Gulf Coast

The drive back up through Florida took us two days but we eventually made it to Alabama. The red soil is just like it looked in Gone With The Wind. We went to Gulf Shores, Alabama for the afternoon and 'swam' in the Gulf there. I say 'swam' because it really was little more than standing, jumping waves, and then trying to maintain footing in the undertow. The Gulf got the best of me and battered me to the bottom a couple of times. After an hour my legs were too achy to stand, so called it a day, washed several kilos of sand from our swimwear and ventured westward.

We spent that night in Biloxi, MS and the following day drove down Route 90 from Biloxi toward New Orleans. Once we passed Casino Row in Biloxi, it was a lovely drive. More than 50 miles of white sand beaches line the Gulf, with U.S. Route 90 running along the beach in a wide, shaded drive. On the inland side of R.90 were antebellum style cottages (mini-mansions) shaded by ancient gnarled oaks dripping with Spanish moss. It was like viewing a distant era - genteel and elegant.

We took a tour of the Stennis Space Center in western MS, where NASA tests rocket engines. It’s amazing how little either of us knows about rocket science! Very interesting. 

Saturn 5 Rocket Engine at Stennissphere Space Center, Mississippi. More info HERE

This type of rocket engine was used on the Saturn 5 rockets for moon landings. The Saturn 5 rocket gave five times the power of the Hoover dam at liftoff. 5 of these were used in the 1st stage and burnt 203,000 gallons of kerosene and 331,000 gallons of liquid oxygen, all in about 2.5 minutes.