2022 (April) - Gulf Coast and Southern 'End' of the Mississippi River

In posts many years prior, you have seen us on our motorcycle in northern Minnesota near the headwaters of the Mississippi as well as frequent stops at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities where the Mississippi runs through it. Tim had some 'goofy' desire to see the other end of the Mississippi and thus our destination for a trip in 2022 was to travel to the most southern point that we can ride our motorcycle on pavement along the Mississippi.

Well...at least we had a destination. The trip started from our home in The Villages, Florida where we traveled across Florida along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. We were able to stop and visit our friends Mike and Mary who have a condo on the beach of Panama City Beach. From there we continued along the coast through

• Florida

  • Miramar Beach

  • Destin

  • Navarre

  • Pensacola

• Alabama

  • Gulf Shores

  • Dauphin Island (ferry ride to)

• Mississippi

  • Biloxi

  • Gulfport

• Lousiana

  • New Orleans

  • Venice (the end of the road)

We have tons of photos of the beautiful, blue-green Gulf which was crystal clear. Our weather was perfect for a motorcycle trip (barring about 45 minutes as we were just arriving in New Orleans which was kind of scary).

When we finally got to Venice and realized there wasn't a ton to do, we asked around. We were sent to the Woodland Plantation which was the inspiration for the label of Southern Comfort. Starting in 1934, the Southern Comfort label depicted an illustration of the Woodland Plantation in Louisiana, which was later registered with the National Register of Historic Places. Today it’s a Bed and Breakfast, but like any respectable plantation, it has its own cocktail.

WOODLAND PUNCH

1 part Southern Comfort 2 parts unsweetened pineapple juice 1/2 part club soda Dash of cherry juice Squeeze of lime (optional) Mix and serve in a tall glass on the rocks.