First off, I just need to say thank-you to all of our Bum friends out there for the abundance of offers of food, drink, and driveways, as well as all of the advice on what to see and do. We do appreciate it all, and take you all up on as much as we can, but there is no way we can digest all of it. Also, we’re not online very often, and don’t have phones, so we’re not seeing and tracking everything around the clock. Basically, what I’m trying to say is, don’t think we’re dicks if we drive right on past you or an amazing campground. It’s not our intention. Despite this website we’re still just sort of off in our own little world.
In the end we couldn’t bring ourselves to visit Graceland. We just really have zero interest in celebrities or in baby-boomers ideas of an icon.
On our way out of Memphis we stopped for gas in a bit of a rundown neighborhood. As soon as I climbed down and started pumping gas a man started yelling at the top of his lungs to another guy down the street, “You wanna get shot! Gonna get airlifted out here today! You gonna get airlifted out here today!” Over and over again he kept yelling it.
I just sort of went about my business until Ali poked her head out and asked, “Are you about done?” But what she was saying in her mind was, “Let’s get out of here you idiot.” I rounded it off at twenty bucks, and as I was doing so I was thinking how stupid it was going to look when they found my dead body lying there with an even $20.00 on the pump. My obituary would say something about how I died because I couldn’t just leave the gas pump at $19.86.
As we were pulling away two more men came out of the store arguing with each other. Makes you realize just how little chance kids have growing up in an environment like that.
It took about ten days of riding for Lowe to blow out the bearings in his bike. I’m actually pretty pissed about it. The kids rode the other bike two years before the bearings went out.
Me: “Ouest, what river is this?”
Ouest: “Miss-is-ippi.”
Me: “Right on. The old man. The ol’ miss.”
Ouest: “Why it’s an old man?”
Me: “Deeeeeeeep River.”
Always on the lookout for interesting places to pull off the road and have a snack. Plus, if you really want to open up a can of worms with a four year-old there is no better place than a cemetery.
“What are all these rocks for?”
“Well, this is where they bury people?”
“Why they bury them?”
“Well, because they died.”
“Why they died?”
“Well, oooooh look, a yellow flower!”
My mom’s dog died recently, and we had our first attempt at explaining life and death with Ouest. We thought it went pretty well until we video Skyped with my mom a few days later and Ouest came bounding onto the screen yelling, “Where’s Winston, where’s Winston?”
Who wants to live to be a hundred anyway? We walked around the cemetery and Ouest asked us to read each and every one of the tombstones. If they had plastic flowers or toys or whatever around them she also straightened them up. It was nice. I don’t think she grasps why what she was doing was nice, but she enjoyed doing it anyway. Lowe played trucks.
We arrived in Vicksburg, Mississippi, today. We drove into the historic downtown, parked, and started walking around looking for a place to eat. Twelve blocks later we hadn’t seen one restaurant or food item anywhere. We did pass a couple of dozen fast food joints on the way into town though.
Ali washed and stored away what few winter-ish clothes we have today. Nothing but a sheen of sweat should cover our bodies from here on out.
Actually, tornadoes and straight line winds are forecast for the middle of the night tonight. I’ve noticed that here in Mississippi there is no shortage of trailer home debris in the ditches and wrapped around trees in the woods. So if things get hairy around here tonight we’ll be bailing out for the main building.
31 Comments on “Vicksburg”
RIP Winston. 🙁
If you ever get back that way, I’d still recommend taking the kids to Graceland. Think of it as an anthropological field day. Besides, it’s fun to see the house frozen in 1977, including the shag carpeting and mirrored ceilings.
I wrote about it when we went through there on our way to move aboard s/v Flutterby…wish I’d posted some pictures, but the description is still great: http://www.mepsnbarry.com/pilgrims-in-the-funhouse/
Thank you Cidnie
Piggly Wiggly! I grew up in a small town with a Piggly Wiggly and a Pamida. No stop lights. We rode our bikes everywhere, and when we were older, we hung out in the Hardee’s parking lot. In the 80’s. Ha.
Sorry to hear about Winston.
An important lesson, well taught. Just a beginning, of course. Y’all are great parents.
When we visited the Deep South from Australia in early 2012 the one thing we noticed was that every small town had no shops or restaurants in the town itself. Everything was on the outskirts, mostly on the main highway rather than the local roads. Is it like this up north?
It’s gotten that way in recent years. Downtown’s are dying. That said, a number of towns are reviving their downtowns with specialty shops, upscale pubs/resaurants, craft stores, green spaces, etc. But it sure isn’t a universal trend. Often the dying happens when the DOT moves a main highway that used to go through town to bypass the town. It’s also due to the number of small manufacturing frims that have closed over the years. There used to be a booming fabric industry in the South (for instance) that’s pretty much dried up. Part of a trend towards outsourcing and larger firms buying up the small shops.
Be careful when there are tornado watches or warnings. We’ve spent many nights in campground bathrooms. The novelty wears off fast.
Oh, and congrats on your fine decision to skip Graceland. We were at the same park and also skipped it. No regrets.
