We've been planning on taking a vacation for a while now and, as I usually take the week of Labor Day off from work, it seemed liked a natural fit. We were also offered a free place to stay anytime we wanted so we were all set.

But the best laid plans...

The reasons they went astray? A little thing called Hurricane Frances. Our destination? The Gulf Coast of Alabama.

We were supposed to drive down on Tuesday and stay the rest of the week on a boat on Mobile Bay but, as of Saturday and Sunday, the forecasted path of our dear tropical friend was headed right for the Bay. We started weighing our options. How 'bout Cleveland? Niagara Falls? Is there anything to see in Nebraska?

We determined that we weren't going to make any decisions until Monday night. That didn't last.

As the days moved along, it looked like Frances was going to track more to the east, pushed away by a cold front from the Midwest. We decided to leave Monday afternoon and drive approximately halfway before stopping. So we drove yesterday to Huntsville and settled in for the night. Today, we're going to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center (where Space Camp is) before we continue on south.

I'll try to get some good shots and post them in my next installment.