Get Outside – Southeast Alabama

We took a trip to Dothan, AL in August to be with the family. While there we decided to take a trip to the Eufaula Wildlife Refuge. Well it turned out to be an eventful trip. We weren’t sure where we are going so we put it in the maps on one of our phones and we ended up in Georgia. What??? Isn’t Eufaula in Alabama??

The directions said that part of the route was not paved, so Jeff navigates us to the entrance. We get there and see a somewhat unkept welcome sign (we didn’t take a picture of it) a gravel drive with grass about knee-high in the middle of the rode. But our directions say part of the route is unpaved. So down this gravel drive we go expecting to possibly see other people. We get to the end and see the parking area where the weeds are about waist high, we see what appears to be a vacant building. We decided that this was not where we were going to spend any time and got out of there as fast as possible. We got back to the main road and did a little more research and find our way back to Alabama. We get to the welcome center and find that they are only open Monday thru Friday. So we are out of luck there for a restroom and for any guidance.

So again we turn to the interwebs and find that there is an entrance for the drive-thru park area just a little ways from where we were, ah what we had been looking for all along.

We drive around and see a lot of overgrown fields and such, we are here in the dead of summer after all. As we make our way thru the park we think that we may end up being out of luck for seeing any wildlife. We got out at one of the overlook areas and we could hear birds, but didn’t see any. We did however get bombarded by bugs, lots and lots of bugs. We take a few pictures of this area and make it back to the car without any additional passengers and we journey on.

We get back to the waters edge and we round a curve and find a couple deer and a raccoon playing in the road. It was like we broke up their party. LOL!!

We keep going and come across a crane-like bird in the edge of the water. We stop along the way and take some pictures of the scenery. Then we head on for the exit.

We round another curve and a doe is walking down the middle of the road towards us. I wasn’t ready with the camera and only got pictures of her as she turned to run off. We looked for her, but didn’t see her again.

We journey back towards Dothan and stop at the Dothan Botanical Gardens. There were lots of flowers blooming, but also a lot that couldn’t take the heat any more.

Did I say it was hot??? It was another very hot day to be outside. But we made it back to the hotel and showered before joining the family for a fish fry. I had trigger fish for the first time. They fixed it blackened and it was really good. Jeff tried a bite of fish, but stuck with the sides and the boudin. He didn’t starve. LOL!!!

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