Mississippi

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We decided we had to see the lion before we packed up and moved on. We drove over to the park and it was closed. It opens at 5:00, but only for the trainride through the lights. We drove down the park roads to see if we could see any cages and we did. We found an open gate on a service road. We didn't see any sign that said, "Keep Out", so we didn't. We wound around on the road down to the cages and saw llamas and goats and then we saw the LION! Nancy jumped out to take pictures. A park truck drove up next to Rich and asked if he was there to feed meat to the lion. Rich said, "No. I just came to see the lion." "Well, the park is closed." "I know. How did you get a lion?" "I don't know, but when we got her she only weighed 80 pounds. She liked to play, and her favorite game was jumping off a rock onto someone. She must weigh over 500 pounds now. I wouldn't want to go in there and play with her now. Would you? She's so big, she'd hurt you, but not on purpose. She's declawed in front." We drove away. We're nervy! Oh what we do for you, dear readers! There was a lot of packing and organizing to do so we left around 11:00. It was 35 degrees. We need to go farther south I guess. Along the highway, we saw cattle, hay, and chicken barns. There was a billboard that said "Johnson's Plumbing - We Repair What Your Husband Fixed". Gas stations here have a pump for kerosene. We paid $2.49 for diesel. We saw a lot of red souvenirs for the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide in the store. We couldn't drive through Birmingham without thinking about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights movement, and his "Letter From the Birmingham Jail". We ate lunch at a Cracker Barrel - YUM! Rich noticed that they have a library of books on tape. You pay $3.49 a week to borrow a "book" and return it to another Cracker Barrel Restaurant when you're done! What a great idea!
After lunch it became sunny and warmer. We saw our first cotton field. There was an exit for Eutaw. Get it? The land is low, swampy, a few low hills, and shorter trees. On both sides of the highway are stands of new pine trees. We assume they are a cash lumber crop. When we crossed the border into Mississippi, the sides and median of the Interstate were lined with magnolia trees for several miles until we came to the Welcome Center. It was very nice. As we got closer to Meridian, we began to see lots of mistletoe growing in the trees. (Though of you, Norma.) The campground was a nice, new one. We got directions to a grocery store and to a Walgreen's to refill a prescription. Outside Walgreen's, a Christmas parade was staging. The floats were nice and the kids on them were very excited! Later, we worked on blogs, since the last two nights we didn't have Wi-Fi. Then we watched the Weather Channel for awhile. When we looked at the TV Guide channel, we found NINJA WARRIOR on the G4 channel! Our fave! We've missed it!
One famous son of Meridian was Jimmie Rodgers who is known as the Father of Country Music.
We slept in the quiet of the country, dreaming of cotton and magnolias.

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Comments

[Don]

Back in Knoxville
Last year on our way to Camp Shelby, before we went through Meridian and Hattiesburg, we also saw the exit sign for Knoxville (in very unpopulated west Alabama before the MS state line). Naturally, we just had to stop. About the only place to pull into, though, was at a truck stop/convienence store thingy. I think I took a photo of the exit sign, but I'd have to srounge around to find it.

[Phil]

Getting out of Alabama
It's well you got out of Alabama safely. Handgun sales have been brisk there, I hear. Ever since the Russians invaded Georgia, Baman's have been set on keeping them out of Alabama!