Chapter 18 – The South begins….

Good morning, dear family, friends and other precious readers. It’s December 7, 2024. In the past 20 days, we have visited with 15 family members, visited two more National Parks and a National Seashore (that makes 39 parks and 6 other national sites) enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving, left the Biloxi casinos with more money than we came with, and celebrated my 62nd birthday…..which in our household is SS time! Its been busy!

We left Texas and went to Hot Springs National Park, which was a bit confusing for me when we first arrived, I have to admit. Once you’ve gotten used to driving into a park with sweeping views of emptiness, driving into what is a thriving resort town seemed like a mistake. I honestly thought we hadn’t found the actual park entry for awhile! Then I learned the history of the place, and my jaded eyes saw primarily the way the area was exploited until someone woke up and said “maybe we need to preserve this place”. And thank goodness they did. We were there during slow season, so the massive crowds they are equipped for were not there. Which I found somewhat odd, since it was cold outside and I would think that’s the optimal time to be soaking in hot springs! It was for me, anyway. Dale and I spent a couple of days hiking around the park grounds, and then I partook in the traditional bath experience…..mostly because it was the only facility open and I didn’t know they were all different.

Thinking back on it it still makes me giggle. You start off with a sweet “bath hostess” helping you into an old claw foot tub full of lovely warm water, and then they turn on the “jets” which is just one tube blowing super hard on your right calf. There was quite a bit of shifting in a rather small space to expose different body parts (calves and feet mostly) into the jet. They leave you in there for quite a long time! Then they come and get you, and you think you are done, but instead they shift you to the warming table, where they drape you in nearly scalding hot towels and leave you to “rest” (roast?). I accepted the offered glass of ice to keep a bit cooler and wasn’t sad when they came to relieve me of the table. I thought I was done, but then I was led to the steam box, an obviously 1920 original metal box they close you into, including the extra shelf that folds over your shoulders, and then you sit and gently steam like a giant vegetable. The hostess lets you know that if you get too warm just let her know, but I was not gonna be “that” person, so I sat in my little box, sad that the place was nearly empty and I didn’t have more visual distractions. When she came to let me out, I was trying to figure out how you leave a tip, but NO, I was not done. I had only the Sitz tub left. Sitz tub, you ask? Well that’s what I said! Turns out its a tiny little tub you literally sit in, well actually only your nether regions are in the tub – like an overly large toilet when the seat as been left up, with warm water in it. This was originally advertised as an aid for hemorroids and bad prostates. I can’t vouch for that, but I can say it felt pretty good, despite my sitting there laughing to myself through the whole thing. All in all, it was a National Park experience I will not soon forget!

We had Dale’s nephew and family join us one evening for a campfire, chili and corn bread. And I have to say those kids are troopers….it was a cold night in Southern Arkansas. Truly have to wonder at what stage children really begin to feel the cold?

We opted to come back to the Ozarks, and instead headed into a different area further east and spent the night in a little town called Mountain View. Definitely off-season for the area as we were the only ones in the park, again. But we made the most of our short visit, walking into town, enjoying a great breakfast and doing a little local shopping. Then we were off to Memphis.

This was our second visit to Memphis. The first visit, nearly 10 years ago, was focused on Graceland (loved it!) and the Civil Rights Museum (heartbreaking). Mostly remember our RV park being in a less than stellar neighborhood. This time, we stayed in West Memphis, Arkansas right on the shores of the Mississippi. The view was pretty marvelous. And our touring this time focused on Beale Street and the Bass Pro Shop. The former we scoped out during the day as we did our own little foodie tour and had to visit the local Wiseacre Brewery! Little did they know we have been advertising them for YEARS. We opted not to rent a car while in Memphis, so missed out on any night-time touring of Beale Street or the chance to see Justin Timberlake in concert, and as a result went through our first serious bout of traveler’s fatigue. And it kicked off plenty of research of where and what kind of RV we would upgrade to so we could tow a car we wanted to drive. Truly, if there had been a dealership near by, we’d be in a bigger rig right now.

Instead, we focused on our visit to Nashville, and the fact that the weather reports were predicting the kind of temperatures where RV pipes start to freeze. Yikes! Dale and I arrived early to the RV park we thought we’d be staying at, and rented a car. His family was still gathering so we took the opportunity to drive 90 minutes north into Kentucky and visit Mammoth Caves National Park. We arrived later in the afternoon, and unlike Carlsbad, there is no self-guided hiking into the Caves, you have to pay and be transported and walk with a big crowd. Since we’ve seen our share of caves and caverns, we opted for the surface hiking, which led us past the original entrance to the caves and simply enjoyed a bright, cold afternoon. And got another stamp! We met up with Dale’s family, found that we were able to move our RV to the home they were all sharing, returned our rental car, and enjoyed the family time. Again, this was our second visit to Nashville, and last time we focused our time on Broadway Street, the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Johnny Cash museum (loved it!). This time the only real touring was to The Grand Ole Opry for the backstage tour, which inspired those of us who had not planned for it, to attend! Dale and I had left for (hopefully) warmer temps south when they went, but thanks to WSM AM 60, I was able to listen along. Dale and I were spending the night just south of Birmingham, Alabama, and the night temps dipped to freezing there! Man the weather is just crazy!

By Sunday night Dale and I were settling into Biloxi, Mississippi. The RV park was new, the site was flat concrete, we had a glorious view of the Gulf of Mexico……across Beach Street…..the busy thoroughfare running between Gulfport and Biloxi. And we had a beautiful Jeep Cherokee rented for the week. Can’t say it was the quietest place we stayed. Can’t say it was warm like you’d expect a gulf city to be. But the freedom of having a car allowed us to golf, shop, see Gladiator 2 (if you are as much of a fan of the first one as I am, it was a bit of a let down….still fun to watch….but no one will ever impress me as much as Russell Crowe did in that outfit), celebrate my birthday with an afternoon of massage and facials and a truly fantastic dinner, and then visit the casinos managing to come out WAY ahead of when we went in. As Dale said, Biloxi paid us well to listen to their busy streets all night! And after MUCH online shopping and considerations, we decided we are happy in our little home, and its a lot cheaper to rent cars everywhere we stay!

To those of you wonderful readers who took the time to wish me a Happy Birthday by Facebook, text, phone call or video (thanks again Mah Jongg ladies!) you all made me feel so loved. Its way to easy to think everyone has forgotten about you when you are living on the road like this! I love you all and am truly grateful for your place in my life!

Well dear readers, we are on the move again! We are heading west into Louisiana for a few days, off to visit a friend then back into New Orleans. Again, this will be our second visit, the first did not leave us with a warm and gushy feeling, so we are a little nervous about giving it a second chance. But last time we stayed out by the airport (not the best choice) and we had Tucker with us (limited our options) so we are hoping staying near the French Quarter and focusing on foodie experiences will make the difference. The weather is sketchy, so cross your fingers that our tee time tomorrow can be honored!!!!

So for now, I bid you all a fond adieu. I hope your Thanksgivings were full of love and your holiday season is full of joy! Lady Wanderingwise