A Day of Caching in Bay St Louis 3/24/2008

Our first cache today was nice and easy right here in the parking lot of the Hollywood Casino so all we had to do is avoid security and the people going in and out of the casino which we were able to do. Then it was on to a cache located at the former home site of the cacher that placed the cache which was a total wreck. The cache container contained a small photo album of before and after pictures of the home owners property. It really was a very lovely spot and you really have to feel for these people here with there great losses. Next it was a cache out on a boat launch at the end of a road in the woods, then it was on to a cache located at the local hospital walking track.
Then it was on to St. Augustine Seminary and a cache located near the front entrance. The seminary was founded in Greenville, Mississippi in 1920 and moved to Bay St. Louis in 1923. It is the oldest existing Catholic seminary in MS for the training of young men as missionary priests and brothers. The seminary also had a grotto located at the site but because of Katrina it was closed and we couldn't walk through it.
We drove to the Bay St. Louis Bridge next for a cache located near the bridge which was destroyed during Katrina and just recently reopened. Then we were off to a cache located near a church in a cluster of trees, then it was a virtual cache at the statue of Jean Baptiste LeMoyne who explored the Bay of St. Louis on August 25, 1699 and named it for Louis the XI of France, then we went down the road to an Earthcache locate at St. Stanislaus College where there was a walkway to a pier out in the bay that was also destoyed by Katrina. We had to observe several things and send an email to the cache owner and our last cache was located at the old train depot that is no longer in use.
Some facts about Hurricane Katrina and this area are: winds reached 175 mph, which meant it was a Category 5 storm, and was the 4th most powerful hurricane ever. Here in Hancock County 11,000 homes were destroyed, 3,600 suffered major damage, 1,800 sustained minor damage and that meant that 70% of all the homes in the county were severly damaged or destroyed. The long term recovery efforts are going to continue for the next 10 years. Many churches and other organizations opened there doors to the evacuees during the relief effort. Many elderly people are still living in FEMA trailers. The storm surge was 30' above normal sea level and the land area is only a few feet above sea level so that meant many homes were completely inundated with the sea and water reached miles inland. Barrier islands moved or completely destroyed. Local marshes were permanently overrun by water. Breeding grounds for marine mammals, birds, turtles and fish were lost. Sixteen National Wildlife Refuges were closed due to damage and loss of land. The Chandeleur Islands were obliterated. All this really has an impact when you can see it first hand and is so so sad.
We stopped and did a few errands and then drove back to the RV and Mom did our logs and I looked for our next stop I think in New Orleans. One thing I didn't mention is they had the PGA qualifier for the Zurich Golf Classic at the The Bridges GC here at the casino which is a championship Arnold Palmer course. The Zurich Golf Classic is this weeks PGA tournament and is being at the TPC of Louisiana. We watched several of the young players teeing off as we drove by the first and tenth tees this morning. Well time to say good night and until tomorrow and we love you and miss you all.


Picture List:1,2-StAugustine Seminary, 3,4,5-Grotto at the seminary, 6-This is what most of the roads look like that run perpendicular to the beach road, 7,8-The old train depot, 9,10-PGA Qualifying at The Bridges GC, 11-Jean Baptiste LeMoyne statue, 12-Bay St. Louis Bridge marker, 13,14-The Brothers Cemetery.