Road Trip Day 7

2006 Road Trip Vacation – Friday 2006-09-29

• I check out this morning and of course there was a line to check out – it’s one of the things they’re not doing well here… checkin/checkout.. I waited about 45 minutes to check in and probably 40 of those were waiting on the clerk to deal with one couple to get their comps figured out – they really should have a protocol for getting them out of the line and dealt with by management so there aren’t a bunch of pissed of vacationers… but anyway, as a result I missed last nights susnset – but I can live with it… gonna cruise up and down the shoreline and see what I can see this morning!
• So aside from the waits, the place is really nice… I had a nice room - $99… the internet access isn’t free – another $11 – food was really good – everything very centrally located from the casino – beer was free – and I had a good time even though I didn’t win – lost about $70 – I enjoyed myself – like spending money at a ball game – as long as you set limits you can have a good time and not feel too guilty when you leave…
• I just saw another guy with a metal detector – so that’s just an invitation for me to hit the beach with mine!
• Well.. I did some metal detection which was a riot – found a pocket knife and a bunch of coins and baubles and the requisite junk… found some sort of big iron ball that I left in the ground – looked relatively modern as there was paint on it – a few people on the beach this morning sunning themselves… I wouldn’t walk in this water, and it’s posted not to, but some people did… so I’m gonna take off now!

• One thing that’s kinda striking as I drive back along the beach front is that this must have been an amazingly cool place before Katrina with all the shops, waterparks, hotels, casinos… but this is gonna be the Biloxi I remember and know – I’m really going to have to return after they rebuild… but I really can’t imagine how it’s gonna happen as it looks now – seems unreasonable… it seems like it will never be able to return to what it was…

• I’m back on I-10 heading east toward Mobile…
• I’m taking exit 61 off of 10 – going to get something to eat and going to visit sand hill crane national wildlife refuge…
• Well… this refuge is one that requires some hiking… cause there’s no drive through it – being somewhat limited with time I’m passing on this so I’ll stop and take pix – lot’s of conifers …

• I’ve decided to make my northward start in pascagula on route 63
• Gas in pascagula is $2.19…
• So 63 north kinda stops… and I have to go back southeast or northwest to Hattiesburg – so I’ll head northwest
• I’m turning off of 98 to this thing called 198 that looks to be running north
• Ok that didn’t do anything but loop around back onto 98
• The dirt here is really red!

• So I’m getting off on 98 on a road that’s heading north – my hope is to go through Neely and into Avera… let’s see if this pays off!
• This road I’m on is old hwy 24…
• And I’m going through Neely…
• Getting off old 24 to take this thing called Neely-Avera road…
• I made the wrong turn and I’m still on old hwy 24… gah
• I think I’m gonna turn around and get back on the Neely thing…
• The road I was on came to an end and I’m now on 63 north…
• I’m in Waynesboro – It doesn’t seem like 63 really continues so I turned of onto 84 – I dunno if I’ll stay on it but it’s what I’m on now…
• I’ve decided to take 84 east – spend some time in Alabama as I’ve never been there – so I’m off to Alabama!
• It’s 3:25 and I’m now in Alabama!
• Coming up to junction 17 – going to take 17 north – striking how different Eastern Mississippi and Alabama are from western Mississippi- clearly you have the river valley to influence that but this is heavily forested – very hilly – mixture of deciduous and conifers and it’s quite pretty…

• So I go into this place in this little town to get a couple of sodas and go to the bathroom and I come out and there this good ole boy sitting on a motorcylcle, which looked more like a moped, and with his helmet on he looked like a character out of bugs bunny or the jetsons… he says to me “y’aint do no paintin do ya?”… I had to make him say it again because I didn’t know what the hell he said – I actually think he said if I do some painting to get on behind him… what the hell? I must really look like I fit in here…
• As I drive through really rural Alabama I find that the people seem pretty friendly – mostly African American where i've been so far – as they see me pass they’ll wave – sitting on their porches – standing in yards – walking along the road – seems nice…
• Another thing too is that it’s about 5;15 and it’s gone from heavily forested – to more range land with lots of cattle

• I stopped to get gas back there – I asked the lady at the counter if the pumps took credit cards and the lady at the counter in her Alabama twang said ‘naw, ya jest go out and poomp and come back een’… and as I walked back out to my car I heard another girl in the store say “ain’t ya warried he’ll drive off?”… so I’d like to have heard the conversation that followed that… when I came back in she said… ‘ yall from Illinois? Whatcha doin here in pickens county?” so I explained what I was up to and she asked “ya we-in anything at the casina?”…. funny question… and no I didn’t
• So I’m faced with the decition of what to do here – continue to drive deeper into the evening? Too far away to make any significant progress tonight or do I just find a place like in Columbus MS and call it a night – one of these days I’ll need to make a big push – I just passed 82 west and I’m still on 17 north – so I’ll be driving a while tonight…

• Driving through this place called Sulligent AL and there’s a fair going on – if I had more time and were inclined to I’d get out and walk around, but I’m thinking I should probably push ahead
• Passing through Detroit , Alabama
• Staying in Russellville, Alabama - found a nice place and ready to hit the rack