By HANNAH GARCIA STAFF WRITER

hgarcia@gulfcoastnewspapers.com

Blakeley State Park is a 350-acre chunk of history nestled in the marshes and swamplands of the Tensaw River.

The park’s tour boat, the aptly named Delta Explorer, takes passengers on a Gilligan-style, three-hour tour of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, away from the historic landmarks for more modern show, making its most recent excursion last Wednesday.

The Delta Explorer is a neat little pontoon boat that carries 50 passengers. The wonders of this little boat don’t end there.

“We are blessed with a working, flushing toilet,” Captain Steve Day announced to his human cargo.

The tour begins in the Tensaw River, habitat to dozens of bird species, alligators and their fellow marsh-mates, and takes riders through the industrial trappings of the Mobile River. The USS Alabama and the Bay Way are also sights to behold along the way.

The Tensaw River itself has a history as the site of the first steam ship in Alabama, according to Day.

During Hurricane Katrina, the river saw its largest storm surge in recent record history, with waves rising about 22 feet.

“That’s a pretty good bit of water,” Day said.

While waiting for all passengers to show, Day regaled his small audience with other facts about the Town of Blakeley, like the fact that it languished as the county seat in the early 1800s and the fort lost the largest number of naval vessels during the Civil War. Day is a licensed Coast Guard Captain, and has been working with the park for five years.

At 10 a.m., we were water-bound.

For the better part of two hours, Day and park historian and senior ranger Stacey Gardner manned the binoculars and pointed out innumerable birds, like osprey and a rare swallow-tailed kite sighting, and river-side cabins, as the boat navigated through the rivers and bayous of the delta. Gardner has been working with the park for two and a half years.

Once into the Mobile River, passengers could see evidence of civilization. The banks are home large warehouses and industrial boats bearing cranes and unassembled Navy ships. Austal and BAE Systems both have facilities on the river.

As we made our way back to Blakeley, Day motored in between the Bay Way overpasses. Passengers could here cars and trucks rumbling over uneven sections above as we headed back towards Spanish Fort.

At about 1 p.m., the boat docked and passengers spilled out onto dry land, capping off a fun ride.