Sending a little southern charm to ya'll on this fine Wednesday!
We ventured to Jackson Mississippi from New Orleans for a couple nights and stayed in the LeFleur's Bluff State Park. The cost to stay in State Parks is about half of an RV park, so we are keeping an eye peeled for these awesome places.
National parks are definitely nicer and cleaner to stay at but the State Parks are cool too. LeFleur's Bluff was quite marshy with a large lake that surrounded the campground. It had alligator and turtle territory all over it, from the looks of it. I was right! The first night we stayed, I saw a big alligator swimming slowly along the outer banks of the lake in front of us. It was a cool thing to observe because I'm scared as hell of alligators and crocodiles. The 30 foot rule is the one to follow for them because they tire out in 30 feet and have to rest I guess. I stayed about 100 feet away from the lake.
The south is very much a religious region. Huge crosses are everywhere. This started when we hit Louisiana in Lafayette. Markets around town displayed prominent signs of Jesus and God, blessing their patrons before entering. It was sweet to see. New Orleans, was not at all this way, besides the massive cathedral on the Gulf's water's edge. I can only imagine what the people could see out in sea when migrating to the Promise Land. An ominous display of Catholicism.
In Jackson Square, everyone was drinking on the streets. Panhandlers were everywhere and the feels were party, party party! One guy was so drunk his buddies held him up as he stumbled down the square. It was entertaining for sure. We didn't partake in that level of partying. Having Henry with us all the time is refreshing because we are on a strict schedule for his and our wellbeing. I like the moderate lifestyle we are living.
State parks have been good for us, being away from the city life and the noise. Back in LeFleur's park, I had to grab a few things from the truck the first night and that meant me taking a flashlight and peering under the camper and truck on the steps leading into the camper to be sure one wasn't waiting for me under there. A beast like this is something to not take for granted.
We ventured into the northeast part of Jackson to get food. That was an eye opener. The feeling of being a minority in Jackson is quite high for white folks like us. Everyone was super kind and there was absolutely no racism toward us there but it did make me feel like I didn't fit in, in a way. To reflect and wonder what it's like to be a minority is a good thing to do. It makes you feel more human and connected to being different.
Two days ago, we made it to Memphis Tennessee. The story is the same here. We are the minority again. As long as everyone's cool, I'm fine with it. The State Park we are in is called the T.O. Fuller State Park. It's green lushness is very refreshing. However, there are some weird ass bugs and lots of black flies and mosquitos here. The black flies bite too! It also smells like sewer. We get daily shit winds that come through that force us inside. It is nasty but it is beautiful here. Breath through the mouth.
Yesterday, we headed into downtown Memphis to check out some of the Blue's history and walk on Beale Street. It was pretty cool. Despite the bum who had a strong alcohol smell that tried to get us to buy postcards from him, it was pretty cool. It was interesting that Beale Street was so vacant. Nobody was downtown at all. The streets were empty and it was a bit eery. I think COVID is the reason. There weren't more than a dozen couples on the streets. It is unbelievable how this pandemic has effected the economy. It has been a reality in most cities we've traveled through.
The park we are at is located North of town and apparently, this is where the "hoods" are. It's obvious, because we drove through several sketchy areas to get to the park. Lots of garbage everywhere and mattresses (why, I don't know) on the side of the road. I had to venture out yesterday morning because we ran out of coffee and I had to go into the hood to get it. I went to 4 different "grocery" stores (small gas station looking buildings with bars on the windows) and left all of them because it was so very sketchy. Drugged out people everywhere at 7am in the morning! I gave up and hit a gas station and got coffee. It too was scary. I am learning to keep a pissed off look on my face and go in with intention. So far so good. Don't make eye contact!
Overall, New Orleans was way more fun then Memphis. The history here is deep too, however. We ventured out to go walking on the path that goes along the Mississippi River and took photos of some of the statues and plaques devoted to remembering those who passed due to yellow fever back in the late 1800's. I posted a photo below of the plaque. We walked across the foot bridge to Arkansas and took photos of the large tug boats pushing huge cargo holders along the water. Unbelievable giants. I think I get how they float but I'm a little confused by it.
The Blue's were big time here in Memphis at one point. That vibe still exists here but the town is struggling, big time. I bet at one point, Memphis was packed full of people. What's interesting is that you can walk around with alcohol on Beale Street. This is all so weird to me. Boise does not have that option at all. I guess if the main tourists who visit come to party down, then you relax your laws a bit to make them feel special. I don't know.
We didn't go to Graceland. Mainly because it was so expensive to get in and with Henry on a tight schedule, we didn't want to have another Carlsbad Cave incident halfway through a tour. That's alright. The main reason we'd go do this is for our parents because they lived during Elvis's reign. I am sure it is very cool and now, they can come see it themselves!
I think Nashville will be awesome! I've heard nothing but great things from friends and family. I think there is just more to do. Here in Memphis, the iconic Beale Street was only about 6 or 7 blocks long and surrounded by big modern buildings. It reminded me of 8th Street, just a dirty 8th Street. Nashville is much bigger and it is well known for Rock n' Roll history. We are looking forward to experiencing it.
I'll post an update from Nashville.
All for now and have a great Thursday!
Nate
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