Last week we were on spring break. One of the perks of both Ali and I being teachers is that we are off when our kids are off. We decided to keep things close to home, as neither of us were in a hurry to take another trip out of town. On Thursday we decided to get the kids (and our friend Simon who was visiting from England) out of the house and take our bikes to Dauphin Island. We have been to the island many, many times...but this was our first time trying out the bike trail. We started our ride at Fort Gaines.
The thing I loved the most about the trail is that it was separate from the road, yet wide enough for us to all ride comfortably. We had no issues passing other bikers or runners/walkers. It was smooth and paved the whole way, which made it easy for the kids to navigate. It was also really flat, so it was perfect for a long, leisurely ride on a gorgeous afternoon.
We had originally planned to just go a few miles, but the kids decided to keep going! About 4 miles in, we found the beach. We stopped to rest a few minutes and let the boys rest their legs.
The beach was absolutely beautiful and empty. We were a little sad that we hadn't thought to bring our beach gear and spend a few hours in the sun. At this point we decided that Ali would take the boys back to a little ice cream stand we had passed earlier, and Simon and I would ride on for another mile or so.
Here are the boys enjoying their cold treats. They sure earned that ice cream. They never once complained about being tired, hungry, or thirsty the whole day! Any parent out there knows what a feat that is!! Haha
From there we decided to head on back to the truck. Along the way we passed the water tower that welcomes everyone to the island.
Just a little distance down the road we encountered the most delicious smell coming from a road side barbecue stand. We decided to stop here for lunch. Ali and I had the brisket sandwich. It was soooo yummy! This little place was quite busy and the wait was a little long, but the food was good.
Our bike ride ended back at the fort. Ali and the kids rode 8.5 miles, while Simon and I logged 10.5. We had passed the ferry earlier in the day, so we decided to catch the ferry back across the bay. There are two ferries that run from Dauphin Island to Fort Morgan. During the slow season only one of the ferries runs. Here is what the ferry looks like empty...
And here it is full. It cost us $25 dollars to take my truck (and the 5 people in it) back across the bay.
Here is our crew. For once we got everyone looking at the camera and looking halfway normal. My boys are horrible at making faces when the camera is out. Haha.
After about 35 minutes on board, we were docking up in Fort Morgan. It was a perfect day to cruise across the bay. This is a trip that we will be repeating again this summer. Maybe next time we can bike all the way to the end of the island and take our beach gear :)
Do you have a favorite family activity to do on school breaks?
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