Early March, 2018

Mississippi
Miles and miles of white sandy beach- amazing! Sugar sand, for sure. It was lovely to walk barefoot in; very different than any other beach we have walked. The coast of Mississippi is very touristy, but quaint and not tacky at all- probably very expensive to live or visit here.
We are camping at Gulf Shore National Seashore in Ocean Springs, next to Biloxi. Davis Bayou is very different than the Louisianna bayous- the campground is on a knoll surrounded by bayou channels through salt marsh with the barrier reef just off shore.

And, lots of plants flowering- spring in the south. Azaleas grow wild here. Magnolia trees grow to 30ft- too early for them to be in bloom here.

Alabama

Get this…as we were driving through Alabama, guess what song came on the radio—yup- Sweet Home Alabama! What a hoot!

Dauphin Island – a “best kept secret” kind of place- on the Gulf of Mexico at the bottom of Mobile Bay. A sandy barrier island with real trees, beautiful beaches and a very small, quaint community. A long drive down to the island or a ferry ride across the bay are the access points, and seem to keep this place fairly quiet.

We could walk to the beach,  wander through a bird sanctuary, head over to the bay side, or visit  Fort Gaines all on foot. As a Northerner, I guess I have pretty much ignored and/or forgotten the South’s history, so these forts offer great information about the Civil War along the Gulf Coast. “Damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead” was said by Admiral Farragut, as a floating sea mine blew up one of his ships heading into Mobile Bay. Once the one “torpedo” was gone a clear safe channel was open to the rest of his fleet and a huge sea battle proceeded in Mobile Bay, with the North winning.