J&J Adventures Part 2: Davis Bayou - A Day of Rest in Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Day 26

How lovely, a day of rest and cleaning up. We really needed this day to recuperate and get ready for the next leg of the journey. We emptied out the car, did laundry and laid it on the table, reorganized our bags and generally tidied up. What a treat.

We then headed off to the visitor center to learn and look at the bayou and watch a movie on the Gulf Islands. Very interesting stuff. Talked about the loggerhead turtles that only have a 1 in 1000 chance of survival from an egg to a reproducing adult. We also learned that they trained dogs for use in World War II on one of the barrier islands and that there was Fort Massachusetts built but never completed on Ship Island. In December of 1814, 10,000 British troops rendezvoused at Ship Island before attacking New Orleans, but Andrew Jackson defeated them at the Battle of New Orleans. We visited the site of that battle on our last trip. It is located 12 miles off the Mississippi shore. Construction began in 1859 but was besieged by problems including yellow fever and severe storms as well as isolation for the troops. The Civil War created even more problems. The Confederates originally claimed the fort but eventually was taken over by Union troops and used as a prison for Confederate captives and Union convicts. The African-America Louisiana Native Guards helped work on the construction. The National Park Service saved the deteriorating fort and now people can visit Ship Island where the fort is located by boat from the coastline. The barrier islands serve as a protection for the mainland from hurricanes and storms.

Campsite visitor

We wandered around the trail of the bayou and then headed toward Ocean Springs for our second breakfast at Buzzy's Breakfast. Then it was a walk on the beach and half the bridge to Biloxi (.8 miles) and an afternoon of relaxation. How lovely. We didn't even feel like cooking so went to the grocery store for sushi, fruit and cheese and crackers.