Lillian, AL

Pensacola Beach, FL

Here’s a catch up of the last couple of days of news from the road. I haven’t been on the move too much so I didn’t have enough to write about without letting it accumulate. I’ve been at the same KOA on the Alabama/Florida border (Lillian, Alabama to be precise) since arriving on Sunday. It’s been really nice to just stay put for a few days.

Although I have been in one place, it hasn’t been without its excitement. Monday, since the forecast was for thundershowers, I spent the day doing chores and errands. Shopping, cleaning, etc. I also headed out to get the oil and filters changed on my Toyota. While in the dealership, where they kindly found a hole in the schedule for me, and having the rare treat of watching a TV, I saw that there was a tornado watch out for the county I was both in at the moment and in the one where my trailer was sitting. And you KNOW that tornados always hit trailer parks! They showed video of a twister which touched down in Century, just 45 mins north of my current location. I had been through Century on Sunday on my way down from Montgomery. Turns out there was damage to 30 houses (well many were mobile homes since there is an unusually high number of those in this part of the world) but only one injury and one person taken to hospital out of concern about a potential heart attack. I was sorry that the work on my car was finished as the watch continued for the rest of the evening although by now it was moving away from my location. I rode out the evening in my trailer, listening to the radio and watching the branches and garbage flying by my trailer and hoping not to see my neighbour’s (a Brit couple) tent taking off. I have to admit that I was a tad scared! The wind was significant but not enough to do any real damage. I did however discover that the leak over my bed was NOT fixed in New Orleans. I have now bought a tube of silicon myself and with direction from the manufacturer will use it on all potential leak spots tomorrow after letting it dry out well over the last couple of days.

So the excitement over, I spent the day yesterday relaxing and I did another road trip to the Alabama Gulf Coast, where I had lunch at another nice spot on the water. I also stimulated the economy a little in one of the beach shops.

Today I headed out towards the Naval Air Base in Pensacola to find the Pensacola Lighthouse. It is right on the base and I had to go through security and that threw me off but eventually discovered how to get to it. It’s an unusual lighthouse as you’ll see from the pictures in that it’s painted black. There is a video playing in the museum there, that was done by one of the groups that does taping of paranormal activity because apparently the lighthouse keeper’s home is haunted. I watched if for a few minutes but decided I could do with out more stories for my already active imagination. This Naval Air Base is where the Blue Angels US Navy Flight demonstration squad is based and practices. The folks at the lighthouse says it’s a real rush to watch them practise from the top of the lighthouse as they fly almost at eye level. I think that was a slight exaggeration but you get the point. I wasn’t able to go up in the lighthouse today because they are working on it.

I stopped in the historic district of Pensacola for lunch along side a yacht club and near their port. Like most of the coast, Pensacola had the full gamut of Spanish, (in 1559 Tristan de Luna established a short-lived settlement at Pensacola Bay) French and British rule before becoming the 27th American State. They were part of the Confederacy during the Civil War, and the third state to secede. One of the forts guarding the Pensacola harbour, Fort Pickens, was held by the Union forces throughout the Civil War and most of the citizens retreated to Greenville, Alabama as the war progressed. A lot of the city was destroyed by fire at that time, and so not a lot of the historic townsite remains.

Then I headed out over another causeway to Pensacola Beach and fishing pier. Another barrier island, with beautiful white sand beach and hardly a person to be seen. It’s not the tourist season here until spring break and it wasn’t warm enough to be in the water, although there were some surfers trying, but it was a delightful day, nonetheless.

Pensacola, FL

Lillian, AL

Because I headed north to Vicksburg after leaving New Orleans, I missed the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and as you know, coasts are near and dear to my heart. So today I headed out early and jumped on that great Interstate 10 and took it almost all the way back to New Orleans, but dropped down to the coast at Bay Saint Louis. I then followed State Highway 90, which follows the coast, back to Mobile where I jumped back on the Interstate to get around Mobile Bay and back down to my “house” at Lillian, Alabama.

All along the Mississippi coastline, there is almost a continuous long white sand beach (60 or so miles) dotted with historic towns, some of which have retained their old town charm, such as Ocean Springs and some that have been taken over by modernization and tourism. According to someone I was talking to today, the sand on the coast has been brought in over the past 10 years by the Army Core of Engineers as part of the plan to build up defences against future hurricanes and to help protect the shoreline for non-humans as well. It’s sand that has been dredged up from the Mississippi. Sand fences and grasses have been installed to help build up dunes to secure the sand and prevent erosion and that activity is continuing.

Of course, this coast was hit hard by Katrina, and the communities along the coast are slowly recovering. Lots of houses have been repaired or rebuilt, mainly on stilts like elsewhere along the coast, but many of the antebellum homes could not be fixed and so the land has been cleared. There are hundreds of lots along the coast where you can see the infrastructure such as footings and roadways, but no house. Many lots and many of the houses that remain are for sale.

There are new developments too, and many are underway or development approvals are being sought. There are many government infrastructure projects completed like wharf and boardwalks, and restrooms (also on stilts, looks a little weird). Biloxi has become casino central with Hard Rock, Harrah’s, Golden Nugget all with huge hotels and casinos along the coast. Places to stay, eat and be entertained are plentiful, and it looks like they continue to grow. Even in off-season, things are quite busy. One of the most popular activities is deep sea fishing, and there are lots of operators lined up to take your money to do that.

Just after arriving on the coast, I stopped for a great salad with ahi tuna at a restaurant called Shaggy’s at a marina in a town called Pass Christian. I enjoyed the outdoor setting even though it was only 18 degrees or so. There were many Valentines treating each other to a brunch today from the look of things.

I drove east along the coast stopping from time to time to have a look at things or just wander along the beach. As the day progressed it got a little overcast, and the forecast is for rain tomorrow. One of the stops I made is at the home and Presidential Library for the 1st (and only) President of the Confederate States, Jefferson Davis. It was interesting to see the property, where he spent two years writing his book, “The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government”. He was initially living in a cottage of the owner of the main house while writing the book but when the widow died she willed her home and all her remaining assets to Davis. His wife loved roses and spent hours in the rose garden.

The home was severely damaged by Katrina, and the front of the home is still under reconstruction. Many of the items in the home and on the property were washed out into the Gulf, but they were able to salvage quite a bit.

There is a cemetery where many of the local Confederate soldiers are buried along with the remains of an unknown soldier.

Mobile, AL

Pascagoula, MS

Ocean Springs, MS

Biloxi, MS

Gulfport, MS

Pass Christian, MS