With my mom sick for years and Jeff ageing and sick for years, we had not made an overnight trip together in years. Really, years. Now we can. Although I had her truck in the shop twice over the past two weeks and shelled out over $1,100 to get it fixed, I managed to convince Penny that we could afford the trip. We left with smiles, a prayer for traveling graces, and the hope to see new country while enjoying ourselves.
We went east on Highway 82 until we got to the Natchez Trace and then turned onto it and headed north. The Trace was nice with its light traffic, absence of towns, and its overload of nature. We stopped here and there to use a restroom and retrieve snacks. We had plenty of snacks. I didn't fall off the wagon. I dived off head first into a bag of candy and chips.
I asked Penny if she was OK with us staying on the Trace all the way to the Tennessee River. That is a little past the turn to Iuka and into Alabama. She has no problem with that. When we got to the river, we went across and stopped at a pulloff on the north side. The river is a huge barge canal at that point. I saw what I wanted to see. There was a place where a boat could motor up to the shore there. Then we drove back to the south side. There is a rest area there. We used the restroom and then did a little exploring and found a boat landing. Cha ching!!! Restrooms, boat landing, landmarks. The bones of a documented swim.
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| A not so clear photo of the Tennessee River from the north side where the Natchez Trace crosses. |
"You know why I wanted to come here?" I asked.
"Yeah," she said without excitement.
"It's twenty-eight miles from here to the marina at Pickwick Lake."
"This it too far to drive back and make it to church the next day."
"This will be a multi-day event," I answered. "Like a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday."
"That means people will have to take off work."
"I know, I know."
She wasn't hostile but didn't seem enthused either. How could she? These kind of dreams are understandable only to endurance athletes. This one has been growing inside of me for a long time. I want to do one more really crazy swim before I get too old. That deep satisfaction of the 2017 Chicot still stirs me to go to those kinds of extremes again.
Eventually we made it to Iuka and searched for a motel. Penny didn't like the looks of any there so we drove on to Pickwick. On the way, we passed an interesting looking restaurant called Freddy T's, and we also drove past a Hilton Inn before we motored across the dam at Pickwick. I was shocked at how turbulent the water below the dam was. I would not want to swim in there. But above the dam it was relatively calm and I knew from some experience with that river system and from maps that there was swimmable water all the way to Florence, Alabama. I swam twelve miles there in September of 2007. Farther upstream, I swam ten miles four different years near Chattanooga.
We checked in to the Hilton, rested a bit and then went to Freddy T's. After we were seated, our waitress informed us that their kitchen didn't open until 5:00 o'clock. It was 4:18. We decided to stay which gave us plenty of time to study the menu. They had crab legs. I tried to talk Penny into getting them because she loves them and it makes me happy to see her enjoy herself. She pointed out the price. They were high, but I was more than willing to pay for the joy it would give us both. She refused saying one pound was not enough for her.
I ordered Cajun Fish and she chose hamburger steak. It was good but not excellent. After our meal, we drove around a bit then went to the room to crash.
I slept well, while Penny did not. She had some sort of allergic reaction the night before but awoke clear of the rash that covered her up after our restaurant experience. I stayed in bed and studied awhile after Penny went to breakfast. Later I went and then we checked out and headed to Adamsville, Tennessee to visit the Buford Pusser museum. The museum was interesting, and then we drove back to Iuka.
Once back in the little town in Mississippi, we stopped at Cappleman's Antiques. I had found it on the internet, and it looked like an interesting stop. We went in, and the woman behind the counter asked if we had ever been there before.
"No," Penny blurted out. "We're from Mississippi."
That stopped the proprietor dead in her tracks. That face. You could have tossed a ping pong ball into her mouth. I had to leave the room. I scooted into an adjoining book room, hid behind a shelf of books, and laughed so hard I almost passed out.
I couldn't stand it. When we left as soon as we went out the door, I burst into laughter.
"What's so funny," Penny wanted to know.
"We're from Mississippi," I answered between chuckles.
"I noticed her face. Then I realized what I said. I mean, we've been so many places, I didn't know what state we were in."
Really, you can't make this stuff up.
Unbelievable she did not get angry at my laughter. Usually she does not take well to being laughed at.
We left there and after Googling Woodall Mountain which was to be our last stop before heading home. When we got to what I thought was the last stop, I got out and told Penny to drive up while I tried to run to the top. I did it. It wasn't too bad and I had to make a few laps on top to finish a mile. It was a big pull, bigger than the one on Humphrey Highway. I am not that fit, but I felt like I had something although at one point the road was so steep I thought I might have to quit.
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| A little view from the summit. |
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| The registry on the mountain top. |
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| Old man shuffling to the top of the mountain. |
So I got in the Trailblazer, and we headed home a different way than the way we had come. We went home through Oxford and then to Batesville so we could stop at Cracker Barrel. Penny loves to eat and shop there. We had a nice meal.
The sun still gave some light when we arrived back at 333 West Monroe Ave. I went in and immediately let the cats in. CC was insatiable. Baby Kitty was vocal. Luvie just stayed on the back porch in his spot. He is the only spot cat we have and he seems to never want to leave his latest spot anymore.
It was a nice trip, and we immediately planned to make another. This summer we will do it again, a different one. I can't wait. Thank you, Jesus, for giving us a good and safe trip.
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