It was great! It was fantastic!. It may not be Nashville, but it's pretty darn close. Johnnie High's Country Music Revue is a great way to spend a Saturday evening. And for $10.00 you're not going to find a better three hours of entertainment.
Many people in the audience are regulars, seasons ticket holders or just family and friends that know each other. Billy Joe was there, and Patsy Sue, and Aunt Millie Jean - you name it. Some people had difficulty understanding me because of my accent. Realize, of course, this is Texas and I do not speak with a drawl. When I signed my Visa charge slip, I used a 'pin' (pen). I should have practiced my Texan before going to the show.
It was a foot stompin', hand clappin' kind of night. The performers were many and varied. I think the audience fell in love with the sisters, 10 and 13 years old (I think they said), Stephanie and Kristy Furlong. Watch out, LeAnn Rimes, you have competition coming right behind you. For those of you who may not be aware of LeAnn Rimes, at age 14, she just won a Grammy for not only best new country singer, but best new singer overall. It's the first time ever, I believe, that a female country singer has won that award. And, Kristyn Furlong sounds like a little LeAnn Rimes, already. Wow, what a performer. And her older sister, Stephanie, is terrific too.
Tim Porter, from Kerrville, Texas plays guitar in the spirit of Chet Atkins. Miss Texas was there tonight and sang. Miss Texas 1981 performed as Gloria, with her dummy, Homer. What an act, as she and Homer sang "I've been everywhere, man".
If you're ever in the Dallas area over a weekend, do consider attending one of Johnnie High's Country Music Revues, in the old Arlington Theater. You'll love it.
Sunday started the week off with a bang. I don't know that I could have packed more into the day. Yesterday was my Fort Worth day, so today was spent in Dallas, and again in my old home town of Arlington, Texas.
After a full breakfast, I went to Las Colinas, a planned community, in Irving, Texas, where I worked when I first came to Texas in 1979. There I spent time photographing the larger-than-life Mustang sculptures at Williams Square. Ironically, for those of us associated with the IBM product CICS, which is produced in Hursley, England, the horse sculptures were produced in Basingstoke, England, just 25 miles from the IBM Lab. I also took video and 35mm pictures of the canal system and modern office buildings along the Mandalay Canal.
From there, Tank and I went to Texas Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. I took a few photos, just for my files, and then went onto downtown Dallas. There, I took in all the major attractions, and as always, took my share of photos and video. There is the 1890 courthouse building which always shows up in photos of Dealey Plaza, site of the Kennedy assassination. I took photos of the 6th floor library building and the sloping lawn where all of the 1963 event took place.
John Bryan was an early pioneer said to have camped at what then became the city of Dallas. His cabin is on display in the downtown area. I got good photos of Reunion Tower and the Hyatt Regency, which are very distinguishable landmarks in Dallas. From their I went to see the Pioneer Plaza and the remarkable herd of longhorn steer sculptures. What a fantastic display of art in this city.
I went off to the Info Mart, which is a very large building, dedicated to the information technology industry. Being Sunday, there was no activity to speak of. I have presented there and again, for my files, I took pictures of the very unique architecture of this building.
At Arlington, I stopped by the Sewing Machine Museum, however it was closed on Sunday. I took pictures of the displays outside the building. I spent hours visiting with my good friends, Roger and Kathy Lapp. I worked with Roger in Palo Alto and when both of us came to Texas in 1979. Roger is the grandson of the creator of Jello! Unfortunately for Roger, his grandfather sold the rights to the product early on.
Today, at Maverick Stadium, on the Univerity of Texas Arlington campus, the Scottish Festival and Highland Games were underway. I spent a while there, watching some of the games (hammer toss, log balancing, etc), looking at the scottish merchandise for sale, observing the individual gathering of the clans, and listening to a variety of music, including the bagpipes. There was plenty of food and drink stands to nourish the visitors.
Sunday night, I joined the Lapps by attending the John Tesh concert held at the Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium in Fort Worth. It was excellent. Tomorrow, Tank and I are going to Paris, Reno, Detroit and Boston, all in one day! Stay tuned......
The John Tesh concert last night was a blast, almost literally. John and his group of musicians put on a very explosive (loud) concert which is a high engery affair. With the Johnnie High Country Music Revue on Saturday and John Tesh and Sunday, Tank and I needed to slow down the pace for Monday. I loaded up the CD player with LeAnn Rimes (who has appeared at Johnny High's Revue before she achieved her current popularity), and Jim Brickman, who like John Tesh, plays piano, but at a much, much slower tempo.
Tank was on his own for Sunday. He attended a funeral for a friend of his cousin. Apparently, the armadillo didn't jump high enough when it saw the oncoming car and got splattered all over the highway. Life expectancy for armadillos is directly proportional to how often they try to cross the road. I think Tank likes riding 'in' the car with me.
Monday morning traffic in the Dallas Metroplex area is chaotic. I used to live here, but I have to say, Metroplex drivers are now driving too fast and too discourteously. My advice? Slow down and live! I saw motorcycle wipe out on Sunday, and three automobile accidents this morning. Sad. Tens of thousands of people rushing to be somehwhere today. Some don't make it.
As usual, I have been trying to avoid using Interstate highways, so today was another blue highway day. Highways 183, 75, 380, 34, 1551, 38, and 82 are just some of the roads used today. I came to a conclusion today that I have to be cautious about what I say having travelled a particular highway. One sees things which suggest a strong economy and prosperity, but then you see indications of struggle, hardship and even some form of poverty. But to generalize and say that entire community is one way, can be very much in error.
