January 26 – February 2: After refueling stops at Trader Joe’s for us and Raceway for the van we headed to Manatee Springs SP where we were lucky enough to score a site. It’s really tough to be a spontaneous camper in Florida in January. We’ve seen every kind of rig from pup tents to 45′ mega motor homes – even a tiny home on wheels! – with license plates from every northern state and Canadian province on the road and in the campgrounds, all vying for the same spaces. So the next day when we showed up at the Ochlockonee River SP without a reservation we weren’t too surprised to be turned away. The kind ranger directed us to a nearby city park, Myron B. Hodge, where we spent the night. Deja vu: exactly the same thing happened two years ago and we remembered the park affectionately, with its boardwalk over the bayou and early morning mist.
Not to be deterred, we tried again the next day. I’d always wanted to visit St. George’s SP on a barrier island in the Gulf so we drove over the causeway with our fingers crossed but without a lot of hope; sure enough, the park was full. Instead we had a great lunch at the Blue Parrot on the water and took a short walk through the St. Joseph Bay Buffer Preserve. It’s been way too windy and about 15 – 20 degrees below normal, keeping the birds quiet and hidden. Tired, cold and defeated, we went to Carraba’s for dinner (where we got two extra meals to go for ten bucks apiece) then settled into a Cracker Barrel parking lot for the night. At least we knew that a hot breakfast would be right outside the van in the morning and Ron wouldn’t even have to grind and brew the coffee.
The next two days at Ft. Pickins had been reserved in advance so we took our time driving there in the teeming rain. Did I mention the leaky windshield? We were aware of the occasional drip coming from behind the sun visor but the heavy downpour made us realize just how bad it had become. Luckily, we found a Safelite service center in Pensacola and even more luckily, they took us right in. And the resealing was covered under Safelite’s lifetime warranty! Yay, Safelite!
Speaking of repairs, we had been without hot water since starting the trip and Ron had had enough of washing his face with ice water so he called Steve at Colonial for some help. After sending photos back and forth, lying face down on the van floor with a flashlight looking at water valves and thermostat settings, Steve found the manual on line and had Ron flick a switch behind a small door outside the van, solving the problem.
We spent the afternoon at Ft. Pickins, touring the fort and learning about its origins. The pentagonal brick fort was built in large part by black slaves as part of an effort to fortify all US major ports against foreign invasion. By the onset of the American Civil War it had been unoccupied for decades. Despite its dilapidated condition, the commanding officer at the time put it into service as a union fortification to defend against local secessionist threat. It was one of only three southern forts to remain in union hands throughout the war. The cannons at the fort had never been fired except in drills, and (like many things today) were technically obsolete by the time they were completed.
We meandered west after leaving the campgrounds and were in Mobile – and at Mary’s – by 5:00 pm. We became reacquainted with Jeannie and George, Mary’s black and white cat children, and met Rosie – her newest feline addition, a beautiful Russian Blue – before spending a quiet evening catching up on news (ours and the world’s) and retiring for the night. Mary wasn’t feeling well the next morning and Ron’s cat allergies were kicking up fiercely so we decided to be on our way a day early.
We stopped at the Pascagoula Audubon Nature Preserve (another place we remembered and loved first time around) but, again, it was just to cold and windy to do much birding. Took another half-hearted stab at finding a last minutes campsite at Shepard SP but no luck. But we did get a great recommendation for BBQ just a few miles away; we drowned our disappointment in delicious baby back ribs and after much discussion checked into a motel for two nights: one to catch up on showers and laundry and one to watch Superbowl LIV.
We spent the day walking and driving around nearby Ocean Springs, a historic village on the Gulf just outside of Biloxi. The town takes Mardi Gras very seriously with decorated storefronts, fences and windows – even the pastries in the patisserie where we had coffee were iced in purple, green and gold.
The next two nights were spent doing laundry and catching up on the blog – and watching the Super Bowl, of course – at Country Inn and Suites outside of Ocean Springs. And this time we made a reservation in advance to take the three-hour tour of the Mississippi Sandhill Crane wildlife preserve not far away. We got there at about 9:00 and joined a group of about 6 others, boarding a van and getting our binoculars ready. Our volunteer guides, Dave and Kim, were knowledgeable about the cranes, their habits, history and habitat. They found six cranes for our group, a family of three, a courting pair and a single bird fling over the van. Satisfied, we checked into Davis Bayou CG – also part of the Gulf Island National Seashore – for a couple of days.
The Ultimate Road Trip 