Tuesday – March 25, 2014
Davis Bayou Campground
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Ocean Springs, Mississippi
We awoke to a cold, windy morning with the temperature in the mid-forties. We departed the Boomtown Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi at 8:00 a.m. We had a hearty breakfast at the Denny’s Restaurant in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
We arrived at the Davis Bayou Campground located within the Gulf Islands National Seashore in Ocean Springs, Mississippi at 9:00 a.m. We were referred to this area by some campers we had met at the Everglades National Park in December 2013. This will be our home for the next seven days.
The campground has 52 sites with hookups for electric and water. A variety of trees, including live oaks, shade most of the sites. There is one restroom facility with flush toilets and four separate and private hot showers. There is one dump station available. All campsites are first-come-first-serve.
We receive a 4G signal with 3 bars signal strength through our T-Mobile service provider. This signal strength provides very good Internet service with our smartphone.
The Gulf Islands National Seashore is a place of sparkling blue waters, magnificent white beaches, and fertile coastal marshes. There are historic forts, shaded picnic areas, trails, and campgrounds. The park includes 12 units stretching eastward 160 miles from Cat Island, Mississippi, to the Okaloosa Area east of Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
Congress established Gulf Islands National Seashore in 1971 to provide recreation and to protect the wildlife, barrier islands, salt marshes, historic structures, and archeological sites along the Gulf of Mexico. Although 80% of the park is submerged lands, the islands are the most outstanding features to most visitors. The national seashore islands are long and narrow, composed of white sand carried seaward by rivers draining the Appalachian Mountains. Dunes of snow-white sand give the islands a distinctive look. Held together by a network of stems and roots, the dunes are composed of fine quartz sand that originates in distant mountains.
Besides the islands, the national seashore includes four parcels of land on the Florida and Mississippi mainlands. Here the visitor will find fortifications built by the Spaniards and Americans. Forts here span from the Spanish colonial era in the 1700’s to World War II in the 1940’s. See the site of the first federal live oak plantation and reservation, archeological traces of American Indians, and forests and marshes with a variety of wildlife.
There is no beach within the Davis Bayou Area but public beaches are nearby in Ocean Springs.
We spent a relaxing day, enjoying the sunshine with the temperature in the mid-sixties. However, the strong wind made it feel much cooler than that.
Camping Fees: $22.00 per night (50% discount with Golden Age Passport).
Total miles traveled today: 15
Tomorrow another adventure begins.
Entrance to Gulf Islands National Seashore - Mississippi
Campground Entrance
Campground Overview
Davis Bayou
Davis Bayou
Davis Bayou>
Davis Bayou
No comments:
Post a Comment