Biloxi MS and a fender bender…

We had a short uneventful drive over to Biolxi, Mississippi and pulled into Martin Lake Resort. This is a Passport America Park and a member of Coast to Coast. The rate is a little over $22 per day including a $2 per day charge for cable (had to watch some NCAA basketbal).  There is also $2.00 per day charge for 50 amp but with the temperate weather we elected for 30 amp. The park is an okay park with fairly tight sights but since it is close to the beaches we will put up with its lack of appeal for a few days.

After we got all settled in we decided to take a drive up the coastline to see the remnants of what Hurricane Katrina left behind. We had driven this road a year after the hurricane hit and the devastation was obvious with many of the Victorian styled homes wiped out and the large old live oaks snapped off like twigs 8-10 feet above ground. This time around there was no sign of the remnants of of foundations of the destroyed homes, only fields of green grass left behind.

There is still a lot of construction needed in the area but it now has a strong foundation from which to rebuild. Also many of the old trees that were snapped off and killed were converted in to beautifully carved wooded sculptures commemorating the devastating hurricane. We stopped to photograph a few of these and walk along the white sandy beaches.

While sitting at a red light talking about what we wanted to do we were suddenly interrupted by a powerful jolt and loud crashing sound as a Ford F150 pickup slammed into the rear of our Honda CRV. After being quite startled we realized we had been hit from behind by a truck and fortunately neither of us were injured. As I got out to inspect the damage I was expecting the worst especially after seeing the front of the truck all caved in. But when turned to look and saw the rear of the CRV I was amazed that there was absolutely zero damage. He hit full force on the steel piece that attaches to our bicycle rack. This steel piece is bolted directly to our frame and after looking under the CRV I could find no apparent damage as can be seen by the photos below.

Just to be safe we called the police and our insurance company. Since we won't be here for any length of time our insurance company assured us that we could arrange an appointment in Gaffney for a full inspection of the car while we are attending the Freightliner class. The driver of the truck as it turned out was uninsured. So not only did he get a ticket, but was arrested and transported in the back seat of the patrol car. We can only assume he had an outstanding warrant. So we drove off apparently unscathed and decided that we would visit the nearby Hard Rock casino bar for a cold adult beverage to forget about this unpleasant experience…

These bumps in the road happen now and then but we are very thankful because we know it could have been much worse.  We decided not to let it dampen our enthusiasm and added an extra day for exploring more of Biloxi over the next couple of sunny days!