Mr. Spontaneity
LA/XC-5 DAYS TWENTY-SIX AND TWENTY-SEVEN: POSTING FROM STAUNTON, VA
Two-day mileage from Tupelo, MS to Staunton, VA: 711.2
Total LA/XC-5 mileage: 6,990.9
Road Music: Tuesday: Entire Elvis catalogue, from Tupelo all the way to Alabama state line, then Sirius cycle, then “Deep Themes in Country Music” playlist as a run-up to Lynchburg and the Jack Daniels Distillery (“Jack Daniels kicked my ass again last night,”
Eric Church; “Whether it’s a cold beer, tequila, or a double shot of Jack,” Florida Georgia Line; “Yeah, I fell in love with Jack Daniels again,” Miranda Lambert). Wednesday: Sirius cycle — mostly politics, “ahead of” last night’s Debate #3; “Music of Nashville” playlist, to celebrate driving on I-40 — “Music Highway” — near Nashville
Weather leaving Tupelo Tuesday morning: 80 degrees and sunny
Weather arriving Staunton on Wednesday evening: 73 degrees and sunny
Two-day state tally: 4 (Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia)
Gas money to date: $736.45
How cool was that, getting to see the little two-room shotgun house on 306 Elvis Presley Drive in Tupelo that Elvis’ grandpa built for the family in the 1930’s? Especially considering that one day earlier I didn’t even know I’d be stopping in Tupelo. And that even after targeting Tupelo because it worked out mileage-wise, I’d totally forgotten that Elvis the Pelvis was born there! (I was stuck on Van Morrison’s “Tupelo Honey.”) What a tranquil, green spot, that 15-acre Elvis Presley park: birds chirping, landscaped walkways, a meditation chapel, and granite markers calling out key events from the King’s early years. (“Elvis was born here at 4:35 AM on January 8, 1935” . . . “Elvis received a guitar for his eleventh birthday, 1946” . . .) And all this just two days after tracing through Janis Joplin’s childhood in Port Arthur, TX. Wow. I eat this stuff up! Should call this the Musical Mystery Tour, instead of the Beagle Man Tour. Quick review: Dierks Bentley at Red Rocks! The Stones and Dylan in the California desert! The Dixie Chicks at the Hollywood Bowl! Trish Murphy in San Antonio! Janis in Port Arthur! And now, toss in some Elvis in Tupelo!
Also: Have to say, it’s been fun not knowing these last few days where I’m going, what I’m doing, where I’m staying. Not buying this Mr. Spontaneity act, from the guy who mapped out an itinerary for each day of the four-week road trip? True, the bulk of LA/XC-5 was well-scripted. But . . . a.) When Matt’s plans changed, mine had to, too; and b.) on all my LA/XC trips, I have a tendency in the waning days, when I can smell the barn, to lose my grand ambitions, and to scrap my “official” plans. And as a result of this flying without a radar, I got to visit Elvis in Tupelo.
My free-and-easy and highly pleasurable Tuesday continued as I
wound my way along the “blue highways” of Mississippi and — surprise! — Alabama (more about this in Random Road Notes, below), en route to Lynchburg, Tennessee, for my visit with the one and only Jack Daniels. Now, at this point, cruising toward Lynchburg, mind you, I don’t have a place to stay for the night, I don’t have a sitter for Kemba, I don’t even know if I’ll make it to Lynchburg in time for the last distillery tour of the day. But it all worked out! The
veterinarian down the road was happy to board my duck dog for a couple of hours, Lisa at “Mr. Jack’s” squeezed me into her tour group, which had just started . . . and I was even able to score some Jack Daniels tees to finish off my souvenir obligations. Like Tupelo, Lynchburg in general, and the distillery in particular, were both leafy, pretty, and peaceful — kind of college campus-like. And my 90-minute “Angel’s Share” tour was perfecto for a Jack fan like me — especially the tasting at the end. Footnote: Was glad to see Eric Church had a plaque in the Single Barrel Select Society. Always suspected Eric (“Drink In My Hand” is no. 5 on my all-time list, as
well as the ring-tone on my phone) and I had a lot in common. Mr. Spontaneity meets Mr. Misunderstood.
Yesterday, in LA/XC parlance, was a “mileage day” — all about getting from Point A (Cookeville, TN) to Point B (Staunton, VA). Though there was at least one notable accomplishment. Remember in my previous post, when I said I, shockingly, hadn’t seen, nor dined in, a single Applebee’s yet on this trip? Well, that state of affairs was remedied last night with a Thai Shrimp Salad. Yum. Eating good in the neighborhood.
Watched the entire Great Debate last night, but none of the post-debate spin; instead, wrote the bulk of this post. But I have to conclude that when the nauseatingly upbeat and voluble Kellyanne Conway stalked away from Dana Bash’s mic, she didn’t consider it a particularly stellar night for the Trumpster. Though I’m guessing the pundits will give him at least passing grades, since he was able to pronounce a number of words correctly. (“Aeroplane” not being one of them.)
For five LA/XC road trips I’ve been wanting to try a Sleep Inn. Cute play on words. And here, on night #27, in Staunton, Virginia, I finally got my chance. Loved it. So neat! So clean! So modern! So cheery! My favorite motel room of the trip! Okay, so maybe I’m just a little euphoric because it’s my last motel room of the trip. (Kemba shares that sentiment, btw.)
And speaking of “sleeping inn”? That’s exactly what I plan to do in WePo on Friday 🙂 .
RANDOM ROAD NOTES:
• At least once (often, more) during every LA/XC trip, I run into a “surprise state” — usually, when I’m in a hurry, a bit careless, and don’t take time to consult my maps. Tuesday, Alabama popped up, clear out of nowhere! Could have sworn I was driving directly from Mississippi to Tennessee . . .
• Mississippi and Alabama are two states that really scare me. Sorry. Having said that, I guess now I can’t run for President. Oh, wait. Yes I can . . .
• 64 East in TN is the Davey Crockett Highway!
• Forget “Virginia Is For Lovers”! Virginia Is For Shitty Drivers. Here’s how it works: You stay in the right lane unless you’re passing. Really, how freaking hard is that??!! God!
• Most enchanting roadside signs: ITAWAMBA COUNTY . . . TOMBIGBEE RIVER . . . GUM CREEK . . . HUNGRY MOTHER STATE PARK
• Road signs mis-read from afar: BIGOTS! (it was actually “Big Lots!”); VOTE TRAFFIC INFO (actually VDOT Traffic Info)
I PLAN TO POST AS CLOSE TO DAILY AS POSSIBLE WHILE KEMBA AND I ARE ON THE ROAD. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY: MAN PLANS, GOD LAUGHS. OH, AND BTW, YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND INSTAGRAM.
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An early congrats to you for completing your trip. It was great fun to travel along vicariously. “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s…” (Kemba click your paws together and recite after me, There’s no place like home… 😉 )