Gulf Coast - December 2022 — The Van Journal

This adventure takes me in the direction of New Orleans, Louisiana. I plan to visit many interesting places and stay at several fun Harvest Host spots along the way during a loop around Lake Pontchartrain.

Day 1 : My first day is dedicated to getting me to the Panhandle of Florida, around nine hours of driving up the East Coast of Florida before hitting Interstate 10 west.

I arrive at my first Harvest Host location, Southern Grace Lavender Farm in Southport, Florida, around 4:30 in the Central time zone. I’m greeted by the owners of the property who direct me to my boondocking spot for the evening. I visit their little lavender shop, where they have many lavender based products like soaps and candles. The smell is a bit overwhelming with so much lavender in a little space. This Harvest Host location is the most accommodating Harvest Host that I’ve visited with full hook up sites available if needed, water, dumpster, etc. And the owners provide free fresh eggs in the morning from their chickens on the property. And how often do you get to see a pig give a dog a back massage?

Day 2 takes me further west to the very touristy spot of Panama City Beach, where I find a parking spot next to the beach and take a walk through the shops and restaurants.

And then I move into the unique little town of Seaside, known for being the primary filming location of The Truman Show movie. The little town reminds me so much of the movie, each home having its own white picket fence, carefully manicured yard, and will within the color scheme of the town. I took a photo of the home known as the Truman house from the movie.

Driving to my Harvest Host location for the night, I drive throught the Gulf Islands National Seashore on a chilly, windy night.

and I enjoy some great barbeque from Grover T’s BBQ where I stayed for the night in their quiet parking lot. Gotta love Harvest Hosts!

Day 3 brings me to Biloxi, Mississippi and Beauvoir, the Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library. This historic area took a severe hit from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but has been incredibly restored so that the public can enjoy this area.

In the evening, I end up being parked directly in the path of an F1 tornado which came on shore in Biloxi and did some tree and sign damage in the area. Quite a tense few seconds as the two RVs parked next to me both sustained some damage. Here is a video I took just a few moments before the tornado passed through.

The next morning provides some beautiful scenes.

Day 4 : I make my way into Louisiana and enjoy a quick lunch at an awesome little small town diner, enjoying a shrimp Po-Boy.

I arrive at my next Harvest Host stop, John Schneider’s place (Bo, from Duke’s of Hazard), who owns around 50 acres on which he has created John Schneider Studios for the production of several independent films. I was fortunate enough to meet John as he was preparing DVD’s for mailing from his latest movie, To Die For.