Day 3: Natchez Trace State Park, TN:   Now that’s better

Cabelas was super quiet.  We were a bit concerned as we were parked beside a few tractor trailers and a large Class A  motorhome.  All quiet.  The wind died down enough by 2300 and sleep was ours.

On most days, I naturally awaken between 0500 and 0630.  This morning, despite the darkness and the stress of the day before, I was wide awake by 0530.  After laying around for some tens of minutes I decided to listen to an audio book.  At 0830, when I re-awoke, the book was still playing.

This morning was not yesterday.  It was sunny and calm.  I headed out for a walk amongst the medical complexes and big box stores near the Cabelas we camped at.  Just did enough to go over 30 minutes.  After 3.62 km I got back to the van, made a quick breakfast and we packed up.  

As I was readying the van, the guy next to us was hooking up his toad (a car you pull behind your motorhome) and we commenced to chatting.  He offered encouragement that we had purchased a Winnebago.  He was a delivery driver for RVs and the one he was driving to a dealer in Tampa Bay, FL was already falling apart.  He said “never buy a <insert manufacturer here> as they are crap”.  He showed me where the drivers side mirror was falling off and the outer shell was delaminating.  This is a $495,000 motorhome being delivered to a dealer.   Hey, why not mention the manufacturer?  Not my place, but here is a hint. It’s the name of a Marvel character.  Perhaps one played by an Aussie.

First stop, Costco to gas up.  Nope!  Card would not work so we gave up and hit the road.

What a beautiful day.  It was warm enough, little wind and pure sunshine.  Thank you,  nature!

We had one major slowdown north of Nashville so we followed the GPS’s suggested detour.  That also had slowdowns as we all have the same GPS apparently.

Mrs Milddogs concocted a plan to grab lunch and picnic in a park in Nashville.  So we stopped at Sonic (which I have to do once per trip) and got our “food”.   We then drove over to the park, put out our chairs and had lunch.  The park had a small lake and there were 100’s of huge turtles in there.  All over the place.  A turtle train on the only log.  Would have been smart of me to get some pictures!

No matter how hard I try, I can never finish the chilli cheese tater tots.  I must get them though.  I also got a chocolate “milk” shake.  I consumed about 25% of that.  No major regrets so far.   Mrs Milddogs gave it a try and suggested it was actually just cake batter.  Texture and taste.  She is probably right.

Just before getting off the highway to get to the state park, we stopped at a fuel station to gas up.  I may not be the most observant, but there are some strange people out there.  So here is the scene.  We pull in and park normally at a pump.  The assumed owner is standing on a picnic table trying to drill into the cement structure of the building. Over and over not making progress.   A car pulls in to the pump in front of us at about a 33 degree angle to the pumps.  Car door opens, car still running, music playing.  Probably 40ish woman emerges in pyjama bottoms and slippers, drops something in the garbage.  Returns to car.  Emerges from car and proceeds to pump gas.  Car still running, music still playing and door still open.  Since you can lock the pumps on here, she did so and got back in the car while the gas pumped away.    The owner dude still has not made progress with the drill.   While this is happening, a couple of fellas drive up in a work truck, park at an awkward angle, hop out and head into the store.  Mrs Milddogs assumed they were going to rob the joint.  Good news, they did not.  But both dudes were pretty agitated.   I just assume everyone here is on some form of drug.

The park is nice.  We have full hookups so we are filling the water system while we are here.  No more flushing with plumbing anti-freeze!

They do have showers.  I rate this one a 6. It is showing its age and could use some work.  The door to the shower stall had a sliding lock that looks like it was straight out of a prison.  I’m imagining this given my lack of first hand knowledge of prison locks.  But the water pressure.  The warmth.  It was like shower heaven.  Thank you shower!  It was 15C outside and sunny so I walked back in my flip flops wearing my bathing suit.  Nope, not a speedo nor my “modesty” speedo.  

Mrs Milddogs and I are learning the “Van dance” again.  You have to get good at moving around each other cause you can’t move through each other.

Dinner tonight was leftovers from lunches, a few nacho chips with salsa and that was about it.  Nice thing about Sonic, it puts you off food for a bit!

Tomorrow?  Who knows?  We have a reservation in Texas for Monday night so we will probably stop somewhere half way or so.  That puts us near Little Rock, AR.  Maybe Bill and Hillary will have us over for dinner.  Popular vote says it’s a winner!

Oh, the storm.  We saw a lot more damage over a very wide distance today. Trees down, roofs apart.  It was a bad wind storm for sure.  Perhaps like the Dodge Durango that blew through Ontario last year (or was that the year before??)

Why do all of these idiots like loud cars?  You are all tools!  I know, we have those idiots at home too.

I’ll have to stop at a Verizon soon to reactivate my hot spot jobber.   

I work at the filling station on the interstate, pumping gasoline and counting out of state plates, they ask how far into Memphis son and where’s the nearest beer, they don’t even know there’s a town around here…

Steve Earle Lyric (from memory, sorry if inaccurate) 

Tomorrow we will pass by or through Memphis.  Should we or should we not drive by Graceland??