Zana, the energetic & lively local who is well in touch with the entire east shore area of Alabama and beyond, met me at the end of today’s ten miles, at the beaches of Gulf Shores. I’d purchased scores of postcards, more than enough for the Alabama batch, and she told me that nearby Souvenir City, local tourist behemoth, would probably give me a few postcards as well. I didn’t need any more, so I wasn’t very interested at the time in stopping into Souvenir City, but I was happy to follow Zana in to meet the people she knows who run this tourist trinket emporium. Zana promptly introduced me to Paul & Tina, who manage the store– and are both very friendly. Tina brought me a handful of postcards, and after talking for a minute, Paul peered down at my feet: “Would you like some new sandals?”
Really? “Sure– Thanks!” I wasn’t sure if the what appeared to be some sort of Wal-Mart of tourism would have anything better than cheap ten-dollar sandals– which they actually did sell– but they also had the exact model of Tevas that had been serving me so well since Houston. And of the 2 pairs available, one pair was my size!
Paul proceeded to expand his kindness further: “How about shades– need some shades?”
I’d recently lost the roadside pair I’d found near the Mississippi-Alabama border, and figured I’d simply wait till I found another roadside pair of sunglasses, as I find a pair every couple hundred miles or so. Paul gave me a much nicer, polarized, better fitting and more comfortable pair of sunglasses than I’d ever found on the road. Great timing– it’s really been getting bright out there!
Finally, Tina wanted to replace a sun-blocking, long-sleeve, breathable athletic shirt I’d needed to toss. She steered me away from the color white, explaining to me that it would reflect solar rays and burn my face. “Light blue is best for what you do.”
–Great!!
Within a few minutes, a small handful of postcards had turned into well over a hundred dollars worth of very useful road gear gifts for me. Then Zana hosted me to a delicious vegetarian lunch at a popular local restaurant.
Funny thing: I had no intention on walking through Gulf Shores to reach Orange Beach. Gulf Shores actually added some miles to the route. But Ann, my current host, recommended it, and it felt right, so here I came. And now I understand why!