February 26–27, 2015 Biloxi, Mississippi

February 26th, we packed up, dumped our tanks and away we went eastward.

Across the Mississippi – does that mean we are officially in the east?

Much of I-10 in this area is built above the swamplands:

So much water, oh my:

After being in the west for well over a year, it is amazing to see all this water. 

We made our way into Mississippi:

We decided to stay in D’lberville (near Biloxi) at their Moose Lodge for a few days.  Full hook-ups for $12.00 – not bad.  After setting up, we went to the Lodge for happy hour and supper – What a great time talking to the local folks. 

Stats for today:

Miles Traveled: 298 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Louisiana: Intracoastal Road; SR-27; I-10

Mississippi: I-10; SR-16; Promenade Parkway; Gay Road

On Friday, February 27th, we woke to a beautiful sunshiny day so off we went to the Gulf of Mexico.  US-90 goes thru Biloxi and hugs the Gulf Shoreline.  In 2005, many of the homes and business were destroyed by the winds and storm surge of Hurricane Katrina.  Many of those older southern homes have not rebuilt so there are many areas where we saw driveways leading to grassy lots.  So sad.  Many of the business have come back.  All of the casinos were pretty much destroyed.  They have rebuilt and helped the town recover.

The new bridge over the bay:

Part of the old bridge was destroyed.  They fixed what was left and it is now a nice place to walk, fish, and you can even drive on part of it (notice the new bridge in the background):

One of the casinos:

The beautiful white beaches:

This looked so inviting – we just had to walk to the end:

The coastline:

One of the pier posts:

What a beautiful area!

The local Elks Lodge is located along US-90 with a beautiful view of the Gulf.  We stopped in to have a late lunch and had a great time chatting with the local folks who told us about places to see and about the hurricanes.  Very interesting.

I just love these HUGE southern trees – this was in the Elks Lodge parking lot:

Back home, we started to look at our plans for the next few weeks.  As most of you know, Andy and I don’t do reservations – we really just wing it!  BUT coming up is Florida where reservations are required for almost everything.  We will be visiting friends and also the Escape Parks and then probably heading north into Georgia to stay for a while.  So that is our soft plans – weather dependent of course.  (To my friends and family at home – we will be there when the flowers start blooming.  Hang in there – spring is coming.)

With that said, tomorrow we continue our journey east so stay tuned and enjoy today.

February 24–25, 2015 Cold in Louisiana

We did not leave the motorhome at all during the past few days.  It was windy, rainy, cold – highs were around 43 degrees and lows in the 30’s so we just put on the heat and stayed warm.  So what did we do for two days?  Well, watched the barges and the birds and TV series, read, and I did some beading, well, actually finished up some necklaces and bracelets (Katy and Sue, you would be proud of me – )

This is what our Bella did for two days – watched the barges and the birds:

This white pusher tug was there were we got here.  On Tuesday afternoon, it started up and away he went down the channel leaving the barges tied up to the island.  Very interesting.

So what did Dusty do?  He did not leave my side or my lap.  We don’t usually hang out and sit like this so I think he was just enjoying it..  (That’s my story and I am sticking to it.)

We have really enjoyed this park and will mark this as a stop when we come this way again.  Tomorrow we continue our journey east so stay tuned and enjoy today.

February 22- 23, 2015

On Sunday, 22nd, we woke to heavy cloud cover, packed up, said our “see you laters” to Carolyn and Pete and headed east, bypassing San Antonio and on our way to Houston.

This flag was just east of Houston – it was huge:

Traffic coming into Houston – so glad we did this on a Sunday.  But I made a mistake .  I directed Andy to travel the Sam Houston Parkway around the city.  The road was good, not much traffic but it was a toll road that charged every 6-8 miles – Yikees!  Not cheap and won’t do that again.

Yep, we are heading over the bridge:

Lots of industry going on down there – check out the huge coal pile – notice the bulldozer on top:

One of the many huge ports in this area (notice the blue skies – ):

We stopped at a lovely little rest area.  The rest rooms were in this house surrounded by picnic areas:

The main visitor center:

This is the last exit in Texas – 880 miles of I-10 – WOW!

Into Louisiana:

And we settled into a beautiful spot at the Intracoastal Park near Hackberry, LA.  What a lovely spot, facing the intracoastal waterway and watching the birds and barges:

Check it out:

And we get all the views, plus electric and water for only $12.00 a night.  In 2011, Carolyn and Pete had told us about this park so we spent a few days here then.  Since that time, they have done quite a bit of work and now have 28 sites – 6 of them face the water.

We will be here for a few days.  There is a cold front coming thru all of the south and we figure this is a great spot to sit it out.

Stats for the 22nd:

Miles Traveled: 416 Miles (Yes, we are crazy!)

Routes Traveled:

Texas:  SR-17; SR-118; US-90; CR-422; CR-5216; CR-422; US-90; I-410; I-10; Sam Houston Parkway/SR-8 (VERY EXPENSIVE); I-10

Louisiana: I-10; SR-27; Intracoastal Road

Today, Monday, 23rd, we decided to take a little road trip with a final stop at the grocery store before the rain and wind starts.

Our park is part of a series of five county parks in the Calcasieu Parish.  We decided to check out one of the other parks.  This is Holbrook Park – another lovely place to stay:

Coming back we noticed this curvy trees – how strange:

We come back a different way and were surrounded by truck traffic.  A lot of construction happening here!

After shopping and lunch, we made a small trip to Hackberry and over the bridge for pictures of the area.  Here is the park – our home is on the left:

The intracoastal waterway – many barges coming and going as well as being staged – very interesting:

The other side of the waterway:

What a beautiful area.  By mid afternoon, the temperature dropped and the rain started.  So we will be staying warm in our little spot watching the birds and barges.

Stay tuned and enjoy today!