In one town today, if I based my opinion on what I saw along the state highway, I'd say the town is in decay. But because I wanted to see something in that town, off the main highway, I had occasion to pass through some very, very nice, upscale kinds of neighborhoods. Hmmm, America.
My first stop for the day was to pay a visit to the Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas. I'm sure some of you recognize this as the famous ranch of J.R. Ewing, of the Dallas televsion series. I asked for him but I was told that he had been shot.
After Southfork, I aimed for the Backside of Nowhere. This is not a joke - there really is such a place. It's about 20 miles west and north of Paris, Texas. Ruby Sullivan gives tours of her 'estate' which include things like a redecorated railroad car. Ruby was not available today, apparently busy with plans for the big sling shot derby planned for this coming Saturday, June 14th. I was asked to stay but said I had other plans. By the way, the Backside of Nowhere is on a dirt road, off a Farm and Market road (not even a major highway). The Ford Explorer is certainly getting a workout this trip.
I saw a couple of things today that I had not seen before. In part, that's what this trip is all about - discovering that side of America I may not have seen before. Anyway, today I saw two tractor junk yards. Laugh if you will, but if there is a market for junk yards of cars, then I guess the same thing could be true for farm tractors.
In this part of Texas, I saw many farms with junk cars, cars under some form of repair by the owner, or just rusting away. I guess country people may not know how to get rid of their ....... junk. And their junk seems to include everything, from old appliances, and even old airplanes. So help me, I saw an old gas station that had about six military jet fighters and one old prop airline plane. Why? I have no idea!
The cloudy, overcast day that greeted me this morning hung like a wet piece of cheese cloth, from the Dallas area to Paris, Texas. Like cheese cloth, you could see through it, but it hung there in any case. And it got worse, and as the morning progressed, drizzled and then turned to an absolute downpour. When I finally reached Texarcana later in the day, I didn't realize how wet my clothes had become, while getting in and out of the car to do various things. But, I didn't let a little rain 'dampen' (pardon the pun) my spirit.
The towns I passed through while travelling the blue highways in northeast Texas are not big towns, by the way. Wolfe City has 1600 residents but little Ladonia has only 600. Honey Grove is a bit bigger with 2000 folks. Wolfe City, by the way, has red brick streets, which tends to date the town, I think. In Ladonia, I passed an old man by the side of the road, dressed in bib overalls and a gimme cap (that's like a baseball cap with some logo on it - e.g. John Deere tractors). He was standing in the wet weeds on the side of the road, just nodding to cars and people as they drove by. I assume this was his daily activity. Toco, Texas has a population of a mere 164 people.
I saw a number of pecan orchards or farms. If you haven't been to Texas before, you have to be aware that there is a never ending debate on the pronounciation of this nut. Some say 'pe-can' while others say 'pe-con'. Pecans are a big crop for Texans.
I have not been in much of a hurry on this trip, so I certainly became aware that I was the 'slow poke' on some of these two lane country roads, which had little or no shoulder, by the way. In many cases, the speed limit was.....(are you ready for this?)....70 mph. Crazy!
In spite of the dampness, I looked right and left to see what I could see. (I still haven't told you the story about "Bob, what do you see?). It may be all over Texas just now, but there must be a zillion (that's more than a million or billion, or something) little sun flowers just busting out this June.
There is a strong religious presence in all of Texas and it certainly is visible here in the northeast corner of the state. A lot of Baptist Churches but others as well. It almost seemed like some towns had more churches than they had people to attend them. One very small town had three cemeteries. Think about that! Don't people like each other? Or is the death rate high in this area?
I asked Tank if he knew how many dead people were buried in those cemeteries and he said he had no idea. I said, all of them. (Get it? Dead people. Buried. All of the buried are dead? No? Cheeezzzz!).
After the Backside of Nowhere, I went in to Paris, Texas and found their 60 foot replica of the Eiffel Tower. Somehow, it did not impress me. The shape is there, but not much in the way of detail. It is sitting next to a civic building, with nothing around it. There is a plaque saying the tower signifies how well the people of Paris work together.
I passed through Reno and Detroit, Texas and stopped for lunch in New Boston, Texas. My food budget has not been strained. I had a delicious beef tips stew in a rich brown gravy, over rice, with salad and coffee, for $3.00. How can New York City charge me $40.00 for the same thing?
When I got to Texarcana, it was still pouring rain. I had planned to take a walking tour of the city's center, but I took a short nap to see if the rain would let up. It did, a little. I drove down Stateline Road, right down the middle of the town, on the state line. I visited some of the landmark homes in the town as well. But, the rain has not let up, so I'm going to take it easy for the evening.
Tomorrow, Tank and I are off to Arkansas, home of Bill Clinton, the Hot Springs and Little Rock.
Rain, rain, just go away! No, don't come back another day, just go away. It drizzled today, it poured today, it came down in sheets today. But somehow, when I was out of the car, the rain stopped or let up long enough for me to enjoy the sight I came to Arkansas to see.
It was a short drive from last night's stay in Texarkana to Hope, Arkansas. I had the address of Bill Clinton's birthplace, but no idea of where 117 Hervey Street was located. A good ol'boy at a local Texaco station helped direct me.
I spent most of the day on blue highways, beginning with highway 67. At times, I was paralleling Interstate 30 and I felt more relaxed doing 50 mph, while the Interstate traffic was barreling along at 70 mph. At another time, I was going in parallel with a train and doing just about the same speed. For the fun of it, I reached for my video camera on the seat beside me and taped a mile or so of us keeping pace with each other.
