Post by R
Day two was productive, but included a change of plans. The farther south I drove the more it seemed that spring had sprung. Blossoms and new green leaves could be seen everywhere. However, I had to start using the air conditioning, as the temperature soared to the mid 80's and stayed there most of the day. I suppose I'd better get used to it since the average daily temperature in the Dominican Republic is in the mid-80's all year, but I'm not quite ready for it and do not have the appropriate clothing with me. So, instead of a southern trajectory taking me through parts of Oklahoma and Texas (I-40), I made a course correction halfway through the day and decided to head North to St. Louis and then head west on I-70. I'm just not ready for summer yet.
The first thing I noticed when I started driving yesterday was how swollen the rivers were. I'd heard from a fellow traveler the night before that the route I would be taking was inundated the day before with rain. The Appalachians really are stunning, filled with hills, forests, farms, creeks and rivers. I saw a lot of signs alerting me to civil war battlefields and museums, both on day one and day two. You get the feeling that the rural south has still not forgotten it, and won't anytime soon. I couldn't help but think that most of those hill-country farmers who served as soldiers in the confederacy never owned any slaves. They fought to preserve the lifestyle of those "flatlander" plantation barons, while never having reaped any of the riches from that oppressive and immoral system of slavery. It's no wonder that West Virginia (hill country, of course) seceded from the mother state. They wanted nothing to do with the southern rebellion, as the northerners were inclined to call it.
Tennessee was a nice drive. You know you are driving through the south when just about every interstate exit has a Cracker Barrel restaurant. I've never been to one, but I understand that their specialty is southern "comfort food". At least the billboard ads lead me to think that. I'm trying to lose a pound or two, so I'll probably continue to my perfect streak of non-attendance. I also noticed lots of billboards in Tennessee advertising stores where you could stock up on legal moonshine, sold in what look like mason jars. It must be a trendy thing. I know there is much more to Tennessee than comfort food and moonshine, but those two things seem to be popular, at least to people passing through on the highway.
Nashville was where I had to make the decision whether to head North or South, so I said hello to the Nashville skyline, said adios a few minutes later, and headed to Kentucky, on roads I'd never travelled before. While driving through Paducah, KY, I noticed the sign for the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY. I remember J's memorable notes on her visit there back in August.
I was hoping to get to the Mississippi River yesterday, but I stopped in Marion, Illinois. That was probably a good thing since the sky was growing dark. I thought it was due to the sun setting, but it was much darker than normal. The motel clerk said it was because of a large weather system that could potentially produce tornados, and it was located between me and my next waypoint (St. Louis).
BTW, southern Illinois is beautiful. When I thought of Illinois my mind always pictured the Chicago area, since I've travelled through so many times on I-80. Now my mind has been recalibrated.
We'll see what the next leg of my journey brings. Hopefully some pictures, if the sky still isn't still dull and grey.
