Heading South? Don't forget Ship Island!
At top: Steve and I on the Ship Island Excursions ferry boat; Middle: Dolphins follow the boat; Above: The ferry is a good-sized boat found in the Gulfport marina. Visitors to southern Mississippi might notice an island off the coast of Gulfport; It's 12 miles in the distance, off Highway 90, but still visible to the naked eye. This is Ship Island -- part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and overseen by the U.S. National Park Service. Ship Island, we were told on a tour, features white beaches, marshes, and history dating to initial explorations of the area and including the Civil War. It is accessible only by boat, from late March to October. These days, the island itself is closed to most visitors because Hurricane Zeta caused extensive damage to the pier and other parts of the area. That did not stop Gulf Coast visitors from taking the boat tour, "Ship Island Excursions." While this is normally a ferry boat to the island, we enjoyed