I certainly like to travel, and in my youth, my mother and I travelled by train as well as automobile. But as an adult, I have not travelled by train here in the U.S. for a long, long time. Like the song, I would like to ride something like the City of New Orleans and sing "Good morning, America, how are you? Don't you know me, I'm your native son?" One day. The lead engine on today's train was from the Southern Pacific while behind it was a Union Pacific engine. You could just hear the clickety-clack and the rhythm of the road.
Enroute to Hope, I saw signs for Guernsey, and that reminded me that just a short while back, I was in Guernsey, Wyoming. Small world.
Highway 67 took me over old bridges (America has many old bridges). I saw swimming holes, muddy creeks, truckers at home, cattle laying out in the wet pasture of the morning, tidy homes, some not so tidy, and an abundance of green. Arkansas (at least southwestern Arkansas) is very densely wooded.
President Clinton's birthplace is already under control of the state and federal government. The two story white frame house is trimmed in green and has a white picket fence around the corner lot. The house is just 50 yards from the railroad tracks, so Bill must have heard a whistle or two in his youth. Bill wasn't home, so I left my card.
Journeying onto my next destination of Washington, Arkansas, I saw a number of things that seemed interesting. Here and back in Texas, there a lot of restaurants that feature catfish, or even have catfish in the name of the place.
I have seen many (not so) mobile homes in every state I have passed through. Some call them trailer homes, others call them manufactured homes. Call them what you will, I saw new ones, old ones, small ones and large ones. Mostly in the countryside, but certainly there are trailer parks within city and town limits.
The pesky rain was with me all day. First the windshield wipers were on a fast pace, then a slow pace, maybe off for a while, then back on for a while, etc, etc, etc.
Washington, Arkansas has a population of 46 people. I went there to see a state park that supposedly contained a large number of well preserved 19th century buildings. Well....., state park, my eye. The state park is the town itself. Very impressive. The visitors center provides you with a map of the town and basic information about the buildings, but you can also sign up for one or more tours as well.
I saw and took pictures of the old courthouse, old homes, a plantation owner's house, an overseer's house, the church, the blacksmith's shop, the printer's office, and more. Washington was the capitol of the confederacy for a short while, 1863-65. While in the area I noticed prisoners of some kind assembling for a work detail. Some of the streets in this little town, by the way, were simple dirt roads with a minimum amount of stone to keep it from being muddy. Interesting place, no doubt about it.
I noticed a few good ol'boys looking out of the general store window at me taking all sorts of pictures of the town's tavern and other buildings. I don't know if they saw my Nevada license, but that would have added to their curiosity, I'm sure.
From Washington, I went to Nashville (Arkansas in both cases). I passed through Ozan, Arkansas and one of the citizens (a small boy on a bicycle) waved to me. Ozan has a population of 69. These blue highways show you something you won't see on the Interstate. I travelled on highways 67, 4, 27, 70, and 30 today, just to name a few. Ozan, in spite of its size, does have its own little post office.
Highway 27 took me to Murfreesboro. Along the way, I saw more Walmart stores and that made me think about a number of things. First, Walmart got its start by catering to the small towns, and by now there's a Walmart in just about every small town in America, and certainly many of the big towns.
The other thought I had is that Arkansas is home for a number of well known companies and their products. Walmart is located in Fayetteville, as is Shakespeare (fishing equipment) and Daisy (BB guns, etc).
I notice signs for different Indians in this part of the world. I'm not up on the who and the where, but in southwestern Arkansas, the Ka-do-ha Village displays artifacts that date back a thousand years.
Enroute to the Crater of Diamonds, just south of Murfreesboro, I stopped briefly at the Mauney House, on route 301. A most unusual house, dating back to 1840, and supposedly the oldest house in Arkansas.
At the Crater, I changed into shorts and put on my hiking boots instead of wearing my sneakers. At this park, they turn over the soil at least once per month with a bulldozer. Visitors pay an admission fee but then are able to hunt for (real) diamonds. The largest diamond ever found here was 40.23 carats. Each year, about 1000 diamonds are found, most of them being pea-sized. It was worth a try, but all I got was dirty hands. The mine field is 36 acres, they tell me.
Back on the highway, and noticing what makes the world go round. Many homes and farms along the way have the large, 6-8 foot satellite dishes. In this day and age, technology has now delivered television satellite dishes that are only 18-24 inches in diameter. My friend Carl Howard, back in Colorado, has a big dish. Anyone interested in that kind of antique?
Leaving Murfreesboro and headed to Hot Springs, Arkansas, I drove through miles of densely forested land. I kept expecting to see a sign telling me the name of some National Forest, but I never saw one. In this area, it began to get very hilly, and the road wound back and forth. The rain or drizzle didn't make things any better.
As I got into the Hot Springs area, the first thing one sees is Lake Hamilton. What a beautiful body of water. After going into town and later coming back out, I came to the opinion that Hot Springs has two things to offer. One is the 'old town' with its mineral bath houses and the resort and vacation community of Lake Hamilton.
The Hot Springs National Park Visitors Center occupies a bath house which is preserved in its turn of the century opulence. Many bath houses are still in operation, catering to the tourist and visitor. Bath, anyone?
My objective for coming into town was to drive to the top of Hot Springs Mountain and view the surrounding mountainous area from atop the 200 foot observation tower located there. The rainy, cloudy weather prevented me and others from having that good a view, but what we could see was enjoyable.
Another sight along the highway, that I don't recall seeing anywhere else in the country, are what I would call 'trash boxes'. Not every home, but many homes have a box-like structure at their driveway by the roadside. The boxes vary in size but generally they are about a cubic yard. Some were built using stone or brick but most were made out of wooden slats. The purpose of these boxes seems to be for putting trash out for pickup and preventing animals or the weather from doing something with the trash. I think it's a sensible idea.
