Topsy Turvy Times

Another change of direction

My vertigo was getting worse and I finally had to give in and go to the urgent care. the physician walked in without a mask which made my heart rate increase.
I will use a telemed doctor if I need to see doctor in the future to avoid thinking about the mask situation. The doctor felt the high pollen count was affecting my inner ear causing the spinning and isn't going to improve for several weeks. He recommended that we leave Greenville because once I finish the medication the vertigo would probably return. I am not crazy about staggering around and hate that whirling feeling and there are also more tornados in the forecast for this area. There seems to be a spinning theme here.

We took the doctor's advice, pulled up the jacks and headed west. It felt good to be on the move. The rest stops were closed in North Carolina. To take a break, we
found an empty strip mall parking lot. I am not sure what truckers do for a break. Tennessee's rest stops were quite nice and open. We made it to Crossville, Tennessee with enough
time to set up before the rain hit. Driving through the middle of the country in the springtime is not for the faint of heart, especially driving into the winds
coming out of the west.

During this pandemic, having our home on wheels is working out pretty well. We can move about the country while staying "home". Campgrounds have done a good job
of remaining socially distant but open. Our reservations are in the overnight box with instructions when we arrive.

We stopped in Crossville, Tennessee because it met our 250 mile criteria. After driving in the wind the previous day, we needed a break and took a 4 mile walk in the nearby Cumberland Mountain State Park.

This bridge was another CCC project.

Cumberland Mountain State Park began as part of the greater Cumberland Homesteads Project, a New Deal-era initiative by the Resettlement Administration that helped relocate
poverty-stricken families on the Cumberland Plateau to small farms centered on what is now the Cumberland Homestead community.

During the Civil War, Tennessee's families and neighbors were divided between joining the Union or Confederacy leaving many split forever. The eastern part state
remained with the Union and western towards the Confederacy. The war also destroyed so much farmland and families. People seem to be as divided today in our political
environment.

The bridge was built over Byrd Creek as an Eagle Scout project.

The rhododendrons were starting to bloom.

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We were the only people on the Byrd Creek Trail, maybe because we get up so darn early and it was cold.

We had visited the southern section of the Natchez Trace a couple of years ago and heard the northern section was even prettier.
The campground was right across the road from an entrance making a bike ride easy for us.
 My vertigo was getting much better.

We could picture the Chickasaw, trappers, outlaws and travelers feet creating the 440 mile Old Trace path.

Fall Hollow Campground is in a dead zone. No TV and very slow internet is making staying sane easier. I was listening to the news and people's
opinions more than necessary before leaving South Carolina.

We drove in the early mornings to dodge the afternoon storms and 70 mile per hour wind gusts to get through Missouri and Kansas as quickly as possible, avoiding Dorothy, Toto and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Our summer plans have been constantly evolving. We cancelled our Quebec plans and our volunteering positions. Now, we are back in our old stomping grounds of Colorado and will need a little time to reacclimate to the altitude. Oh yeah, snow is in the forecast! Do you think Mother Nature is trying to tell us something?

Tupelo Honey

Van Morrison would have cringed if he heard us singing.

Cypress Swamp

Our final leg on the Natchez Trace with us riding 100 miles of the 440 miles. I don't think I will ever ride the entire park but so glad we took the time to enjoy and see it.



We stopped at Cypress Swamp even though we had seen Cypress swamps in Texas and

to take the 20 minute walk. It lasted 10 minutes once I saw the huge black swamp snake slithering

 nearby, I was done.

Walmart

This has been quite an activity packed trip so far. Before heading much further we stopped to stock up at Walmart.

A couple of items that Walmart carries. We passed this time.

Tupelo, Mississippi

The temperatures are running 12 degrees above normal at 85 degrees so we decided to find a campground with full hookups. There are campgrounds on the Trace but are dry camping and we needed air conditioning. Our solar power just won't cut it. We found a place a Trace State Park overlooking the lake.

Trace State Park was 10 miles off the Trace but the closest campground where we wanted to stop. We keep seeing many of the same people at the different campgrounds each day as we travel north.

 

 A man camping nearby told us to take all of the firewood that we wanted. He was not going to load it and haul it around anymore. It was some great hardwood and we helped ourselves. We were then obligated to build a fire once it cooled down even though it was 87 degrees in the afternoon. 

 While sitting by the fire, a man from New Brunswick came marching over sat down and visited for an hour. He was a hoot. Then he got up and marched off when he saw his wife looking out the motorhome window. His stories were hilarious. Who needs TV or internet? The next day they invited us over after dinner to sit and visit by their fire. We are meeting some fun people along the way.

On our last day of riding our bikes, we stopped at the 13 unknown Confederate soldiers' graves along the trace that the soldiers, Indians and trappers would walk. The headstones face away from the graves so people walking the Trace could read and remember them. It is not known if the died of wounds, lingering hunger, poverty or sickness in the army camps.

We stopped at a rest area and met three ladies that were returning to Jackson on

their bikes. They had ridden a section north, camped and vowed to return and ride the

entire Trace both ways in May. They are from Alabama and Louisiana and must be

used to the heat and humidity. Actually, by getting out in the morning and done

before noon makes the riding much more pleasant.

Who could be in Tupelo and not check out Elvis's birthplace? It is actually not a very large town.

His dad built this 2 bedroom home.

Statue of Elvis at 13 years old.

A replica of the car driven by Elvis's family as they left Tupelo to make a life in Memphis.

The Assembly of God church that Elvis learned to play the guitar was moved to the Birthplace Park.

The circle of life exhibit around the house was very nice with a bit of his history while living in Tupelo.

I asked the visitor's center where we should have lunch. She recommended Johnnie's Drive Inn that Elvis frequented as a boy.

A dough burger is a combination of flour and hamburger meat that creates a patty.  Back in the day, individuals would make these patties in order for the meat to last longer.

Not much has changed at Johnnie’s.  The same booths that were there nearly 70 years ago are still there today. Johnnie’s Drive-In takes claim as being one of Elvis’s old hangout spots.  Today, customers can enjoy their meal in the exact booth as Elvis used to enjoy his.

You would think the tourists are what keeps Johnnie’s going, but actually the tourists are only 10 percent of their customers.  Johnnie’s has the same group of men that come and drink coffee every morning.  It’s the locals that keep it going.

We sat down in the tight quarters. I asked the lady next to me what she was eating. She liked the Johnny burger. Then spent the time visiting with them about Elvis and Tupelo.

The Elvis booth after a sweaty bike ride but a mandatory picture anyway.

We were there so we had to do it. We ended the day singing "Trying to get to you"  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEzSuFShgYc