The Meandering Mississippi

I used to think of state or province dimensions mostly in straight lines. This river, the boundary between Alabama on the East and Louisiana and Arkansas on the West is like a squiggly line and acts like a kid wandering home from school. It is the 2nd longest river the the U.S., starting in Lake Itasca in Minnesota. It takes far longer and travels much farther than needed to reach the Gulf on Mexico, going 2340 miles or 3766 kilometers. It has been constantly changing, wrecking havoc on bordering land. As it's shifted to find shorter routes, it has gnawed away plantation lands, shifted parts of one state to the other, left some high and dry or under threat of drowning. We crossed over it down by Baton Rouge. The Army Corps of Engineers started in 1940 to try and tame it as best anyone could with concrete mattes, jetties and a series of levies longer that the Great Wall of China. It ranges from broad expanses to having swamp areas in the south with it's 'Spanish Moss'.

Country Customs

I am finding it totally fascinating seeing the different ways things are done in all the different regions we've been going through. As we drove back down the Tammy Wynette Highway going to Tupelo, we noticed the garbage collection bins. We saw 4' cubes made of plastic, wood slats, wire mesh, wood lattice, steel rods, chicken wire or several plain steel barrels which sit at the end of the driveway with garbage in them. Obviously, no bears here. What about in the heat of the summer?
This is deer country as Stanphills Deer Shack indicates on the sign; 'You wack em, we pack em. This area is rolling hilly country, dull brown at present with 1/2 leafless deciduous trees, the rest Ponderosa Pine but the earth is very red. Red Bay, founded on 1807 as a railroad town, was named for the red earth and bay trees. Today a mural shows the history from the railroad to the motorhome. You know you're somewhere different when you see Shelters located all over for Tornadoes. There are wild turkeys around here and there's even one used as a ball hitch.

Graceland, Tennesee

We drove 2 1/2 hours West through Miss. and 30 miles north to Elvis's home, Graceland and it was certainly worth it. We toured the Mansion and it was fascinating to see where he and family lived on a day to day basis. You had a headset describing of all the surroundings as you went, narrated by Elvis, Lisa Marie and others. It was on 18 acres with horse and barns, racquetball building, swimming pool etc. The living room was white with a 20 foot couch, grand piano in the music room and stained glass peacocks between. The dining room was formal and the kitchen was a definite 60's room. The family room was carpeted, ceilings and all, in green shag. It was used for recording in later years. There were actually 4 trophy rooms, plus the racquetball court with awards, gold records and clothes. the family received special permission and have Elvis and family graves in a Memorial Garden beside the swimming pool. Across the street, we went through the Automobile museum, all the motorcycles, cars and mobile toys Elvis had. Next were his 2 planes, Lisa Marie, a 707 and Hound Dog a smaller Lear Jet. The big one had a green conference table and chairs, 2 bedrooms and even gold sinks and 24 caret gold seat belt clasps. elvis bought it for $900,000 and spent 1 + 1/2 million to renovate it.

Elvis' Birthplace, Tupelo, Mississippi

We drove back into Miss. to the small town where the king of Rock and Roll, Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935. He gave a concert in 1956 and the proceeds went to the city which bought his house and Church, Assembly of God and moved them to a 15 acre park provided for the local children. The modest 2 room house, decorated with flowered wallpaper, where he was born, is just 30 x 15, 450 sq. ft. built by his father on a dairy farm for $180. There is a bronze statue of him when he was 13, 2 years after he got his first guitar for his birthday. He grew up with the other neighborhood kids and often sat outside his friends churches listening to the music. There is a Story Wall with a collection of anecdotes from family and friends who knew him when he was growing up. There is a new Elvis Chapel build in 1979 with stained glass windows and pews donated by friends and fans worldwide. A green 1939 Plymouth 4 door sedan, similar to the one the the Presley family used to move to Memphis in 1948 for his Dad to look for work. There is a museum, gift store with the Elvis quilt, The Fountain of Life, a circle representing his years in Tupelo.

Done for now

We're up at 5 a.m. so we can drive the coach into the bay by 6:55, Ron's just waiting for the bay doors to open here. We woke to 28 degrees (-2 C). Cold. Thank heavens for furnace, heat pump and space heater and not having to pay the bill.
Everything is done for now and we were back in our site by noon. I put things away and cleaned, then tried our new washer/dryer. Works like a charm. I had to go into town to get soap at a store called Piggly Wiggly.
We are now waiting for new blinds in the living area and to get into the paint shop. We are totally impressed with the way we have been treated here. Everyone is impeccably polite. I am called 'mam' 40 times a day. The only problem we've had is trying to understand their speech. We've never said 'pardon me?, sorry?, what did you say?' so many times a day. People in Alabama are the most laid back, relaxed souls in our experience and their drawl is something to behold.
Red Bay is located in the Northwest corner, bordering the Mississippi state line. The post office was established 1887 so they named it after the red soil and bay tree, which looks like laurel leaves. It's located in Franklin County named after American patriot, Benjamin Franklin. It's a quiet little town with many small brick homes, most with columns in front and rockers and swings on the porches. They are fortunately to have several industries; manufactured homes, a pet food plant, Gates Rubber Company, Wrangler Male Wear and Tiffen Motor Homes. The area is a bird sanctuary with many bird houses around town. We've seen lots of red cardinals and western bluebirds, a bluebird with a red breast.

Tiffen Allegro Factory

We woke to 33 degrees (0 C) today with a strong wind. Chilly!
We have the best site in the whole campground. Actually, we're behind the last row facing south looking down a back road, beside a neighbors garden and we see the sunrise, sunsets and birds. The washer/dryer are going today. We're visiting with lots of interesting people in the lounge. One couple was arranging a bank transfer and having a hard time because there are no Bank of Americas in La,. Miss, or Alabama. That's our bank and we didn't know that.
We went on the factory tour and found it very interesting. You start at the Welcome Center which has 2 rockers and a swing on the front porch and 2 very old Texaco gas pumps at the side. An introductory video is shown, then you walk for 1 1/2 hours to see it all. There were front caps of a Phaeton, the back where the radiator goes, the floor being glued down, and many other things.

Allegro Campground

Norris came by at 8:20 this morning and although we had been told there could be a week or two wait, he said go on into Bay 6 right now. We were delighted. There is a nice customer lounge where you can hang out and you can access your coach any time.
It's a lovely sunny day, so we went for a drive. This town is located in the Northwest corner, bordering the Mississippi state line. To establish a post office in 1887, they needed a name so they named it after the red soil and bay tree, which looks like laurel leaves. They are fortunate to have several industries; manufactured homes. a pet food plant, Gates Rubber Company, Wrangler Male Wear and Tiffen Motor Homes. The area is a bird sanctuary with many bird houses around town. We've seen lots of red cardinals and a bluebird with a red breast. It's located in Franklin County named after American patriot, Benjamin Franklin. It's a quiet little town with many small brick homes, most with white columns in front and rockers and swings on the porches. There are several murals around town depicting their history, a museum looking like it would have in the 1880s and graves in the cemetery with people who were born back then.

A cold front has swept in over the entire state and we woke to 33 degrees today, that's 1 to you Canadians. Not our cup of tea!
The slide is being worked on and several little things adjusted. We found a washer/dryer in the store that had been swapped out for a 2 piece and it was only $500.
I took a 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle into the lounge and what a riot. It's so big, there's nowhere to put all the pieces so someone finally dragged 2 tables together and there' 5 -6 people working on it at all times. It's a scene of an orchestra with funny fat faces and bald heads.