12/8/14 Pass Christian to FL

I think I've fixed the timestamps on these pics so they're correct.  I took another walk on the beach then decided to head further east & explore more of the area.  I was blown away by how pretty the beached were, and how deserted.  There was just no one around.

Watching the shrimp boats head in

12/8/2014 11:38:31 AM




Parked in Pass Christian
12/8/2014 11:47:26 AM


Pass Christian MS
12/8/2014 12:24:19 PM

I stopped and bought some shrimp from a boat here. (Not this one)


12/8/2014 12:24:28 PM


Shaggy's on the water
12/8/2014 12:26:16 PM


Shrimp boats
12/8/2014 12:28:11 PM

I had asked the shrimp seller where to eat, and he said Shaggy's was good but expensive. But the view was killer!



12/8/2014 12:28:33 PM

Crab stacker.  Crab cakes & fried green tomatoes.



12/8/2014 12:49:19 PM

Shrimp PoBoy



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Cute decorated boat in Pass Christian
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Gorgeous deserted beaches in Mississippi
12/8/2014 2:21:43 PM

I continued driving on 90 through Gulfport and Biloxi. They were a little too overcrowded for my taste.  I got back on I-10 and headed east.  According to the Garmin I could make Panama City by 8pm. I wasn't really up to it though, and by Crestview FL I had had enough.  I stopped at the Cracker Barrel there and got permission to stay the night. I had dinner there, which was fairly lackluster except for the baked sweet potato.  I'm just never that impressed with their dinners....I need to stick with pancakes :-)  The spot in the back of the lot that I had chosen was really unlevel so I moved to one of the RV spots, which had the added benefit of being close enough to Hooters to pull in their wifi with the external antenna. It was a pretty quiet night.

12/7/14 Heading to Pass Christian

It was a very quiet night at the Hammond Camping World.  I wanted to get out of there before they opened as they're pretty iffy on the overnight parking thing so I didn't want to be seen as abusing it.  When I had asked the night before they said "No" initially.  I think the gal only relented because it was 15 minutes prior to closing, it was dark, and I probably looked exhausted.  So I thought lingering would be a bit rude. Thank god they open at 10 am on Sundays. :-)

Leaving the store I came upon this scene right before the entrance to I-10. Since I didn't feel like sitting waiting for this, and the detour took me by Cracker Barrel, I stopped for pancakes. :-)


12/7/2014 8:16:30 AM

I continued on I-10 to the MS State line.  They have a really nice welcome center, and the Infinity Science Center, an annex of NASAs Stennis Space Center, nearby. Unfortunately that was closed on Sunday so I guess I'll catch it next time. I got onto highway 90 and drove through Waveland and Bay St. Louis before ending up in Pass Christian MS.  I had read of a place you could park for 1 night right next to the beach.  Wow. Just wow.  These beaches are incredible.



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I found this little gal on the beach. She was still alive, but barely, claws waving feebly.


12/7/2014 12:20:44 PM

I flipped her over and then put her back in the water.  Unfortunately she didn't make it.


12/7/2014 12:21:27 PM

Big firepit on the beach. You need a permit to use it.



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12/7/2014 1:05:45 PM

This pier belonged to a multi million dollar mansion across the street from the beach.  There is apparently some $$ in this town.



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12/7/2014 1:16:19 PM

One of the mansions.



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The sunset was just incredible.



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Sunset in Pass Christian. Unedited. straight out of the camera. (Olympus)
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Sunset in Pass Christian. Unedited. straight out of the camera. (Olympus)
12/7/2014 4:06:23 PM



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12/1-3/14 Magnolia Beach

I left Kerrville pretty early after a quiet night. I was hoping to make Magnolia Beach early enough to avoid any drama with driving on sand in the darl.  It was a miserable drive. It poured a good portion of the way. I kept *almost* stopping but pressed on. I made a quick detour into Port Lavaca to get gas and was thrilled to see a 7-11.  I'd been carrying some checks around for months and thought I'd finally get to deposit them. Not to be.....I'd found the only one without a Citi ATM. :-(  I found the beach and was amazed at the sand. It was like concrete. I found a spot off by myself where I wasn't parked right in front of someone's house and called it good.  I ran out and snapped one shot, then the rain started coming down again.

 
Parked on Magnolia Beach. The sand is like concrete, no worry of getting stuck.
12/1/2014 12:53:16 PM

The rain came down like gangbusters and the wind was howling. I ended up moving a bit around 10 pm as I couldn't stand the buffeting.  I turned more into the wind and that helped.

The next morning dawned cold, grey and windy.  I took a walk but it was pretty miserable.



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Plenty of room tho folks still seem to want to park on top of each other. I don't quite get it.
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Freshly groomed beach. This was softer...I'd be more wary of parking here.
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Signs explaining a lot of history.
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12/2/2014 11:24:47 AM


That grey concrete house is cool. Weird, but cool.
12/2/2014 11:28:54 AM


I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw an 18 wheeler drive by
12/2/2014 12:44:07 PM


18 wheeler driving down the beach
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I didn't think it was quite THAT cold.
12/2/2014 3:03:19 PM

I pretty much just sat in the rig all day and listened to the wind howl, doing a lot of reading.  I needed the rest. The wind finally died down a bit in the evening.

The sun came out for a bit in the morning, giving some welcome amps to the batteries. I had run the generator for an hour last night as it's a new month and I try to run it once a month.  Since there'd been no sun it was a good time to do it.  Since it was almost a nice day I went for a walk.



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Grumpy Bird
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12/3/2014 2:42:36 PM

The sun didn't last long and it got pretty foggy & misty.  I'm pretty sure I'm leaving tomorrow, the forecast for the next few days doesn't sound promising either.