At day's end, I was finally at my destination of Little Rock. I visited the state capitol and asked for Bill Clinton. They tell me he's moved, but I left my card anyway. I tried to see the old State House, but it shrouded in plastic just now, undergoing some kind of renovation. I did stop at the Arkansas Territorial Restoration (Hertitage Museum) and it contains a number of preserved buildings (log cabins). While still in the city, I went to see the Central High School, a sight of civil rights activities in the 1960s.
The real highlight of my visit to Litle Rock was actually on the north side of town, understandably called North Little Rock. I'm sure many people have seen a greeting card or perhaps a calendar, with a picture or drawing that looks very nice, but it can't be real. For instance, a stone house and water mill, babbling brook, mill pond, stone bridge and so on. Well, I have seen it for real.
The Old Mill in North Little Rock is a fantastic place. I'm sure parents or school teachers could take kids out there and tell stories that become even more believable because of this fairytale-like setting. Needless to say, I took lots of pictures.
Tomorrow, I'm headed east to see if I can find my wife's relatives in Marvell, Arkansas. To get there, I should point out, I will travel to England and Stutgart (both in Arkansas, I'm sure you guessed by now). Later tomorrow, I should be in Memphis, Tennessee, seeing such sights as Elvis Presley's Graceland.
This morning, I had my doubts that I would ever see sunshine again, but by the afternoon, the precipitation finally stopped, although the clould cover never disappeared. As with yesterday, good fortune was with me because whenever I stepped out of the car, the rain or drizzle stopped.
The lilting piano of Lorie Line entertained Tank and I yesterday, but today I loaded the CD player with some up-tempo music to counteract the doldrums of the weather. Songs like "Hoedown" (Rodeo), the "Fast Track Polka" and "Bolero" gave us some needed stimulation along the way.
Tank got a little upset this morning, when I stopped for gas. He misunderstood when I told someone I was going to "fill my tank". Who knows what he thought I said. Anyway, he's calm now. Actually, he romped around inside the Explorer today, so I think the exercise did him some good.
As the morning began, I thought about my navy days, when I was aboard the USS Hornet in the North Atlantic. The weather this morning greeted me with fog, mist, drizzle, and just a damp feeling. "Welcome to the North Atlantic".
First stop for the day was a short visit to the Plantation Agriculture Museum in Scott, Arkansas. I have some friends who work for J.I. Case in Milwaukee, and they would be proud of the early 1900 steam tractors that were on display at the museum. It's just amazing to look back at early mechanical devices and compare them today's counterparts.
Near Scott, I saw some strange things. Along the blue highway (165), I saw a preserved train depot building.....but no train tracks! I have to assume that some caring person had the building relocated to his property. And then, just down the road a piece, I saw a small steam boat, which wasn't a steam boat at all, but a bus with its exterior made to look like a steamboat. Interesting.
Highway 165 took me through more 'big towns' in Arkansas, such as Allport, population 165, and Humnoke, population 311. Later, I passed through Ulm, population 193, and Roe, population 135.
Eastern Arkansas and northeastern Mississippi have a lot of ground moisture. The drainage ditches in Arkansas seemed not to drain at all. All the farms I saw today seemed saturated, and with all the rain they have had, I guess that's understandable. But Arkansas and Mississippi have their share of swampy, boggy areas too.
In Little Rock, by the way, I crossed over the Arkansas River several times, and two things occurred to me. First, the river is very calm and hardly resembles the turbulent river I saw west of Pueblo, Colorado where people were having fun white water rafting. The second thought was simply the length of the river, crossing Colorado, Oklahoma and here again I see it in Arkansas. "Bob, what did you see?". Great place, this America.
During today's drive, I passed through England, and Stuttgart (three Ts, I notice). Both are in Arkansas, not 6000 miles across the Atlantic. North of Stuttgart, I notice there is a town called Slovak. More cosmopolitan influence around here. Beginning at Stuttgart, which welcomes the traveller with a sign that reads "Rice and duck capital of the world", I saw many rice paddies today. I never knew that Arkansas was a major producer of rice.
With the water-filled rice paddies, the drainage ditches that don't drain and the swampy areas, I'm certainly glad to be on firm pavement. At one point, the highway was a three mile causeway, built over swampy land, and the White River. What does one do if you have a breakdown along that stretch?
I saw many irrigation booms standing idle. No need to water the fields that way, again, with all the rain they have had. I did stop one time to photograph a boom, which was actually 13 sections, coupled end to end. My estimate is that that boom was then about 650 feet, end to end. These water pipes are mounted on wheels, spaced about 50 feet apart and the sections can be coupled, making a larger, longer boom. The farmer can then move the entire construct across his field for irrigation purposes, watering from above the crop.
The swamp and drainage ditches had their share of 'things' growing out of them. A lot of reeds and what I call 'cattails'. I saw a number of heron and egrets, at home in the swampy areas. They are beautiful birds.
Another thing I've noticed as I travel is number of times I have seen trees planted in some pattern by man. It could be to line the entrance to a piece of property, or very commonly, to create a wind break, usually on the western side of some property. I have planted a lot of trees in my time and I want my tombstone to read "A man who plants a tree, can't be all bad."
After Scott, and before reaching Marvell, Arkansas, I took a side trip on highway 362 to visit the Louisiana Purchase Historical Site and State Park. I had never been in a swamp before but now I can say that I have. The Louisiana Purchase dates back to 1802-04 and the country was surveyed in 1805 to document and verify the claim. In this area, that meant surveying in and around the swampland. I walked on a wooden boardwalk, four feet above the swamp water, which itself was about four feet deep, out about a quarter mile to view a large stone which marks the survey spot. A most interesting 'hike'. There is life back there in that swamp. A noise here, a splash there. Spooky. Daylight filtered through the trees, so I didn't feel that isolated.
