Dauphin Island

Yesterday found us and our rented Ford Escape on a road trip to Dauphin Island at the entrance to Mobile Bay. This Island and it's fort played an important part in the Battle Of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864. The Confederate held fort fell to Union forces allowing Union warships access to the important Southern shipping port. It was on Dauphin Island where Union Admiral David Farragut shouted the words, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" during the attack. Well, he may or may not have shouted this. History is vague, it may have been a case of, "I wish I had said....".

There really is not much to see on the island. It is a seasonal destination and winter is not the preferred season so many things were closed. The shores on both sides of the island are dotted with houses, most on stilts to protect against Gulf storms and hurricanes. In 2004, Hurricane Ivan covered the island in two to four feet of water, destroying many ground level homes.

We stopped at a beachfront "Gourmet Restaurant, flip-flops allowed" for a late lunch / early dinner. Norma had spicy Asian shrimp (not too spicy) on a bed of cole slaw and I had seafood gumbo. Her shrimp were good (as usual, she could not finish them so I helped) but my gumbo was seriously lacking after tasting true Cajun gumbo as they tried to make up for the lack of flavor with spicy heat, not a normal ingredient for gumbo. Here are a couple of shots.

Dauphin Island is at the blue pin, not the red (which I can't get rid of)