BILOXI

After our nice stay at Gulf Shores we headed west for the return ferry ride and into Mississippi.

Our next stop was the Davis Bayou, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore that stretches eastward 160 miles from Cat Island, MS to the Okaloosa Area east of Fort Walton Beach, FL. A National Park Service camp ground (senior rate at $8 per night) After two days of biking around the woods and marshes it was time to get back to the beaches.

In Biloxi we stayed three $10 nights at the Elks Lodge #606 were they had a great steak & shrimp dinner. The neighbors were very quite and to our surprise the closest one must of liked a familiar beverage (see picture) There parking lot was boarded on two sides by a huge cemetery.

You can't make this stuff up...

Then we moved down the same beach road 1 mile for a couple days to a more traditional full service $38 Cajun RV park with full amenities... laundry, showers, cable TV & such.

On Aug. 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina changed the landscape of the Gulf Coast forever but towns like Biloxi are coming back even if it's without a lot of there historic old homes that once stood there.

One of the new attractions are the Katrina Sculptures, a collection of three dozen carvings from standing dead trees that dotted the beachfront landscape, victims of the saltwater storm surge of Katrina.

The one month old colonial style visitors center (representative of the many homes lost) was opened on the same spot that was a large pile of rubble after Katrina. The center is a must see for not just the beautifully building but with all the area history displayed inside with a nice combination of auto and visual programing. "again good timing on our part"

It may be the great weather we are having, or the beautiful white beaches, or the many miles of bike trails, or the challenging golf courses, or the variety of wonderful food or even the many casinos, but the Gulf Shores will get another visit from us.

SanTony