Traveling with my children last summer will be a memory that I will cherish forever. Time away from the demands of the normal every day was like a balm to my soul. Our next stop was Gulf Islands National Seashore in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. We camped the entire weekend here. Other than San Diego, we stayed here the longest on our travels. We reserved a spot at the Davis Bayou campground. Although we were in Mississippi, the Gulf Islands Seashore National Park happens to stretch all the way over to Florida. We read about what the National Park site had to say on our way there about the wide variety of birds, the open beaches, the dunes, the woods, and the marshes. Our tent site was near water, but not easily accessible. Instead, we drove to the public water area for the children to get a swim.
After setting up camp, we cooked our first meal over a fire. This was our first wildlife encounter, and it freaked my Emily more than a little bit. We were eventually surrounded by raccoons that kept encroaching closer and closer to us and our food. I let the boys throw rocks to scare them away or she would have been ready to head on home.
The next morning we got stamped, and worked on our Junior Ranger handbooks at the Davis Bayou Visitor Center. This was a beautiful center and we loved walking through it and learning about the area. We also hiked a few trails while we were visiting. The first was uneventful, the last we were attacked by biting flies. It became more of a jog back than a nice ambling walk.
We also drove into Biloxi and visited the ocean there. On our way back to the tent site we tried some Hawaiian rolled ice cream. It was delish!! Overall a fabulous weekend, and we rested up before the next big trek began..... next stop Louisiana.
We also drove into Biloxi and visited the ocean there. On our way back to the tent site we tried some Hawaiian rolled ice cream. It was delish!! Overall a fabulous weekend, and we rested up before the next big trek began..... next stop Louisiana.