Once again, my can of Off served a very useful purpose for my walk in the swamp land. It didn't seem to both a local farmer and his dog, who I saw moments later, bouncing around the fields in a dirty pickup truck, checking on things. I'm glad I had a computer career.
I spent a while in Marvell, Arkansas, where my wife's family tree has roots. I checked the local phone book and there were too many people with the same name for me to try calling. The center of town doesn't show much in the way of economic health but a sign says "we're proud of Marvell". About the only sign of prosperity I saw was at the John Deere dealer. That farm equipment costs quit a bit.
Originally, I thought I would head north from Marvell and go up to Memphis. But with the Mississippi River just 20 miles to the east, I chose to head in that direction. It worked out in my favor too, because I came away $30.00 richer having visited one of the river casinos.
I continue to see, and enjoy seeing, unusual sights (for me). Before crossing the Mississippi, I spotted a rooster farm. Each seemed to have its own little coop and I saw no hens around. I guess this guy has a market for good healthy roosters.
The other thing I have been watching is silos, and grain elevators. I saw several complexes today that were the equivalent of say 100 individual silos, but all side by side as one complex. That's a lot of corn or wheat or whatever the farmer's cooperatives are storing in there. Quite a sight to see.
After my lunch and short gambling spree, I hung a left and went north to Memphis. Touring Elvis Presley's Graceland property took hours, some of it just wait time (wait for your tour group to begin, wait for the shuttle bus, slowly go through with your group, etc, etc).
The mansion isn't that extensive. Elvis was really a pretty uncomplicated guy who had money to spend on the place he called home. With his money, I think he should have built a mansion away from the city. I grew up in the same time period but would not have chosen his decor. But it was his house not mine. As a visitor, all I can do is look.
His gold records are on display, the clothes he wore, the guitars he played, his cars and motorcylces, and even his two planes are on the property. And of course, there is all kinds of merchandise to buy. In spite of all the commericalism, it's a place one has to visit and say you've been there.
I felt I had to 'see' Memphis, so I spent the remainder of my touring day in the downtown area. The city built a sports complex called the Pyramid (want to guess what its shape is?) and it is an impressive structure. I went down to the Mississippi riverfront, complete with authentic cobblestones. Paddlewheelers can take you on a river cruise if you have the time and money.
I went to the famous Peabody Hotel to view the also famous duck walk. Precisely at 5:00 PM the ducks which have been swimming all day in the hotel lobby fountain parade out of the water, using a red carpet (literally) and retire for the evening. I have this event on video, to convince people that this really goes on.
The last thing I did for my day was to tour the Beale Street area. If you're into rhythm and blues, this is a place you want to visit. There is music coming out of this neighborhood at all hours of the day and night. A bit commercial, yes, but what I heard today was really enjoyable.
So, another day comes to a close. Tomorrow, south to Vicksburg, some civil war history and then to Jackson, Mississippi.
Mississippi is multi-faceted, to be sure. I saw a rural, water-logged central part of the state in the morning, but a sunny, argicultural western portion, as I neared the Mississippi River. In Jackson, the state capitol, I visited the Old State Capitol, the Governor's Mansion and the new State Capitol.
Tank and I were up early and on the road because I knew I had carved out too much for the day. We spent the first hour on Intersate 55, headed southbound into Mississippi, trying to see in the early morning fog (so what else is new?). Once the fog cleared, I switched over to the blue highway, US51.
US51 is also called the Jefferson Highway. Before I55 was built, this was the major north/south road in Mississippi. I thought it would show me more of the state than travelling on the Interstate. Well, what I saw was a rural countryside, with not too much apparent farming, or any other major economic indication. I don't know what these people do for a living.
Central Mississippi has its share of swamps, bogs, fens, whatever. Even the rivers seem to flood entire areas, rather than following some defined course. More than once, I travelled on causeways, high above the water, for maybe a half mile.
Because of my visit to Elvis Presley's Graceland Mansion yesterday, I loaded the CD player with songs like "You don't know me" and "Gentle on my mind", both by the king, and "Blue skies" by Willie Nelson. Tank liked the idea of country music.
Tank caught me nibbling on Jelly Bellies, former President Reagan's favorite candy. Being a Beanie Baby, Tank thought he deserved some jelly beans to fill his tummy. We had a long conversation, during the foggy drive on I55, but I convinced him that bean bags (I hate to call him that when he's listening) are filled with dried beans, not jelly beans. He didn't really accept this, but in the end.....I ignored him.
With all the water and flora here in Mississippi, it doesn't take much for both sides of the roads to fill up with a solid stand of trees. I call them the 'tunnel of trees'. You don't see much of the countryside because of the solid wall of trees.
Another observation, here in Mississippi, is the prevalence of vines which adhere themselves to just about anything, and then over time, cover it completely. If the thing being covered was a live tree, let's say, it is then smothered.
The little towns I passed through I saw signs for the local Terminix pest control dealer. My guess is that there is a unwanted population of bugs around here.
I saw a lot of fine homes along US51, but then again, I saw the 'other side of the coin' on the back streets of Vicksburg later in the day. The fine homes had manicured lawns and landscaping that is probably easy to grow and enjoyable to look at. What I didn't see in the central part of the state were large farms, such as I saw in Arkansas. It worked out that once I headed over to Vicksburg and closer to the Mississippi River, I once again saw the large, seemingly very productive farms. The most noticeable crop in Mississippi, at this time of year, is corn, and lots of it.
