Mississippi In Review

So much for finding a luxury RV resort in every state.  Those dreams were quickly squelched as soon as we pulled into our Mississippi location...

The office was in an old trailer & the campsite was in the Hollywood Casino parking lot!  Sometimes location has to override luxury:)

We never visited the casino, but did find plenty of other things to do.  To start, we went for a drive from our new home in Bay St. Louis (near the Louisiana border) along Beach Blvd east to Biloxi and back, with breath-taking views along the way...  

As well as a great place to stop for lunch overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.

We had our first taste of gumbo (& loved it!) and tried other local flavors like red beans & rice, shrimp & fried crab claws.

As we left the restaurant, we walked along the water taking photos of the marina & ocean view. While loading back into the jeep ready to move on, we noticed a police car approaching- and then stopping directly in front of our car.  I casually walked over to the officer, wondering why he seemed so intent on our family.  "Ma'am" he said, "Were you just walking along the beach?"  I let him know we'd just come from lunch, wondering again why he was so inquisitive.  And as he assessed the situation, his tone & face softened & he nearly began to smile as he said, "Someone just called in to report a female with brown hair, a grey jacket & jeans carrying a very large gun."  It took a second, but then we all cracked up as we realized that that "someone" mistook my camera for a gun!  Me, walking the beaches of Mississippi with my husband & two daughters, carrying a loaded weapon... what a thought!  We had a ball joking with the officers (yes, there was back-up!), and though they wouldn't allow a photo of themselves, they let us get a shot of the police car and sent us off with a Long Beach patch:)

I just love this picture (below).  It totally captures how some days feel on this year-long adventure.  With often only days in a state, we zoom through, experiencing as much as we possibly can- wondering two or three states later what the heck we did there.  The house below is the retirement home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.  Just a drive by is all we had time for, and the blur is all we were able to capture.   I often wonder if when asked at the end of our journey to tell about our trip, if we'll be able to say anything other than..."I have no idea, it's just a blur!"

One of the highlights in MS was catching the Oyster Festival in Pass Christian.  An absolutely beautiful, sunny day filled with carnival rides, live music and ALL things oyster!

Local crafters set up booths showcasing everything from oyster trees...

to oyster bikinis!

And all types got into the oyster spirit:)

We couldn't partake in the festivities without trying some carnival foods... fried pickles & alligator-on-a-stick!

But the best... the VERY best, was the chargrilled oysters, topped with butter, garlic & parmesan, and served with cocktail sauce, lemons & tabasco.

Oh wait- there was another VERY best... hot, fluffy, delicious, just-made beignet's.  Being a New Orleans tradition, we almost waited since we'd be there in just a week, but couldn't resist the sneak preview:)

We enjoyed our sugary mess by the water's edge & noticed lots of oysters in the shallows.  Alayna couldn't help but crack one open, praying for a pearl:)

no luck:(

A walk along the beach gave insight to why the Oyster Festival is held in this location each year... oysters galore!

We actually completed our visit to MS after New Orleans, on our way to Little Rock.  Vicksburg National Military Park holds the site of the Civil War Battle of Vicksburg fought May 18- July 4, 1863.  

"Vicksburg is the nail head that holds the South's two halves together." -Confederate President Jefferson Davis

Davis knew the importance of holding this city for the Confederacy in order to survive, while Lincoln knew the power of controlling the Mississippi River & dividing the South.

"Vicksburg is the key." -President Abraham Lincoln

The Union victory here, coupled with the defeat of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in the Battle of Gettysburg fought over July 1-3, 1863, marked the turning point of the Civil War.

We took the 16 mile drive around the park viewing battlefield, trenches & earthworks, and some of the over 1,300 historic monuments & markers. 

Forty-seven steps (one for each day of the Siege of Vicksburg) lead up to this 62-foot tall Illinois monument.  Inside, sixty bronze tablets name the 36,325 Illinois soldiers who were part of this campaign.  The girls most enjoyed the sound the marble dome created as they sang inside:)

This beautiful mosaic lay in the center of the Illinois monument

The African American monument honors the more than 200,000 black soldiers who fought for the Union army & navy.  The three bronze figures depict 2 black Union soldiers and one common field hand.  The wounded soldier in the center represents the sacrifice made by so many black soldiers during the Civil War.  The field hand looks behind at a past of slavery as the soldier on the left looks ahead to future freedom.

Mississippi memorial

Iowa memorial

Of course we were drawn to the small, but meaningful Kansas memorial.
"The bottom circle represents the unity of the pre Civil War Era,
The broken circle in the center represents the Union torn asunder by the war 1861-1865.
The perfect circle at the top depicts the regained unity of the post war era.
An eagle atop all typifies the glorious majesty of our country."

The Shirley House (known by Union troops as "the white house") is the only surviving wartime structure in the park.  It sheltered the 45th Illinois infantry during the siege.    

Roughly 13,000 of the nearly 17,000 Union soldiers buried in the Vicksburg National Cemetery are unknown.

U.S.S. Cairo
This ironclad gunboat sank in only 12 minutes as a Confederate torpedo tore open its bow on December 12, 1862.  It became the first armored warship sunk by an electrically detonated mine.  
It is beautifully preserved & is one of only three surviving Civil War-era ironclads in existence.  

One of our nights in, we pulled out a super-sweet Christmas gift Jim received from Natalie.  Monopoly has been a long-time favorite game for Natalie & Jim, so she put tons of time & creativity into making him a revised Monopoly game... RVopoly!  She turned the properties into places we'd visited & the Community Chest & Chance cards into trip-related events.  We had so much fun playing & remembering our first 6 months of memories:)

Alayna had her own fun later in the week making an RV fort with special entrance instructions:)

Loved the beaches.  Loved the history.  Loved the oysters!  On to Louisiana...