2,450 mile Trek to Biloxi, Mississippi
Blog entry #1 Prolog: (June 2003 – March 2004) “Better not wait too long”
Figure 1: Map of 2004 Trek to Biloxi, Mississippi “Better not wait too long” was the wry suggestion from Millie, the wife of the original owner of our ’50 model Jeep station wagon when I …
Blog entry #2 Trip Preparations (January 2004 – March 2004)
OK, trip time. Was there any doubt as to what had to be done? In December of 2003, we began preparations for a March, 2004 trip to Biloxi, Mississippi. The Jeep had been pretty thoroughly …
Blog entry #3 Trek to Biloxi (March 20, 2004 – March 25, 2004) Columbia, SC; Warm Springs and Pine Mountain, GA; Gulf Shores and Dauphin Island, AL
Thanks to Jean’s navigating ability and investigative skills, the trip to Biloxi, Mississippi and back was punctuated with numerous side trips, ranging from the historically mundane (speak for yourself, Dan) to the death defyingly harrowing …
Blog entry #4 (March 25, 2004 – March 26, 2004) Reunion with Millie and Jake, Biloxi, MS.
We arrived in Biloxi, Mississippi on March 25, 2004, 6 days and 1,076 miles after our departure from Cary, North Carolina. Mixed feelings of anticipation and apprehension were overridden with the slow realization that we …
Blog entry #5 (March 27, 2004) Jeep Maintenance Adventure
The morning of March 27th, I brought the Jeep in for service at TORRICELLI MOTORS INC.’s modest one-man auto repair facility. I had brought with me from North Carolina a photocopy of the original 1950 …
Blog entry #6 (March 27, 2004) Bayou Tour, Pearlington, MS.
Jeep inspection and maintenance having been completed, Jean and I headed off for a guided tour of bayou country east of New Orleans. That evening, on our way back to Biloxi, I could not resist …
Blog entry #7 (March 28, 2004) Beginning of Trek back to North Carolina. Natchez Trace Parkway, MS
March 28th being Sunday, Jean and I attended Mass at St. Michael Church in Biloxi. Then, after brunch at Beau Rivage Casino, we started north on the first leg of our trip home. We headed …
Blog entry #8 (March 29, 2004 – April 3, 2004) Sites in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
We dropped off of the Natchez Trace Parkway in northern Mississippi. The balance of the return trip to North Carolina included stops in Alabama at the Natural Bridge in Natural Bridge, a 270 ft covered …
Blog entry #9 (March 31, 2004) Tense Moment in Little River Canyon, AL
Unquestionably the most memorable 15 miles of the return trip was a trip around the rim of Little River Canyon in northwestern Alabama. Boldly disregarding a sign that contained the words “WARNING”, “Steep, Winding” and …
Blog entry #10 (April 3, 2004) Home-Sweet-Home, Cary, NC.
We arrived home Saturday April 3, 2004, 15 days after our journey had begun, safe and sound with a feeling of accomplishment and a bushel full of memories. Amazingly, after 49 hours and 21 …
Blog entry #11 Epilog (Summer, 2010) Millie and Jake, Hurricane Katrina)
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina came ashore west of Biloxi, MS with devastating force. The ancient live oak tree that sat beside Millie and Jake’s home in Biloxi succumbed to the ferocious winds …