YELLOW BRICK ROAD ADVENTURES: GULF STATE PARK, ALABAMA, MY 68TH BIRTHDAY

WHEN WE PULLED OUT OF OUR RV SPACE AT PONCHARTRAIN, I TRIED TO PUT IN THE ADDRESS OF GULF STATE PARK. THE STATE OF ALABAMA WOULD NOT COME UP..... THE ONLY TWO STATES THAT WOULD COME UP WAS ARIZONA AND ARKANSAS. I TRIED AND TRIED, NO LUCK, SO WE HAD TO TRAVEL WITHOUT MRS. GARMIN! WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE OK....IT WASN'T!!! A THREE HOUR TRIP TOOK SIX HOURS.WE LOVE OUR RV SPOT ! LARGE AND PRIVATE!! PULL-THRU TOO!

NO WIFI HERE, SO WE TOOK MRS. GARMIN AND WENT TO MACDONALD'S THE NEXT DAY AND REALIZED THAT NONE OF THE SOUTHERN STATES WERE LOADED INTO THE GARMIN. SO, WE GOT THAT DONE, NOW WE COULD TRAVEL AGAIN!! WHEN WE CHECKED IN HERE THEY GAVE US A LISTING OF THE WEEK'S ACTIVITIES. I SAW THERE WAS A SNAKE ENCOUNTER PROGRAM THE NEXT DAY AT THE NATURE CENTER. DARRELL DIDN'T WANT TO GO.....HE HATES SNAKES!! I GOT TO MEET POLLY, THE O'POSSOM. SHE WAS SO CUTE! SOME FOLKS THAT WERE VISITING THE PARK FOUND FOUR BABIES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET AND BROUGHT THEM TO THE NATURE CENTER. THEY ONLY HANDLED POLLY, THE OTHER THREE THEY DIDN'T TOUCH, AND WERE ABLE TO TURN THEM BACK TO THE WILD AFTER THEY GOT BIG ENOUGH.

POLLY'S HOME NOW IS THE NATURE CENTER AND EVERYONE LOVES HER!!

I GOT TO TOUCH HER AND FEEL HER TAIL, OF COURSE SHE SLEPT THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. THE BOX TURTLE IS ANOTHER ONE OF THE NATURE'S CENTER'S AMBASSADORS.

THEY LET HIM OUT OF HIS CAGE AND HE JUST ROAMS AROUND THE CENTER......SHE SHOWED US HOW MUCH HE LOVES WORMS....SHE SET THEM OUT ON THE FLOOR AND HE CAME A'RUNNING...WELL, AS MUCH AS A TURTLE CAN!!

WE GOT TO TOUCH AN ALLIGATOR BABY, WHO WAS GOING TO BE RELEASED THE NEXT DAY.

WHEN SHE TOOK OUT THIS BEAUTIFUL SNAKE, SHE ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO HOLD IT, "I SAID NO!", BUT THEN I CHANGED MY MIND. WHEN I WAS A GIRL I WASN'T AFRAID OF SNAKES, BUT AS I GOT OLDER, I GOT MORE AFRAID. I OVERCAME MY FEAR OF SNAKES THAT DAY, A LITTLE .