I've got the whole set

After a "bad" day yesterday I was hoping for a better day today. To do that I'd need an early start, better weather and some new inspirations. Check, check and check!

I was on the road by 7 this morning, albeit without more than a cup of coffee. I picked up highway 90 just a few blocks from the motel and rode it most of the day. It took me to the east corner of the Crescent City and across a bridge. Before you could say "ya'll come back now, hear?" I found myself crossing an old bridge into the town of Pearlington, Missisippi.

You can't see it in my lowly picture but there are ducks, alligators and other critters crawling on the sign

I was disappointed that I saw no sign at the border so I stopped at a gas/convenience store at the cross roads on the east end of the bridge. I bought a bottle of water from the young lady and she was nice enough to answer some questions for me.

Yes, I had just crossed into Mississippi at the bridge but it seems that they are the forgotten people. The Welcome to Alabama sign was just a bit further down the highway.

Yes, I recalled correctly that during Katrina the press had covered the suffering and devastation of the populace in New Orleans but the storm hit the shoreline east of there with even more force. From the state line to Biloxi was crippled. The poor folks in Pearlington were not claimed by Mississippi or Louisiana, yet the entire town was wiped out. Every single house in town was lost, as far as inhabitability. She pointed to the pole next to the gas pump that used to be a light pole. There was a piece of metal welded across it, like a mast, at a position that was well beyond my reach. 

"That was the water level the day after Katrina hit. Every one in town lost their home, everyone! Mississippi couldn't help us, same with Louisiana. We had a team of volunteers come in here and set up a camp on our baseball field. They came from around the world. It was incredible". 

The storm surge was 24 feet deep and it pushed water 22 miles inland (I told you it was flat). She aid that some of the older folks still talk of Camille (1969), but no one recalled it ever being worse than Katrina.

I then went outside and helped three old timers figure out how to fix the political system. I pretty much just listened, they had most of it figured out already.

About a mile down the road I did find the promised state-line sign

As I rolled through Long Beach, then Gulfport, I was noticing some of the old mansions on the north side of the road. As Gulfport turned seemlessly into Biloxi, I came to Beauvoir, the home of Jefferson Davis.

The estate was the last home of Jeff Davis and includes his museum and Presidential Library

Having never viewed the Civil War from the POV of the Confederacy I was anxious to go in and look around. There were some interesting displays and, in several rooms, a video showing that told the story of his life before and after the war. It was an interesting visit and one that I might spend more time at if I ever come back to Biloxi.

One of the most interesting parts was not Jefferson Davis but the building and grounds themselves. When I was upstairs near the museum I saw a picture of the "Piano Tree".

Nearby was an explanation. I had not thought about how this landmark was affected by Katrina until I saw the picture of this antique piano that was found high up in one of the broken trees on the grounds. They were able to get it down but are still trying to raise funds to have it restored. It will need a lot of restoration. 

I inquired in the gift shop and was told that Katrina had pretty much destroyed Beauvoir. Six of the seven buildings on the grounds had been destroyed and they had lost 300 trees. In fact, the building I had toured was only 3 years old! I did find this picture of the original house

In watching the video I further found out that Beauvoir was only the last house that Jeff lived in. It was the family mansion of a family friend who took in the defeated and broken CSA President after he bounced around from Mississippi to Canada to England and Europe to Memphis, then eventually back to Biloxi.

Just across the bay bridge (one of several dozen I have crossed in the last week) was Ocean Springs, Ms. As it was lunch time I was delighted to spot this wonderful eatery. 

I ate there, took pictures and bought the T-shirt! I had the Froggy Cheese steak.

Froggy's travel philosophy. This frog, by the way, is named Fred (I think he still owes me a race)

After a very good lunch I aimed my bike east again, still on highway 90, until I spotted the Gulf Coast Gator Ranch on the north side of Orange Grove, Ms. This was too good to pass up, a gator farm and another form of transportation! I had to stop.

An air boat! Flying on the water!

We spotted a couple of big uglies but spent most of the time doing figure 8's and 360's in some of the nastiest looking water imaginable. I must say I did not thoroughly enjoy the ride because of visions of my Dad at Lake of the Woods in Canada dancing in my head. Details available upon request.

It was only a few more miles up the road where I crossed into Alabama (the parking lot at the gator farm had parking reserved for LSU fans and another section for 'Bama fans. I couldn't get them to tell me which group they used for bait). As I rolled across the state line I completed a list of states I have visited in my lifetime, a list that was started when there were only 48 names on it. I've got the complete set, although I do intend to add Alaska next year!

From the Bama line I headed south toward Dauphin Island to take the ferry across the outer banks to Fort Morgan. It had been a great day but that all came screeching to a halt on Dauphin Island. The 1/2 hour ferry crossing is normally serviced by two boats but one was "down" for the day and I had just missed the previous boat. The weather had been nice and coolishly overcast all day, but as I parked my bike the hot sun came out swinging. As I shut the engine off I discovered that I and the others in line had nearly an hour and a half wait. Just enough to meet a few people and befriend them so that they were tolerant of our mutual discovery that the pitching and yawing of a ferry was sufficient to set off the motion alarm on a Harley Fat Boy!

By the time we reached Fort Morgan it was late, I was hot and tired, and the battery on my phone had gone dead. I rode as far as the highway took me before it split. I didn't know where I was or where I needed to go. Sounded like the perfect time to call it quits, only a few miles shy of crossing into Florida. But I discovered that, in addition to me being behind schedule, so is Tropical Storm Colin. It was supposed to hit Tampa by today. Instead it is supposed to hit Tallahassee tomorrow. This could get interesting, so am I!

I believe I am in Gulf Shores, or at least that is the first town south of here. There is a go-cart track just down the rode...