We're in Mississippi!

Beans!

Today was a good day on the Born Free Trek! We had a good turnout for lunch. I think about 11 people showed up ... can't be sure - I lost count when I ran out of fingers.

One of my favorite things about Born Free caravans is the people you meet. Everybody's got an interesting story and background.

For instance, I had lunch today with a guy who was a nuclear engineer on the USS Enterprise (CVN-65, not the more popularly recognized NCC-1701-D). We chatted about the relative benefits of a water pressure system vs. a steam system, public opinion of nuclear power plants, and life in the navy. Among other things I learned that all of the navy's aircraft carriers are powered by nuclear reactors now - pretty interesting, right? The USS Enterprise, the first ever nuclear powered aircraft carrier, has eight reactors, but the other carriers only have two. The Enterprise taught the navy that eight reactors was overkill - they couldn't use all the power if they wanted to. But, if/when we start putting laser cannons on these bad boys, that extra power may come in handy!

And of course, no discussion of nuclear power would be complete without Homer Simpson's pronunciation guide.

Pop grilled pork burgers on the chuck wagon for lunch. Having grown up in Iowa, I'm ashamed to admit it, but I think this was the first time I'd had a pork burger. It was good!

When Pop is cooking, he goes big or goes home. Humboldt is a long way from here, so he had Gram cook up a can of beans the size of your head - we're going to be eating leftover beans for every meal this week! Fortunately, we're each driving our own RV, so we'll have no one to blame but ourselves for any resulting unpleasantness. He also sent me to KFC to pick up a gallon of coleslaw, but I skimped and just got half a gallon.

We're still in Clanton tonight and it's surprisingly cold! Fortunately, there's a heat strip in the roof a/c unit. Just pop that sucker on and it's comfortable in here.

We're all exhausted, but in high spirits after the showing today and we're looking forward to meeting more people tomorrow!

In the morning we'll be heading to Monroe, Louisiana, after a stop in Starkville, Mississippi. I'll be cranking Sweet Home Alabama - it's always a bit sweeter when you're in Alabama!. If you're near Monroe, come see us Saturday night or Sunday morning!

Alabama!

We left Clermont this morning! We bid Steve, the Born Free lot, and their new serpentine mascot farewell at about 10am. I headed up the caravan in the 24ft unit (pulling the "it's so famous it's in-famous" chuck wagon), Gram anchored the middle of the caravan in the 22ft unit, and Pop acted as rearguard in the 27ft unit.

It rained most of the day. The downpour was so torrential for awhile that we had to slow down to 30mph on interstate 10! My favorite part of the drive was our trip north on 231 through southern Alabama. The rain finally cleared and we were treated a more rustic setting.

I've driven through Alabama before, but only on 10 - it was nice to see the countryside. Highway 231 meanders through gentle hills draped in cotton fields. There are low, ramshackle barns in almost every one of them. It's very rural.

When we passed through Dothan, my heart broke ... Dothan is host to the National Peanut Festival! I love the nation, I love peanuts, and I love festivals - this thing was tailor-made for me! Did you know that approximately half of the peanuts grown in the United States are grown within a 100-mile radius of Dothan, Alabama? Me neither, but we could've been learning facts like these at the 67th Annual Peanut Festival! Alas, we didn't have time to stop.

Even though I wasn't able be there, I'd still like to congratulate Courtney Larkin on being crowned this year's Miss National Peanut Festival. Also, if any of the other lovely contestants need a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you. Just kidding. But seriously - I'm here for you.


Some of you (I'm talking to you, Andy) may be thinking that not having a National Mister Peanut Festival pageant is discriminatory. But you should know better - there can be only one Mr. Peanut! He is not unlike the Highlander in that respect.

Dinner tonight was Mexican. Pop couldn't decide whether to order a "Kwas-uh-dillo" or a "Kweese-uh-dilla," so he just went with a tamale and a taco.

To pass the hours, I've been listening to an audiobook Jenny recommended - The Gunslinger, the first book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. So far it's good! It's got a bit of something for just about every nerd - a heavy helping of the post-apocalyptic, plenty of fantasy, a western setting and tone, and a touch of sci-fi. I'll let you know if I'm still a fan when I finish it.

Tonight we're in Alabama! We're staying at Dandy RV Park in Clanton, Alabama. Clanton is about halfway between Montgomery and Birmingham on 65. We'll be here for a few days, so stop by and see us anytime!

