Bobby’s Fish Camp,  Alabama

                                                                 

Experiencing Bobby’s fish Camp was like being in a time warp.  This is one of the coolest places we have seen. Bill needed a longer beard to fit in!

                                                     

Alligator Gar (the combo alligator /catfish)

This is the only place on the river to tie up for the night for the next 100 miles.  You would never find it by road, probably why it has stayed this way for the last 60 years.  It is a funky place with all kinds of eclectic signs on the walls, old and funny memorabilia, stuffed crocodiles and other animal heads. We saw a stuffed Alligator Gar (an alligator mated with a catfish!.) When arriving the owner gave us each a hug and asked us what time we wanted to eat and how we want our catfish prepared that night. The restaurant was actually very crowded and everyone there ate catfish.  It has the reputation of having the best and freshest catfish in the state. We learned all about catfish from the other local diners who were incredibly friendly and wanted to clue us in.  Get the river catfish, not the pond farmed (different taste), get the small ones, it has to be fried, eat the whole fish not the fillets. All of the people we talked with had spent their entire life right here.                      

                                                                 

People back here are really friendly.  Everyone wants to talk – for a long time!  We heard they were tired of the Yankees here, they don’t like the “dam Yankees" (Yankees that decide to move here), and that we were “lefties”  (from Calif).  Florida is not really a southern state as it is not pristine any more.  It was ruined by development.  Also supposedly everybody south of Orlando is either Cuban or Haitan. They actually liked us and invited us to come back and see them.

                                                         

                                          Bobby's Fish Camp restaurant

                                                                   

  Lots of the houses are old mobile homes up on stilts with some kind of deck or cover.

We heard there are alligators in the water here- haven’t seen one yet!

We also started seeing Spanish moss in the trees (the long hanging moss always

 seen in southern trees)

Bill dropped his tennis shoe overboard (only had one pair) accidently at night while trying to clean the sand off.  He jumped into the dinghy to chase it down the river.  It was pitch black, late at night.  I told him to let it go, but of course he didn’t listen.  He did come back FINALLY with the shoe (found it by the glowing reflective stripes) – don’t know what I would’ve done if he didn’t return – who do you call out there???