Vicksburg, Mississippi 1.0

We saddled up at 6 am and then tried to get the guys to stop at the Starbucks, but it wasn't going to happen. So off we went, just as the sun was rising.

We had this map of the "Great River Road" that we received from some tourist site before we left. Dave had the map laminated based up prior experiences with a map in places that were humid, rained, and then there's the wind while I'm looking up stuff on the go. Anyway, let's just say that it was not Great and there was no River...just a Road. We thought it was going to be similar to riding on the levees in the Delta, WRONG. The only time we saw the Mississippi River was when we crossed over it while leaving Arkansas to enter Mississippi.

We had been on the look out for a place for breakfast We thought we'd find one in West Memphis. We were really close to Memphis and I was hoping to visit Graceland. To beat the heat we just couldn't take the time. We were on the back county roads and these people don't dine out. In fact I'm not sure they have enough money to eat.....or fix their homes, which are just a notch above a card board box. We were in the poorest of areas....very rural.

This part of the country is black and white. We have not seen one Asian or Latin. We think they're speaking some other language because we can not understand a word they're saying. We can barely make out the white folk but it is totally impossible with the blacks.

Funny thing about the houses....I couldn't figure out why the people didn't close their garage doors...then I noticed that there were no doors! this is there covered patio! They have their grills and outdoor furniture in there. Some park their cars in there too.

We decided to ride on through to Vicksburg instead of breaking the ride in to two days. There just was nothing of interest along the way. At our eventual breakfast stop, at 8:30, we called the B&B (Baer House Inn) and they had two rooms for the night so we rode until 3 and checked in. Oh, at breakfast the service was so slow. The people were nice and the food was good and cheap. I ordered the most expensive item on the menu, $4.79. But still no coffee for me....they don't have decaf. And there was a big rain while we were waiting for our food, so it was good the service was slow. I did have grits so I feel like I'm officially in the south....the others turned up their nose at the thought of grits.

The B&B is roomy, clean and well located. There's another couple here and her best friends lives in Pleasanton! She visits often. How is that?! We walked a few blocks but it was way too hot for me and we returned to our rooms and showered.

We ate at another Inn located a few blocks away, Anchura Mansion. It's really cute, the service was great, and the food was FABULOUS! Our first really delicious meal. The prices were close to CA prices. We even had dessert for the first time on this trip!. Margaret had her best Lemon Drop ever and the guys shared a bottle of Healdsburg Cab. I'm not drinking on the trip due to the heat.

When we left the Anchura there was a symphony from the insects. Not a big fan of insects but the noise they make is somehow melodious and interesting. We saw a huge beetle on the walk back. Margaret said it was a June Bug......they arrive in June but they're having such a great time they stay through July :) I should tell you that Margaret was born in Arkansas and Scott says he has returned her to her home land. Dave has lived in the South but he lays no claim to the area. And for me? Born and raised in the SF Bay Area, God's Country. I'll visit the South but I know I'm made for home.

Just about everything is closed on Sunday so I may be having a day of rest.