Summerdale, AL to Biloxi, MS
Biloxi, MS
We took our time leaving Summerdale because we only had about a two hour drive to our destination of Biloxi, MS. We didn't get on the road until about 10:30 AM, and we pulled into Majectic Oaks RV Resort about 12:30.
Majestic Oaks RV Resort has wide, paved roads and paved sites. There are full hookups with 30/50-amp electric, free Wi-fi and cable. Most of the 95 sites are back-ins, but there are about a dozen pull-throughs. Although the sites are nicely landscaped, they are a little narrow. That means your slides may run into the shrubs, and you may have to be a little creative getting some of your storage bay doors open.
We got a weekly rate of $187 (plus tax), which we thought was pretty reasonable. Daily rates are higher, and prices in summer may also be higher. The photo below shows our site at Majestic Oaks.
And the next photo shows the view down the road past our site.
Some of the landscape shrubs are gardenias. As you may know, gardenias have a very intoxicating aroma. To have the motor home surrounded by them was a real treat. It was warm when we first arrived in Biloxi, so we couldn't have the windows open because we wanted to run the air conditioner; but we were greeted with the fragrance of gardenias every time we opened the door.
There are train tracks about a half mile south of the campground, and there were half a dozen crossings within earshot where the trains would have to sound their horns. The noise from the trains seemed to vary greatly according to atmospheric conditions. When the wind was blowing out of the north, it seemed to carry the sound away from us, and we barely heard the trains. When the winds were calm, the sound of the trains was a little more noticeable. When the wind was from the south, which was most of te time, it carried the sound of the trains toward us, and the trains were fairly loud. Other than the trains, which were only noticible some of the time, the campground was pretty quiet.
Even though is was a short drive from Summerdale to Biloxi, Paul was tired because he didn't sleep well the night before so we just chilled out at the motor home the rest of the day. The following day, we drove a few miles west to Gulfport, MS to run some errands, then drove back toward the motor home along the beach.
Hurricane Katrina devastated this area in 2005. The eye of the storm made landfall just to the east of New Orleans at about the Louisiana-Mississippi state line, which is about 30 miles west of Gulfport and 40 miles west of Biloxi. Because hurricanes rotate counter-clockwise, the eastern side of the storm usually does the most damage because the wind is blowing in right off the water, and the wind pushes water ahead of it producing a large storm surge. New Orleans got most of the news coverage because it is a large population center and because the levee breaks there that caused so much flood damage. However, the Gulf Coast region to the east of New Orleans sustained much more damage directly from the hurricane itself.
Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Mississippi Gulf Coast with sustained hurricane-force winds that lasted over 16 hours. Wind speeds exceeded 120 mph for part of that time, and there were storm surges of almost 30 feet. There were hundreds of deaths and billions of dollars in damage. Smaller beach towns like Bay Saint Louis, Long Beach, and Pass Christian were all but wiped off the map. The beach areas of larger towns like Gulfport and Biloxi sustained extensive damage, too.
As we drove along Beach Drive, we noticed many, many vacant lots opposite the beach with "For Sale" signs. Occasionally, we could see the remnants of foundation slabs of what were once stately homes.
We also saw empty parking lots of formerly-thriving businesses, we saw a railing from a swimming pool that once belonged to a beach-front motel, and we saw numerous concrete steps and sidewalks that went nowhere.
A few businesses have rebuilt, but not many. A few old homes remain (some have been restored, but a few haven't), and a couple of condos and larger hotels have reopened. Biloxi, which is farther to the east, has a number of beach-front casinos that have reopened.
Another thing we observed along Beach Drive is that MDOT clears Beach Drive of sand like PennDOT does snow removal back in Pittsburgh. Blowing sand covered an entire lane in some areas. Sand can reduce traction and cause skids, so the road crews use graders and front-end loaders to get rid it. They are experimenting erecting fences in some beach areas and planting grasses in others to help keep sand off the road.
On the beach side of the road, we saw pilings that were all that remained of numerous piers. The beaches in this area are in good shape, and there is plenty of free parking. We stopped and went for a walk. The beaches are surprisingly wide.
On the way down to the water, we saw lots of laughing gulls. The one in the photo below posed for us on a post.
On top of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina back in 2005, this area has experienced a "double whammy" with the oil spill last year. This area actually got little, if any, oil; but the way the media played it up, the tourists all stayed away. We saw absolutely no evidence of oil, although there was some debris on the beach from recent storms.
The water in this area isn't as clear and as blue as it is farther east in Alabama and Florida. That is possibly due in part to the storms, but most likely is due to the closer proximity to the mouth of the Mississippi River.
There weren't many people on the beach, but then it's early in the season. Hopefully, the high gasoline prices won't put a damper on the tourist season. The people in this region need a break.
One of the interesting things about traveling all over the country is to see differences in the way people live and behave in different areas. In the short time we have been here, we have already noticed a couple of distinct differences from most other places we have visited. First, there are more Waffle House restaurants in this area than any other place we have been. There are way more Waffle Houses than McDonald's. Second, many more people pay for their purchases with cash than with credit/debit cards. Not only do more people pay in cash, they seem to be very careful in counting it out, which makes the check-out lines and wait times longer.
The weather forcast for the following day was calling for a 60% chance of rain. We have some sightseeing planned for when the weather clears, so stay tuned.