The big bumper on front gets a lot of use I see. Bet you are glad you have it. I especially like the picture of Lowe planking on it. Keep rollin on down the highway…
That is so sad about Winston 🙁
Your travels so far look so nice and peaceful – nothing like the commute frmo the East Side to Downtown today – 8 inches of snow…on April 4. You got out just in time.
You guys are great parents! Keep on doing what you do!
That teaching thing gets even better. My sister’s daughter got to that age, about 5, when she noticed little boys were a bit….different than herself. So she asked. My sister carefully explained the differences between boys and girls, using carefully chosen proper language. Success she thought. The next day her husband took Allie to the grocery store. While standing in a very long line Allie turned to a lady standing behind them and proudly proclaimed in a big girl voice “Hi, my name is Allie and this is my daddy. He has a penis!”. Everyone died laughing, except daddy.
I’m guessing you guy’s wouldn’t have heard yet, but s/v Rebel Heart is being rescued 900nm off the coast of Mexico. You’ve written about them on your blog before, so thought you guy’s would want to know. http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/air-national-guardsmen-launch-baby-rescue-mission/nfRyh/
Article with more details on the Rebel Heart. The baby is reported in stable condition.
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_25489609/guard-rescue-team-based-at-moffett-field-midst
Piggly Wiggly brought back memories. When my husband and I first moved to the South I got Winn Dixie and Piggly Wiggly confused…when asked where did I get the groceries today? I replied, “The Winn Piggly”. We still joke about that. Thanks for the memories.
I wonder what you next day(adventure)will bring?
It is simply terrible what apparently is happening on Rebel Heart. God be with them.
Thanks for the info about Rebel Heart…..we have been following them and wouldn’t have know otherwise……
Your description of the gas station incident brought back memories of our trip from California to Annapolis in our camper. We had planned to go around New York City but were forced off the freeway on to surface streets, in a bad looking neighborhood. At a stop sign we were surrounded by a gang of “youths”, looking in the windows at our two teen age daughters, chanting obscenities, and calling to other “youths” to join them. Fortunately, the light turned green, and with no one in front of us, we were able to escape. That was in 1976, I can’t imagine what big cities are like now?
Mr.’s Smith & Wesson can be helpful traveling companions. 🙂
Paul T
If you want to start a gunfight in a camper, be my guest. Just make sure you do it with nobody around you. Campers don’t stop bullets.
Andreas, not to worry. Our only concern was when we stopped in very remote, back country areas with no one in sight around. I am/was not big & strong & wouldn’t do well in hand to hand combat. With just me possibly having to try to protect my wife & two teen age daughters, I felt I could use a little help.
I often discussed “being armed” with other campers. Many felt the same way and were armed. Your mileage may vary. 🙂
Paul T
Andreas, forgot this in my first reply. Actually, as Canada will allow a shotgun, more lethal than most handguns, which they will not allow, we mostly carried one of Mr. Winchester’s “finest”, a 12gauge Model 12 pump action shotgun. Loaded with # 6 shot, aka “bird shot”, should you miss your target, the shot would dissipate in a short distance, especially if it went through a camper wall first, far less dangerous than a solid projectile.
In any event, in the 25 years we were “camping”, we never had to display it. Some people, however, were not as fortunate:
https://www.google.com/#q=campers+attacked+by+criminals+in+the+US
As I don’t want to turn Pat’s site into a “gun forum” I will give you the last word. And I never “wanted” to start a gunfight, just wanted to try to be able to protect my family, if necessary.
Paul T
Hi, off to another great adventure. I love the RV, cant wait to see it when you buff & polish the exterior. I am curious what shop/bum friend upholstered the seats? I am in St. Paul and have a 1946 Chevy in need of a seat redo, he did a great job on your RV. Safe travels….Steve
Hey Steve, Definitely give Nate a call. He did an amazing job on our stuff, and I think a ’46 Chevy would be right up his ally. http://www.vinyl-lux.com
No big deal on the bike bearings. The ‘cones’ seem to have moved enough to allow the bearings to loosen. If any bearings have fallen out, find a hardware or bike store and buy what you need to fit. There should be enough bearings to fill out the cavity with a small gap left, too small for one more ball. Pack the bearing cavity with grease, leave the right side cone and lock nut (or axle nut) fixed on the axle and adjust the other cone spacing to allow the wheel to spin freely without slop or binding. The right side cone/axle nut should be the fixed one so if the left cone were to loosen, it would continue to loosen whereas if the right side were to tighten due to the direction of rotation, it could bind up, lock the cone too tight and lock up the wheel.
Has Ouest asked to stop for street tacos yet?
I was thinking about that today. Figuring that Pizza is becoming the replacement.!
If I had my way that’s all we’d eat. But Lowe isn’t much of a fan yet, and Ouest never eats much of it either, so Ali always ends up making them something else anyway. So, no, homemade tacos is pretty much the replacement to street tacos.
If you end up looking for a beach/camp ground east of Pensacola Fort Pickens is pretty good. Nice white sand beaches, I think, IIRC you can watch the Blue Angels practice on Wednesdays from there.
Soooo…what’s the plan.
Awesome pictures. 🙂