Day 153. January 6, 2014. Mississippi BBQ

Another record-breaking cold morning for southern Mississippi.  We took a little hike and huddled in the camper until it warmed up a bit.  We drove along the coast to Biloxi.  For Christmas, our daughter Meredith gave us a list of restaurants she found online along our route.  We went to one in Biloxi. We had their dry-rubbed smoked chicken sandwich with their homemade BBQ sauce and fried jalapeño peppers.  We certainly filled up at the Fillin' Station.  Haha

We went to the visitors' center and saw photos of pre-and post Katrina.  We watched a movie about Biloxi.  They featured 3 restaurants, including this one.  Meredith knows how to pick them!  We drove by all their casinos.  See Hard Rock picture below.   They were all rebuilt after Katrina, and seem to be the primary business here,

Then we returned to a Muddy Waters BBQ and Blues in Gulfport where we had eaten the smoked chicken wings before.  We got BBQd ribs and pulled pork to go, to eat later in the camper.  For our sides, we did the Southern thing and had collared greens and fried okra.

George also bought some jumbo shrimp which we had as an appetizer.  They call them a Royal  Reds here.  We had a great campfire to warm us up.

This southern food day was fabulous!

Day 152. January 5, 2014. Gulf Coast chillin'

We are spending 4 nights in the national forest near Gulfport, MS.  With George's senior pass, it is only $13 per night.  It is much more "woodsy" than state and commercial parks where we have been recently. We have to kill a few days in this area while the RV shop gets  our Airstream ready. 

I know we can't complain about the cold weather, as compared to the frigid Midwest, but MS is having some record low temperatures, too.  So, we are making several day trips.  We drove west along the Gulf to Bay St. Louis, MS.  Again, we saw hundreds of empty lots where houses had been before Katrina.  We heard that the reason that people haven't rebuilt is that the insurance rates have gone up astronomically.    We had Mahi Mahi sandwiches in a beach shack that had just been rebuilt. 

Back in Gulfport, we found a nano-brewery called Mississippi Brewing Co.   The guy is just starting out.  With heaters, it was nice enough to be outside.

It is also a gumbo shop, so we bought gumbo to eat later in the camper.  Hunkered down in the camper after walking around the campground, chatting with Ontario folks who had fires going.

Day 151. January 4, 2014. Gulfport, MS

We went to the RV store to do title paperwork, etc and to take another look at the Airstream.

I can't wait to move in!  

We went to a "BBQ and Blues" place downtown for lunch.  It smelled heavenly.  They smoke their meats in pecan wood.  We had some smoked wings with a garlic/Parmesan sauce.  Out of this world! We want to go back and try their smoked pork or beef.  

Then we took a ride along the beach road through Biloxi.  There are hundreds of empty beachfront lots for sale, as most houses were destroyed by Katrina.  We went back to cute Ocean Springs.  They have a small brewery that was open for  tours and tastings.  We especially liked their coffee stout.  We went next door to an upscale grocery....kind of like a small Lunds.  Incredibly, it has a growler refill station.  We filled 2 of our growlers, one with the Ocean Springs porter, and the other with "Fire Ant Rye" from a Louisiana brewery.  Who would have thought that MIssissippi would be so hip?  

For dinner, I made corned beef hash.  Tony from Nova Scotia.....if you are reading this, I want you to know that I copied your recipe that you cooked one evening in Newfoundland in the campground shelter.   Turned out great!  We added a little horseradish for a kick.

Day 150. January 3, 2014. New camper!

It was really cold in the morning.  I had left my dirty dishes outside, soaking in soapy water overnight.  I found the dishpan frozen with ice!  I can't complain, though, as we talked with friends in Rochester who told us that the high for Monday is 13 below and they have already canceled school there.

We drove westward through Mobile, then Pascagoula, MS.  Big shipyards and ports.  We found a lovely place to eat lunch in a cute little town called Ocean Springs.  

We arrived in Gulfport, MS where we had planned to stay.  We stopped at an RV store that we had seen online, with an intent to just look.  BUT.... We ended up buying a new camper!!  It is so cute.  It is a 2012 Airlstream  22 foot Bambi ( in case you want to look at pics online).  We will trade in our Aliner.  It was such a whirlwind.  We will stay here a few days while they prepare it, and to mount a new bike rack on it.  We are staying in a national forest.  By the time we got to the campsite, it was pitch black and hard to park the camper.  People seem very friendly.  Two different couples came over to help us by shining flashlights and directing George when he backed up.  

Photos of new camper tomorrow!

Day 149. January 2, 2014. Gulf Shores, Alabama

George fixed breakfast..... We had some chicken necks left over from crabbing while in Grayton Beach State Park.  He made chicken broth with the necks, and with some remaining carrots that we had left out on Christmas Eve for Santa's reindeer.  He used the broth to make grits.  (I abstained.)

We took a walk around the huge campground.  Interesting to see all the different types of campers.  We are starting to toy with the idea of trading ours for something bigger.  Ours is fine when the westher is great, but pretty tight when we can't be outside to eat or anything.  

We took a road trip to Fairhope, Alabama.  We took the slower scenic road which follows the coast...it is Mobile Bay.  Gorgeous Southern beach cottages and mansions.  Inland, there are a lot of pecan groves.  We found a teeny restaurant along the coast for lunch.  It was late, so we were the only ones there.  The food was super...we had an oyster po'boy with a very generous number of big oysters.  They don't sell beer or wine, but encouraged us to bring one in.  Since we conveniently have the cooler in the car, we enjoyed one of the beers Gautham had given us for Christmas.

.  

We haven't gone shopping lately, so I dug into our food box for dinner.  Turned out well....bean soup with leftover hamburger on a tortilla.  

To bed early, as it is pretty cool. 

Day 148. January 1, 2014. Happy New Year!

We had a leisurely morning at motel in Pensacola, watching Rose Bowl Parade and doing laundry.  This is our last say in Florida, and essentially ends our first portion of our 2-year trip, completing the Eastern USA and Canada.  Now, westward-bound to focus on Central USA, then Csnada.  

We drove to Gulf Shores, Alabama, only 30 miles away.  I had no idea that it was so built up...lwith high rises like Miami.  We had lunch (smoked tuna dip with pitas) at a beach bar with live music.  Popular place!  

We are staying 2nights in a state park here.  It is huge..about 500 sites.  Many of the campers are snowbirds, staying here the whole winter.  We biked around the campground and then on some beautiful bike trails.  It is supposed to rain tomorrow so we are taking advantage of today's weather.  

Our site is on an alligator marsh.  There are signs around warning about not molesting them.  I'm just hoping that one doesn't decide to crawl up to our camper!

 

Day 147. December 31, 2013

2013 has been a terrific year for us.  We are so blessed with good health and adventurous spirits to keep us on the road.  

We biked to the beach at our campground...Topsail State Park near Destin, FL, one last time, then hit the road westward.  We stopped in a brewpub for lunch.  We had  mushroom soup made with their porter.  Hit the spot on a drizzly, cool day.

We stayed at a motel in Pensacola to celebrate New Year's Eve.  We ended up being party-poopers....we stayed in, eating leftover paella, and watching TV.  We called family and friends, ans were asleep by 11!