After recuperating in Florida, the apex of our journey arc; it was time to start heading back to the Northwest, the direction of the grey clouds, rain, fog, mist and drizzle that is Washington. We had recovered, and were longing for more adventure.
The transition from Florida's wealthy, retired population, to the slow southern drawl and good ol' home cooking of the deep south was abrupt. As Julian keeps pointing out... it's hard to believe that the US is a united nation, the divisions are hard and fast. Driving along the Gulf of Mexico we entered Mobile, Alabama, a small city with an ominous, looming history. The Museum of Mobile skimmed over most of it's past; the lynchings as recently as 1944, and of course the KKK and instead focused on Mobile's contribution to WWII and Mardi Gras. We were impressed with the stately homes and the southern food we had been waiting for... Gumbo, my favorite!
Not so impressed with the not so distant past!
After spending the day in Mobile, we crossed the state line into Mississippi, and pulled into a campground late one evening. We awoke to diapers hanging from trees, and garbage strew about, to realize we were sleeping in the local homeless campground. While I was showering, a homeless man in the next room decided he would demolish the men's bathroom, so I quickly rinsed and we left in fear. Mississippi has the lowest per capita personal income in the US and the impact of the recession was most evident here. If only they could sell some of the unnecessary letters in their state name, they could make a fortune, Misipi, sounds like money!
The South has a certain charm, but it also made me feel more proud of the Pacific Northwest than I ever thought I would.
We also spent a day on the Gulf of Mexico.