Roadkill is more interesting in the south - i just passed a belly-up armadillo!

Snake!

Another day in Clermont.

Gram and I did some shopping again, waiting for the green-light to head to Alabama. Alas, it never came.

This lull did give me an opportunity to take some pictures of the RV I'll be living in for the next few weeks.

Pretty sweet unit - lots of space, two beds, tv (the Wii is my own personal touch), and unlike Plan C, the RV (which I have yet to name) has a fridge that runs on propane! I can't speak for Simon, but I'm pretty sure we would have boarded and captured a barge if we knew they had a propane fridge we could use. Well, Simon, the propane fridge is pretty fantastic - I'm enjoying it for both of us!

Today's excitement came in the form of a snake! This thing was pretty massive - about 4 feet long. Steve pulled it out of a tree on the lot using a broom handle.

I have a history with snakes and I have to confess that it was tough to suppress my instinct to pick it up. This wasn't a copperhead so I liked my chances of success. However, I had no idea what kind of snake it was and in my limited knowledge of snakes, I generally believe that the further south you go, the more likely any given snake will be poisonous. So, I contented myself with just touching its tail.

Gram was beside herself. She hates snakes more than that one basket-case loves double rainbows.

Not much else to report today. I've got a great idea for a new video segment, but I'm going to hold off on spilling those beans until I actually get it worked out!

Mystery solved

I've unpacked all my stuff now. I'm in a 24ft rear bath and it's pretty sweet! I'm liking this setup a lot. I'll post some pictures soon.

Speaking of pictures, sorry for not posting many of my own. I haven't been carrying around my camera at all times. I'll start taking pictures asap!

Gram and I spent the day grocery shopping and ogling pastries. My fridge is crammed with unsweetened iced tea and La Croix so I'm ready to go!

We had dinner tonight at Bee's Honey Pot. It's a restaurant in pole barn in an RV park. Legend has it that the people who scoop the food onto your tray are paid only in a meal! Legend also has it that Pop once sang Born Free for the entire place.

Tuesdays are fried chicken night. I was the only patron under 65. The chicken is good, but pass on the green beans - not worth your time. The coleslaw is good, but unbelievably sweet - I think there was more sugar in the coleslaw than in the soft serve. 

Speaking of soft serve, Gram and I enjoyed some Twistee Treat (or Tasty Freeze if you ask her). Very good.

And now what you've all been waiting for - the resolution to the case of the missing watch! Turns out one of the housekeeping staff slipped into the room and yoinked the watch. The first time the manager questioned her she denied having it. The second time, she broke into tears and confessed that she had taken it.


The housekeeper was fired and the watch is being mailed to Humboldt. Pop asked the manager to rehire the housekeeper.


Tomorrow we get back on the road!

A heist!

We were relaxing in a Steak 'n Shake enjoying some delicious burgers and shoestring fries (their $4 meals really are worth checking out) when the drama kicked off. Pop glanced at his watch to see what time it was, only to discover he wasn't wearing a watch!

Then it all came flooding back to him in crystaline detail ... As he was getting into the shower this morning, he realized he had forgotten to remove his watch. He removed it and placed it on the toilet tank. Having completed his morning ablutions, he joined Gram and I in the hotel lobby sans watch.

Once we'd downed our Steak 'n Shake and gotten back on the road, Pop called the Sleep Inn and inquired after the watch. It wasn't in the room, and no one had been in to clean the room yet. Duhn-duhn-duuuuuhn! The plot thickens!

He called back several times, asking them to look again and ask the cleaning and maintenance people if they had found it. No dice. Pop took it to the next level.

But, a discussion with the Macon police revealed that there wasn't really anything they could do. Always the problem solver, Pop called back to the hotel and offered a reward to anyone who found the watch.

Will this be another unsolved mystery, or will Pop's watch be returned? Stay tuned to find out.

In other news, I've developed a runny nose so I've been zicaming like a son of a gun. Pop has also given me some astragalus. Between those and the pills Dad gave me (what are those for again? something to do with my lungs?) this cold doesn't stand a chance.

Gram thinks this blog will help keep Pop in line - encourage him to behave. If that's the case, then I'm probably a wizard.

We made it to Clermont! We'll be heading for Clanton, Alabama on Wednesday. The plan is to be there for a few days - come see us if you're nearby!