Ocean Springs, MS

Our camping trip through the South brought us to Ocean Springs, MS, where we spent a long weekend staying with Katie, a mutual friend from the MVs. Unfortunately, Katie's A/C had broken just before we arrived, so sitting around the condo all day in the Mississippi heat was more or less out of the question. So, we took some time to plan our next steps and explore on Thursday and Friday while Katie worked.

We made another beach trip, but it was far less exciting than the Florida beaches were. On our way, we drove through Biloxi, MS, a casino town made famous after being the point of landfall of Hurricane Katrina. The scars of the hurricane persist in very visible and depressing ways - entire blocks of the town sit vacant now, void of any buildings, covered in weeds and for-sale signs. Foundations, parking lots, and even stairs mark the locations of old houses and businesses that were wiped completely flat and have not returned.

A typical Biloxi block

We also visited a local restaurant called The Shed on Friday night. This joint is a BBQ joint that not only scored a spot on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, but it is even getting is own show on the Food Network starting this fall. To its credit, it is an interesting creation; it is literally a shed that has grown and now covers probably 3 acres, including three bars and a stage. Rumor has it that the place has burned down 3 times. The problem with The Shed, like most "famous" dives, is that your mind (and the Food Network producers) have convinced you that one meal there will change your life, when in reality it won't. Keeping my expectations in check, the food was very good, but again, like most famous places - you don't get much chow for your buck.

Just one small part of The Shed

Late Friday night, Matt flew in for the weekend to join us, and Saturday we went into New Orleans to spend the weekend. It's a place where I had to take the good with the bad - the city is so unique and interesting, but it is also extremely filthy; you feel grimy just walking around. We ate a Willie May's, a famous fried chicken joint, and then spent the evening walking Bourbon Street, which was actually more fun than the first time when I was there for the Sugar Bowl with the MVs. This time, it was far less crowded and crazy, so it was easier to take in the variety of interesting people, street performers, and even brass bands that dot the street.

On Sunday morning, we started with breakfast at Mother's (a must in NOLA) and explored the French market and French Quarter - more things I didn't get to see with band, but I'm really glad I was able to see now. This is where so much history and charm of New Orleans sets it apart from other cities; the market, people, and architecture in that section are very unique. We went on to explore Uptown and the Tulane area, where the money, cleanliness, and house sizes all increased dramatically - making it a fun part of the city to see.

Bourbon St. from above

The French Market

French Quarter style

After dropping Matt at the airport Sunday evening, we headed back to Katie's and on Monday morning set off on another camping journey up to Chicago and Michigan!