Piggly Wiggly is a big super market chain here. I just get a kick out of the store's name. And, of course, there is always a Walmart in each of the small towns. I don't mean tiny towns, but towns where the population is at least several thousand.
With as many trees as I have seen in Mississippi, I wondered if they have much of a lumber and logging industry. I did see trucks with freshly cut tree trunks on them, but not that many. In the central part of the state, I didn't see large farms, but I also saw a lot of land with untilled fields.
Porches are a big things in this state. Almost every house has a porch and most have pillars of some kind, and probably a swing on the porch. I have referred to farms here in the state, but I did see signs which suggest they locals prefer to call them 'plantations', in the spirit of the old days.
Before I left the central part of the state and headed southwest to Vicksburg, I noticed that many of the roads actually were on top of a raised, dike-like mound of earth. And when there was a railroad track paralleling the highway, it too was on an elevated mound. Moral? Don't pull too far off the road if you have to stop.
In some cases, US51 became very narrow, with virtually no shoulder at all. It was a good thing that on this Thursday morning, traffic was light, so I didn't have any problems. And when I shifted to the southwest, and travelled on highway 3, to road improved dramatically. Wide roads, nice shoulders, sunshine, tilled fields to look at, and so on.
I went to Vaughn to see the Casey Jones Museum. I would think that this is vacation time and museums would be open on a Thursday, but such was not my good fortune. I saw the historical marker, designating the spot of his crash made famous in song. On the porch of the museum, were too long-eared dogs, having a nap in the southern tradition.
I shifted over to highway 432 to reach Yazoo (how about that name for a town?). And from there, I used highway 3 to Vicksburg. Until I saw the large and robust farms further down the highway, I wondered what people did around here for a living. There is a federal pen here so I guess that contributes something to the local economy.
As a travelled southwest, I thought about the Natchez Trace Parkway. That goes in somewhat the same SW/NE direction, but it didn't help me get to Vicksburg. The sun came out by mid-morning so my drive along highway 3 was very pleasant. Arriving in Vicksburg, the sun heated things up to be very hot and humid. You just can't win around here.
My first stop was to the Mississippi River to take pictures of the paddlewheelers (steamboats) along the river, and to pop into Harrah's Casino. Harrah's is a big casino operation in Nevada and has branched out to all the other states now offering legalized gambling. I momentarily lost the wide angle lens for my camera and was very pleased moments later to find it on the floor where I took some photos.
Next on my Vicksburg visit was to tour some of the preserved mansions in town. My favorite is the Mansion Inn, where Tank photographed me sitting out on the back lawn. Most of the preserved houses offer tours but their primary purpose is bed and breakfast. I took pictures of most of the houses I visited (The Corners, Belle of the Bends, Mansion Inn, the Stained Glass Mirror and The Columns). If architecture and preserved homes from the 1800s interest you, consider Vicksburg for a vacation.
The town, being a river town, reminded me of a lot of things. First, the streets near the river are very steep. As an ex-Navy man, one lesson I learned very young was that if you think you're lost, walk downhill, and you're bound to get to the water and your ship. The streets were red brick, and that reminded me of the street I grew up on. Lastly, because of the steep streets, it reminded me of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which I visited as a child and then again and again, later in life. Pittsburgh is a very hilly city.
Before leaving Vicksburg, I certainly wanted to see the Vicksburg National Military Park. The park service has done an outstanding job of providing information about the famous battle of Vicksburg, who was involved, what was the military strategy, and more. I stopped at just about every marker in the park, read the descriptive plaques and my brochure, took video and snapshots, and simply tried to absorb as much as I could. Tank took my picture along side a statue and I took pictures of General Grant and other things. The park has an excellent exhibit of the warship USS Cairo which was sunk in 1862 and then raised in 1964.
I capped off my day by coming to Jackson, my destination for the night. But before retiring, I visited the Old State Capitol, the new State Capitol, the State Archives, and the Governor's Mansion. I asked for the governor, but was told he wasn't in. I left my card.
Another busy day, but looking ahead to tomorrow, I'm off to New Orleans for an exciting day of touring and some very good cajun cooking.
Thankfully, Friday the 13th brought no misfortune to me. And that, my friends is an accomplishment considering I drove into and out of the city of New Orleans, on a work day, and with a town full of conventioneers and tourists. I consider myself most fortunate.
Before leaving Mississippi, I made plans to visit the Confederate Boot Camp at Tangipohoa (don't you just love those names...?). Camp Moore was the training camp for preparing confederate volunteers to enter the warfare in 1861-63. In addition to the cemetery, there is a museum that provides a video program and displays of various articfacts and memorabilia.
Being an early riser, I was there as they opened, and being alone, I got more attention from the curator than I think I wanted. He sat down with me to watch the video and tell me of the various errors in the tape. He worked hard to convince me that there exists considerable misinformation in history books regarding the civil war, and the group which maintains the museum is working hard to correct those miscon- ceptions. I think I was glad to leave the museum.
I used highway 51 to avoid the Interstate and see the sights along the blue highway. And that I did. On a day that started with 73 degrees and sunshine, I had a clear view of many things along the way. For instance, I may have missed the sign for Bo-Don's Catfish Restaurant.
At Crystal Springs, Mississippi, all the banners are up to remind people of the Tomato Festival 'the last week of June'. Those must be generic banners that they use every year. South of town, I saw a number of small plants, so guess folks here are not farmers per se but produce products of some other kind.
