Virtues of Travel

I'm a local guy through and through, but I have gained a new appreciation for expanding one's horizons and seeing new places, after my trip to the Mobile, AL area. The thing that was the biggest and most pleasant surprise was Gulf Shores. I've grown up going to Galveston, and there's a lot about the place that I love, but I don't think I will ever see the beach there in the same way after visiting the beaches in Alabama.

Now, I have been to other beaches, but it's been quite a while. We took a family trip to Florida when I was younger, and I remember the trips to the beach there, but not vividly, so for me when I think beach, the picture that pops into my head is Galveston. Imagine my surprise upon arriving on the beach in Gulf Shores.

For starters, the beach is at least three times as wide, from parking lot to water's edge, than Galveston, but the most obvious thing is how clean and nice the sand is. It's not only very fine sand, but the beach is very clean, both from human debris and natural. They try to do a good job in Galveston of picking up the trash, but the last few times I've been down there, human refuse has not been the main problem. Usually the beach looks like it needs a shave. I'm usually ankle deep in seaweed. If seaweed isn't the problem, then there are dead fish or jellyfish or other weird, unidentifiable things laying around, but in Gulf Shores there's nothing but sand, as far as the eye can see. Strangely enough, there weren't even shells laying around.

The other thing that was refreshing was the water. It was all either blue or green, not brown. They don't call our local body of water the Gulf of Yoohoo for nothing, you know.

I will still love Galveston, of course, but It sure was nice to see how the other half lives