Along the Shore in Biloxi...Day 14

Our last day in Mississippi we decided to take a trip down to Biloxi and Gulf Shores to cruise along the Gulf and stop at the Jefferson Davis House. The last home of the President of the Confederacy is a lovely old home that was ravaged by hurricane Katrina, but miraculously retained most of it's treasures. After a three year re-building effort, the house is back in it's original glory. The Presidential Library was swept away in the storm, but they are in the process of rebuilding, with completion slated for 2011.

Biloxi's coastline used to be lined with the most beautiful southern homes and huge, elaborate gambling 'boats', but after Katrina, just a fraction of them remain. We took the pleasure of stopping in at the new Hard Rock Casino...not to gamble, but to eat. (Good food, but expensive.) The building and interior was exceptional with all the expected musical memorabilia - very cool.


And so, with a minivan wash and detail, an oil change and the tank filled to the brim, we are ready to embark on the second half of the road trip. I cannot believe that it is half over, to be honest. It has been so different from the last road trip; the weather has been much worse with heavy rain, thunder & lightning, snow, hail, and wind. The junior travelers are all older and a bit more moody, making getting along a little more challenging than last time. And, I'm two years older, too; driving all day gets tiring, that's for sure! But, it's all good, and I'm thankful that we are able to do it at all.

“Travel is glamorous only in retrospect.”

–Paul Theroux