Along the Jefferson Highway, it seems that it took money to buy property along the main road, because I saw a lot of nice homes with manicured lawns. But seeing Vicksburg yesterday, I think I know that there are some 'back streets' in each of these towns.
The towns are full of churches. And always a Walmart. I didn't pass through town, but I did see a sign for 'Beauregard'. I just associate that name with the French influence and Louisiana. I did pass through some bigger towns like Brookhaven, and they're as up to date as any town their size. The trip today along US51 was most peaceful - not the intensity of Interstate 55.
I should mention, as a piece of trivia, that before leaving Jackson this morning, I stopped at Home Depot, which was directly behind the motel I stayed at. I had to buy a small tool, but as long as I was in the store, I priced 'peeler logs', sometimes called landscaping logs. They were $2.15. In Nevada, which has to truck in such lumber, the logs sell for $5.29. My interest in these logs is that I build children's log cabins, based on Lincoln Logs, using the landscaping logs.
On the road again, one has to keep a lookout for things. I saw a truck hauling a 30 foot tree - no, make that towing a tree. Literally, the truck was dragging the tree behind it, without benefit of any trailer. Interesting.
Have you ever noticed that people with rural homes tend to have two or more vehicles? That's what I'm seeing. Sure, there may be multiple people at these places, but some of the vehicles are probably for backup, in case one doesn't work on a given day.
North Central Mississippi had a lot of swampy land. I saw some in the south central area of the state, but I saw more lakes and ponds that looked like it had fresh, moving water, instead of the still, stagnant water of the swamps.
The weather was hot and humid today. My early driving training (1950) almost did me in today. Back in those days, you learned how to make hand signals when making a right or left turn. With the window open, you put your arm straight out for a left turn and your arm raised upward for a right turn. Well, in this part of the country, these days, people drive with their windows open, and the arms waving out the window are for Miss Daisy or cousin Sue, not an indication of making a turn. Hmmmmm.
Magnolia, Mississippi has more than flowering trees. They have plants such as Weyerhauser, Croft and a garment company. In most of the small towns, I have seen kids just playing around the house or town. How big do you think their world is? Do you remember summers when the most important thing to do was to play?
I've seen a lot of trees in Mississippi, and the roads continue to be lined with them. But today, I saw quite a few lumber trucks hauling cut and trim tree trunks to some lumber mill for processing.
After my visit to Tangipohoa and the Conferderate Boot Camp at Camp Moore, I then tried to locate the Joyce Wildlife Center before leaving Mississippi. Sorry to say, but I could not find a sign showing the way, and roads being what they are around there, I just continued to New Orleans.
What I mean by 'roads being what they are' is that for over 20 miles, you travel on a causeway to get from the north side of Lake Pontchartrain to the south side. A causeway is an elevated roadway, in this case taking you up and over the swamp land and water areas. Looking to the west, as I travelled south, I liked looking at the sun glistening off Lake Maurepas, and to the east the sun illuminated the much larger Lake Pontchartrain. Causeways also are part of the route into New Orleans, and later in the day when I left New Orleans to go to my motel in Slidell, Louisiana.
I have been to New Orleans many times on business. I knew how to get into the downtown area by following signs for the Superdome, and from there to the Hilton Hotel, which is right on the Mississippi River. I parked on one of the upper floors of their parking garage, thinking it safer there for my car loaded with 'things'. I like to walk and am able to walk, so I had a good time hiking around town to see the sights.
After a good seafood lunch, prepared the way I like seafood, I started my walking tour, doing what most tourists do. Go see the French Quarter and either listen to music there, spilling out into the streets, or find your way to Jackson Square or the Riverfront where all kinds of musicians are looking for your contributions during the day.
The town is crawling with tourists. It is June and school is out, and 'they' are all here!. The horse-drawn carriages were making a booming business, and people were riding the streetcars up and down the riverfront area. My camera battery gave out during my hike, so I found a camera shop to fill that need.
The Hilton Hotel now has a riverfront steamboat casino, and I considered stopping in, until I was told that there is a $5.00 admission charge. Ridiculous! But, I guess that's their way of keeping out the looker who has no intention of gambling. I was going to gamble, but the $5.00 was against my principle.
In addition to the street musicians, there were other kinds of street entertainers. Mimes, kids dancing, jugglers, and so on. It reminds me of many, many other towns, like Barcelona, Spain, and main pedestrian mall there.
I took a lot of video and 35mm pictures, trying to capture the character of the city, the architecture and so, but it really is a tough thing to do. Tank took my picture today, at Camp Moore, and at Jackson Square. I took pictures of the Natchez steamboat, full of tourists, and the streetcars (that used to travel on Canal Street but now) travelling along the riverfront.
For a one day stop in Louisiana, Tank and I had good time. Tomorrow we venture east, through Mississippi, but our real destination is Mobile, Alabama.
What can I say? Fantastic, stupendous, wonderful, terrific! That's what kind of day today was. I had no idea the gulf shores, and especially in Mississippi, were so beautiful. I certainly would consider coming back for a vacation. And the Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile? The best I have seen anywhere! Add to this, even Tank had a good time today, playing in the sand and sailing in the Gulf of Mexico.
As usual, Tank and I were up and on the road early. It was 78 degrees at 6:30AM and the day got hotter and more humid. But, that's normal for around here. It brings out a number things like .... bugs. The billboards advertised services like "Roach Warrior" to come help eliminate any pests you might have.
I used highway 190 to leave Louisiana, and then highway 90, 188, 193 and 163 to cross Mississippi and get into Alabama. I saw a lot of signs for swamp tours, and even signs for alligator farms, so it gives you some idea of the 'neighborhood'.
