Bayou Laporte EarthCache

The posted coordinates will take you to the mouth of Bayou Laporte in Biloxi's Hiller Park.  Please observe the posted park hours.  Bayous are mostly associated with Louisiana and Texas but are common throughout Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle.  If you are not from the Southeastern United States, especially along the Gulf Coast, you may have heard of a bayou but may not be completely sure of what one is.

So what makes a bayou different from a creek or a stream?  A bayou is actually a marshy creek, stream or other tributary of a river with some additional characteristics that classify it as a bayou. 

Characteristics of bayous are:

1. Typically found in a flat, low-lying area
2. Slow moving, sluggish or stagnant water
3. An inlet or outlet of a lake or river
4. Often have a poorly defined shoreline

A bayou can also refer to a creek whose current reverses daily due to tides and which contains brackish water.

To claim this find please send me the answers to the following questions through e-mail or Geocaching Messanger. Do not include the answers in your "Found It" log or it will be deleted immediately:

1.  Which of the characteristics of bayous listed above do you see here?
2. Which direction does the water appear to be flowing at the time of your visit?
3. What type of water do you think flows through Bayou Laporte, fresh, salt or brackish?
4.  Did you observe any plant, animal, or anything else that you typically associate with bayous?

We would also love to see a picture of your experience but that is not a requirement to claim this find.

There are plenty of other places in the park to view Bayou Laporte.  There are a few places along Creel Road as you head back towards the main park. The pond and the boat launch area give you another look at the bayou as well!