Shepard State Park, Gautier, Mississippi

Most sites are less than level. We had to pull in and use blocks and we still couldn’t get level. Bathrooms were a contrast. The shower stalls themselves were relatively new tile work. Everything else was dated. Some parts were in better shape than others.  They still looked and felt like a state park out of the 60s. Water was more than warm but less than hot.

We stopped at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Wildlife Refuge just before it closed for the day. We saw a neat film about these lazy birds (they don’t migrate like other sandhill cranes), and got some suggestions for spots where we might see one. We’ll try tomorrow morning, but the chances are pretty small because there are only about 100 of the birds left in the wild. They are critically endangered.

Two Percent of the Entire Population of Mississippi Sandhill Cranes
Two Percent of the Entire Population of Mississippi Sandhill Cranes

Thanks to great advice from staff, we left the campground early and went out in search of sandhill cranes. We intended to use the RV as a blind once we got to the first location. Well, less than 15 minutes later and less than 100 yards off the main road to the refuge we spotted two cranes in somebody’s side yard between a pond and swimming pool. We were incredibly lucky!

Elevation: 13 feet; WiFi: No; Cell: V3; TV:OTA10+ (most not quite there)