I really appreciated all the signs Mississippi has up along the roadway throughout the state. They have signs for historical locations and even signs for just about every little town, telling you something about it (name, date, people, etc). It makes being a tourist that much more fun.
Another sign that I have been seeing in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and now Alabama is for fireworks. I guess it varies how potent the firework might be. It could just be for sparklers and such or it could be the old fashioned kind that give quite a boom or go high into the sky. Who knows? But with July 4th coming, the vendors are out to make their annual buck on this stuff. I'd rather watch a good, professional fireworks show somewhere. Last year I spent July 4th with my daughter, LeeAnn and her family in Calabasas, California. We saw a terrific show in a nearby shopping center.
>From Slidell, where I stayed last night, to Mobile, where I'm at tonight, you can well imagine that there are a lot of motels, seafood restaurants, boat services, and all those things that one would expect for an area whose economy is driven by the seashore and tourists. Add to that, by the way, a growing number of casinos. In Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi, there are already big casinos and boy, are they building more. When I say big, how about 1000+ rooms.
Staying in Slidell, it didn't take very long to reach the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Tank and I got out of the car in Gulfport, and he immediately began to play in the sand. Parking is free and plentiful along the beaches, and the beaches are sifted clean each night. Hockey can have its Zamboni but here it's John Deere pulling a sifter.
After Tank had his fill of sand, he climbed aboard his catamaran and prepared for a day of sailing. I let him amuse himself, but I couldn't tell him that we didn't have time for a day's worth of sailing. I took his picture aboard the catamaran, just to keep him happy.
The sunrise added sparkle to the water, whether it was while we crossed the causeway in Bay St.Louis, or in the seashore cities of Gulfport and Biloxi. One of the seashore towns is called Pass Christian, which I thought was an odd name. I'll have to look it up somewhere.
There are many fine homes along the Jefferson Davis Memorial Parkway, which by the way is a divided, four lane road with a 45 mph speed limit. There are some franchise stores along the seashore, but I didn't think there was much commercialization. I liked the atmosphere along the gulf shores.
In addition to the fine homes, some large and stately, almost mansion-like, there were neat, modest homes and a growing number of condominiums (buy or rent). And interspersed, here and there were some motels, to complement the rooms offered by the casinos. Wouldn't be great if your grandfather had bought a place down here?
I stopped at the Jefferson Davis home, Beauvoir, and took pictures of the home, out-buildings and the tree-covered property. He sure knew how to live, even after all his difficulties with the confederacy and the civil war.
The salt air does get to you after a while, but I guess you knew that. My arms, hands, face and hair had that....feeling, after a while. But now that I'm checked into my motel, I have already showered and done my laundry (using the guest laundry here). So, I'm fresh as the proverbial daisy once again.
Still another observation for the day was the peanut vendor along the roadway. If people can sell vegatables, flowers, whatever, I guess someone can sell peanuts. And this is peanut growing country. One vendor not only had roasted peanuts to sell, but even things like peanut brittle.
Many homes in this area are built up on blocks. I guess that serves several purposes. Instead of a concrete slab or footings, the blocks get the wooden structure up and off the ground, preventing wood rot. Then, there is the bug population. It made not stop them entirely, but they have to climb to get into your place. And the last thought I had was the water around here. Hurricane weather could dump a lot of water on your yard, and it would be nice to be at least a foot off the ground.
After visiting the gulf shore, Tank and I headed south (yes, south) to Dauphin Island. There is a very long bridge, with a hump-back center for boats to pass under, which took us to the island. There I toured Fort Gaines, a fort completed in 1861 to provide defense for Mobile Bay. The fort reminds me a great deal of forts along the English Channel.
When leaving the fort, I was stopped by a local patrol car, and I thought, good grief, he saw me put Budweiser in the car. But no, he saw my Nevada license plates and wanted to talk about his upcoming vacation to Las Vegas. We had a nice talk, he went his way, and I drank my Bud.
There were hundreds and hundreds of pickup trucks with boat trailers parked all over the area near Fort Gaines. There are several free boat launches, and today being Saturday, I guess it was family day to come fish or ski or just ride your boat for fun. I have plans to buy a ski boat one day soon.
By now, my day was into the afternoon and I hadn't eaten, so upon arrival at the Battleship Memorial Park, south of Mobile, my first order of business was to feed myself. And then (!) I took the tour of the park. What a fantastic display of ships, planes, submarines, tanks, artillery, and more! I have never seen a place so large and the display items in such excellent condition.
The cost was $3.00 to get in. It could have been $10.00 and still be worth it. The battleship USS Alabama is the prominent display, but in addition to visitors being able to go aboard it (top side and down below), there is a World War II submarine one can board as well.
And the planes are great. SAC bombers, B26, Corsairs, seaplanes, helicopters, and much, much more. Some planes are displayed outdoors and others are in a large display hangar. As I said, everything was in excellent condition for display.
I enjoyed being able to go on board the battleship. I served on three aircraft carriers (Hornet, Coral Sea and the Saratoga), but in many respects, a ship is a ship. The Alabama has Mod 37 and Mod 63 fire control equipment, just like the first two ships I was one. Combat Information Center, where I worked on the Saratoga was much more advanced (1956 vs 1942-47), but I enjoyed seeing WWII technology.
I spent a lot of time at the beach, and at Fort Gaines and at the Battleship Memorial Park. Tank is pooped and I'm not much better. It's early to bed for us two tonight. Tomorrow we're off to Pensacola and then Tallahassee. If today wasn't enough, I plan to see the Naval Air Museum and the air museum
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