Across the Mississippi

Today we drive east in heavy rain to cross the broad Mississippi, an event that will be a 'new experience' for me. So many tales about this river, so much folk lore around it. My first encounter with the Mississippi was floating its swirling, muddy waters on a raft with Huck Finn, when I was about ten years old. I loved it. I'm curious to see if it's changed much since then.

Here it is, the quick glimpse of it between windshield wipers, crossing the bridge with traffic now as heavy as the rain. I really didn't have time to take it in because suddenly I was in Vicksburg.

New state, new city, new look. The seasons changed while I was crossing the bridge and I left Louisiana's soft autumn and arrived in Vicksburg in a late summer thunder and lightning storm.

There is much traffic, and my Mississippi ponderings are put on hold while I maneuver my 8X25 foot box on wheels between semi's and SUV's at 65 mph. Hmm, could it be we are ALL taking up too much of the road?

Although I've visited Mississippi many times, I've never driven through it. The bits and pieces I've observed have always been green and beatiful in my May and October visits, so I'm looking forward to seeing if my impression of the greenness of Mississippi holds in December. What do you think?

Unfortunately, my photos today are taken through the windshield with heavy rain and dark skies, so I apologize but still wanted to give you a glimpse of my day.

Here, at dusk, I am finally settled into my new campsite. No, I don't have a view of a lake, but I'm am closer to long hot showers than anywhere I've camped so far on my journey. And for that I am quite grateful! However, that's really not the best thing about this campsite, the best thing would be the smiles and greetings and conversation with the wonderful group of people who host it ;-)

Tomorrow I will begin an in-depth exploration of Mississippi!

And tomorrow is a new day.