2/8/22 Mississippi

 2/8/22 Tuesday

37 degrees this morning! Brrrrr.  Stopped at a Waffle House for a mediocre but hot breakfast. It looks like Waffle House is the state restaurant in Mississippi, as we see one every 10 miles or less! 

After breakfast, our first stop is the Mississippi West Coast Visitor Center in Bay Saint Louis, housed in a 1929 train station which was refurbished in 1996.

  It had a nice Mardi Gras costume display and some local history. This area was hard hit by hurricane Katrina - before Katrina there were 78 buildings on the list of historical buildings; after Katrina there are 16 remaining.

We heard somewhere before that Mardi Gras keeps sequin makers in business and the above costume was totally covered in sequins!

 Upstairs was a small gallery of the folk art of Alice Moseley - a local Grandma Moses-type artist.

Greg walked around outside and found this mountain of railroad spikes near the railroad tracks.

Also some information on the 100 Men DBA Hall, an African-American men's social club begun in the 1920's, and a colorful building which was part of the Mississippi Blues circuit.

Nearby, we drove by The Angel Tree.  It is the remains of an oak to which four people clung to survive Hurricane Katrina.  The tree subsequently died but has had several angels carved into the remaining branches.

One of many bridges crossing various bays along the Gulf Coast.

Then, on to Biloxi, whose name means "first people".  The Biloxi Visitors Center is an impressive new building built post-Katrina and was filled with history.  The Spanish explorer DeSoto was in this area in the 1540's, followed by the French who made this their Capital in 1699.  Mississippi joined the US in 1798 and became the 20th state in 1817.  It is noted for seafood, a large Air Force base, popular beaches and casinos.

The Biloxi lighthouse was just across the freeway.

From Biloxi we decide to visit the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Nat'l Refuge.  Apparently this is not the time of year when the cranes visit, unlike Arizona and NM where this is prime time. (They are here in the Fall, we read.) We stretched our legs on a trail but saw little except lots of trees and shrubs. But it was a pretty day for a walk!

We next headed to Big Biloxi Campground in DeSoto National Forest, which turned out to be a great place.  We were one of about 5 campers among the trees.   Enjoyed electric, hot showers and water for $13 a night!  Greg made a nice fire and we charged all of our electronics. Enjoyed chili and a cozy night even though the temperature dropped to freezing!