In retrospect, traveling to Memphis was BAT SHIT CRAZY, but just what my soul needed. Apparently it needs that kind of not knowing where everything is and wondering how to navigate alone in a strange town. I met a lot of interesting people there, but the most interesting person that I met was me. Sound egotistical? Yeah kinda. But I love puttering about without a timetable or having to compromise and do things I would rather not. Following an appetizing aroma and feeding at its source. Spending a moment in conversation with the river instead of just rushing this magical backdrop.
To slow the pace of life requires Southern soil. It's just easier there to move slower and to just be slower. To take time to be where I am. I like that about the South. No rush. No worries. Of course my Northern mind is sometimes at odd with that pace which makes for interesting internal dialogue. My "goal" was to step foot in Mississippi and Arkansas and cross them off my life list (leaving me with 6 states left to visit) and to letterbox in those two as well as Tennessee and Missouri bringing my letterboxed states to 18. Given Memphis' location that seemed doable. I easily scored the MS and AR boxes.
As I was leaving I made the decision to try for a MO box located in Trail of Tears National Forest. Should known better. 2.5 hrs stuck on the freeway. Disappointing memorial to all those lives lost so brutally (REALLY disappointing in its tepid description). Then backroads thru MO and IL listening as the GPS recalculated and told me where to go. In the rural town of Anna, IL the GPS decided for her own reasons to have an out of body experience leaving me adrift in this backwater town with no idea where the fuck I am or where she was leading me. Nothing I did revived her. DAMMIT. Spying a Wal-Mart I strode in to replace her ass. Yeah - Wal-Mart the week of Christmas in farm country. Need I say more? Luckily they had GPS (just out of crank bait and camo gun stocks). So I plugged in the new one, henceforth dubbed SQUISHY, and she tells me that I am 5 miles from I-57. CRV filled with crazy laughter!!!!
My trip home took 10.5 hours and took me thru 6 states. All to get those 2 boxes. CRAZY!!! Yup. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
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