tasty treat we’d be??

Enjoy!



Sandpipers on the Shore – Gulf Shores, AL

I promised you more sandpiper shots, and here they are.  These are such adorable little birds, I quickly became fascinated with them!

Rushing

One of the most amazing things about these little guys at sunset was how fast they moved across the sand!  At first, I thought it was because they were gathering food, but they didn’t seem to stop at peck at anything in the sand, so I ruled that out.  Maybe they just sensed the end of the day was quickly approaching, and wanted to get in the last bit of fun on the shore!

Into the Sunset

Here’s a little guy as he headed off down the beach toward the sun, perhaps in search of the perfect little pond in which to get one last soak of the day!

Evening Bath

Here’s another little one who decided this pond was the perfect depth for an evening bath!  He was very industrious in his bathing, too!  No leisurely soak for him, at least not yet!

March Forth

Just look at those little legs go!  I was quite surprised that I managed to capture them as clearly as I did in this image.  I do love the contrast in this image – the little bird rushing along seemed to match the rolling of the waves behind him.  And, the little pond he was going to pass was very calm and seemed to be trying to tell him to just chill.  Too busy to listen, I guess!

Enjoy!



Sunset on the Beach – Gulf Shores, AL

A friend told me that there could be some great sunrises and sunsets along the beach at Gulf Shores.  We didn’t manage to get up early enough for a sunrise, but we did take in this lovely sunset.

Colors of Beach at Sunset

This image has to be one of my favorites of a sunset on a beach.  The play of warmth and cool, and the transition from the sand to the water just make for a wonderful, peaceful abstract type flow.

Peace at the Beach

When I turned at looked inward from the beach, I saw these two palm trees up on the sandy bluff.  They created such a calm, peaceful feeling, I knew I had to capture it.  Don’t you just want to relax against that bluff and let your senses run wild?

Solitude

Here’s another calming view from just down the beach a bit.  I converted this one to a watercolor painting effect, and I think that adds just the perfect touch to this.  I can certainly see the appeal to a life on the beach with this image.

Left by the Waves

All along the shore, there were thousands of small seashells or parts of seashells.  In this image, you can see the tiny water trails left by the waves gently streaming back into the Gulf.  I love the feel of this image.  I can see it on a wall in a beach cottage.

Group Soak

I’ll share more images of these little sandpipers (I think) later, but I loved this image of them, enjoying the birdie version of a hot tub in a sunset reflection!

Pelicans over The Pier

And, of course, the pelicans were not to be outdone in terms of a great sunset image!  Here are a number of them as they flew over The Pier just as the sun was reaching its prettiest sunset showing.

The Pier at Sunset

I shot several images of The Pier as the sun was setting, and this one is my favorite.  You can see, it’s really a very long pier, and it was a   little tricky to catch both the entire pier and the sun in one image. I really like the combination of both cool and warmth in this image.  Standing out on the beach, tho, the cool was winning out!

End of Day

One last shot as we walked back to our Jeep.  You can see the sun just starting to slip behind some clouds, and the last of the warm rays of the day as they played on the puddles of water left on the beach.  Time to go – even the sandpipers are done soaking!

Enjoy!



Cotton Bayou Trail – Gulf Shores, AL

After a walk along The Pier, we thought we’d check out a bit of one of several trails in Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, AL.  There was no special reason we chose the Cotton Bayou Trail, but it certainly was a lovely trail.  No cotton plants, tho, that we could tell!

Side Trail off Cotton Bayou Trail

This trail appeared to be a side trail off the main trail, altho with the fence where it’s at, it clearly wasn’t open to exploration.  But, it certainly looked inviting, with its soft, sugar sand path!

Tiny Water Lily Pads

All around us, there were small ponds of water….or maybe that’s what is typical in a bayou!  In any event, I loved the color and shape of these, and the reflection of the trees in the water as background.  I hesitated to step too close or explore too closely, as we were always warned of the possibility of alligators throughout the park!

Touch of Red

I love the feel of this image – soft, spring green, with just a touch of red.  The soft focus around the red leaf helps it to gently stand out.

Bright Leaf

Here’s another brightly colored leaf hidden among the green.  I decided to do a bit of creative cropping for this image.

Backlit Palms

I’m not certain what type of palm plant this might be, but I tend to call it a fan palm, for obvious reasons.  I really love the way the sunlight is shining thru the leaves, don’t you?

Delicate Blooms

I feel like I should know what type of flower this is, but the name escapes me.  The blooms were so tiny and delicate, I almost felt that if I breathed too hard, I would knock them from their branches.

Palm Rays

I loved the angle that these fan palms were growing.  I think it gives a rather dramatic feel to this image. 

Enjoy!

 



A Walk along the Beach – Gulf Shores, Alabama

As we made our way to Florida and our “official” first stop of this trip, we found we had an extra day and decided to spend a bit more time at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  So, it then became the first “official” stop of this trip!  We had a wonderful two days here, soaking up sun, blue skies and shoreline.  The first afternoon we were here, we strolled along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico…..

In Flight

There were seagulls all over the place along the beach – and they were more than willing to share space.  In addition, they were quite photogenic!  I love this image of some of them with wings spread, either coming or going!  The interesting thing is that they would fly away as you approached them, or even walked by them, and then would return to almost the same spot after you passed on by.

Strutting His Stuff

Of course, there’s always at least one ham in the group, and that was this guy, just strutting around in front of me until I took his photo.  He probably would have autographed it for me if I asked……using his feet or beak, I wonder!

Water is Fine

These two seemed to be encouraging us to take a dip.  But, let me tell you – the water was quite chilly here!  Will it warm up as we head further south?  Hope so!

Dipping Toes

I think this may be a sandpiper, just dipping his “toes” into the surf.  There weren’t as many of these little guys about – not nearly as many as there were seagulls – but they were willing to share the shore as well!

Gulls

I love this view of the gulls, some taking off and others still milling about on the ground.  Such a peaceful place, even tho it was full of activity!

Birds of a Feather

Here’s what it looked like as we simply walked down the shore and came too close to the seagulls.  They just sort of did a generalized lift off!

Gulf of Mexico

No seagulls or sandpipers in this shot!  But, I loved just watching the waves roll up on shore and thought I’d share that with you.

The Pier at Gulf Shores

This pier is a huge pier, and just sort of dominates the shoreline, if you are looking in the right direction!  When I shot this, it seemed to be begging to be processed as a black and white image, so I complied!  There will be more of this iconic view in blog posts to come, so stayed tuned!

Enjoy!