Day 98: Vancleave, MS

Another day of traveling some pretty uninspiring backroads.  The terrain has flattened out (mostly pine forest today), with only occasional low rollers.  It got into the 80s by around 9 am and the humidity remains quite high.  Alea got caught in a brief (and refreshing) shower this morning that lasted for 15 minutes or so, and the forecast for this afternoon is for a chance of showers.  The chance increases into tomorrow, after which it clears up and cools down.

A brief rain shower feels good with all the humidity!

The goal for today was to reach Vancleave, MS, which is about 35 miles from last night's campground.  That sets us up to reach the Gulf Coast on Sunday, when hopefully it will be easier to secure an unreserved campsite at one of the state parks.

About last night: it seems we were sleeping amidst the local homeless population.  The first person we met was an old bachelor with a golden lab who was living in an old Chevy van that he had nicknamed "The Cave."  Next, an odd woman came in driving a Chrysler minivan.  Throughout the day she periodically re-positioned it, probably seeking best shade.  She never made eye contact and almost never came out of her van.  Then there were four young people driving a Mustang with an engine that sounded like it would soon be throwing a rod.  They had set up a tent, which looked as though it had been there for quite some time, based solely upon the mountain of trash deposited where there had once beena campfire.  They came and went repeatedly and would not make eye contact.  The only other apparent traveler showed up around 8 pm on a motorcycle.  At least he spoke to us, if only to ask if the water was safe to drink.  I assured him that we drank gallons of it yesterday and we hadn't yet started puking.

So tonight we are camped at White Sands RV Park ($21.40, full hook-ups).  It's rustic, but the bathhouse is large and clean, with lots of showers and toilets, which is always a welcome discovery.  It looks as though most of the other guests are longer term tenants - we seem to be the only transients.  

The "white sands" refers to the banks of the small clear water creek that runs along the eastern boundary of the property.  Though there were signs that said no pets are allowed, the owners allowed us to take Lana there to play fetch in the water.   So she's a pretty content little dog right now.

Oh, Boy!  Let's play "hike the ball in the sand!"

Speaking of Lana, she is shedding more than we've ever seen, no doubt because of the heat and humidity.  We've got our eyes open for a pet store, so that we can buy a Furminator to help thin out her undercoat and hopefully minimize the blizzard of white fur that we are currently experiencing.