Today's post will start us off in Hannibal, Missouri - Home of Mark Twain.
I don't remember reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or Huck Fynn as a child, but Pat Paplow bought me the first book, which I read after our visit to Hannibal....now I want to go back and see everything all over again.

After touring the boyhood home of Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain) we went to the museum where we were fortunate to come across some original Normal Rockwell artwork. Each piece was covered in glass therefore hard to photograph.

Wait a second; I don't think these next two are from the Normal Rockwell collection. Who are these yahoos anyway?

Ah...these were part of the collection sold in THIS store:

Here are some pictures from the infamous cave:

The next day we rented a pontoon boat and explored Mark Twain Lake.

On the trip back into the dock, we were all freezing and all had full bladders. Bumpy waters didn't help. Ha ha - but it was a great day and our last day with the Paplows' before they returned home and we headed south.

We headed out. Drove through St. Louis where we saw the arch. 

Went over a really cool bridge.

Drove through what must have been the Twilight Zone.

(And filled up the gas tank before the mirage disappeared!)

Then pulled into what can only be described as a little slice of heaven on 

Rend Lake in Illinois. The whole site was a small peninsula poking out into the lake, so that sitting anywhere in the RV gave the illusion we were in a houseboat. Such a quiet, peaceful evening. Never seen so many jumping fish or turtles all in one spot.

After a much needed reprieve from tourists and towns, we were back into the bustle again as we headed to Nashville. 

We crossed another cool bridge;

Found a candy bar with Mark's alter ego on it;

And finally made it to the highlight of our destination. I am sad to say I was completely and utterly disappointed. I had grand visions of what the Grand Ole Opry would look like; a huge, opulent building with young hopefuls singing their hearts out on the steps, hoping to be discovered. Instead this is what we found.  Here is the original location of the Grand Ole Opry, which is now call The Ryman Auditorium:

 And here is the current location of the Grand Ole Opry today. For some reason I cannot find the pic I took so, this is off the internet;

It looks much more impressive in this pic at night. During the day it looks like an average mall.  In my humble opinion, the only thing “Grand” about it, is knowing all the greats that have graced this building with their presence. Maybe we should have gone inside! (Mental head slap)

Leaving Nashville behind, we moved on into rural Mississippi. I loved that all of the porches carried a minimum of 2 chairs; even if it meant the front door was partially blocked. If there was no porch, the chairs were set in front of the house, or a bench swing would hang from the overhang of the roof, next to the door.

There are all sorts of riches in life and I guess it's a matter of preference as to which one tickles your fancy the most. In this life I have been fortunate enough to experience most kinds. There are the riches of family, the riches a man can acquire by money, and then there are the riches that God gave us in nature.

Parts of the south may be considered poor in many a man's eye, but there is a richness in the air that no man can deny if he takes the time to stop, look, listen and breathe in the sweetness of the air. Even the humidity was not the thick kind that hinders your breathing. It was more of a comforting soft blanket that surrounded you like your mama's arms.

As we drove through Alabama I had two missions on my mind; 1) visiting a Coon Dog Cemetery and 2) trying to find biscuit and gravy flavored potato chips that my girlfriend said they sold there.

The Coon Dog Cemetery warmed my heart. These dogs were so loved!

The potato chip part of my mission was a fail, however, lookie what I DID find!

I could get used to being lulled to sleep by the orchestra of frogs and cicadas that goes on until well after dark, under the soft glow of lightning bugs. No cars, trains, planes, motorcycles; no man-made noise at all. It is heavenly.

The next night we drove to our new campground at Lake Lincoln State Park in Mississippi to find this sign;

There went my lil slice of heaven! Lol

Truly, minus the gators, the bits of the south we have traveled through set well with me. I fell in love with so many new things I had not yet experienced.

The rivers are deep and dark, dark green; so much so that you cannot see below the surface. The air is thick with southern charm where people move slow, talk slow and appear to think slow but really, they are just chewing on their thoughts before responding.  Smiles, however, appear in an instant and last a long time.

They deep-fry pretty much anything and most things can be bought covered with gravy. This suits me just fine; just not my waistline.

White BBQ Sauce will become a new staple in our household! This is mild BBQ Nachos...what?!? So good . . .

 

Next we moved on to Mississippi to view the childhood home of Elvis Presley.

Very humble beginnings for sure.

Then, from country quiet to full-on crazy; New Orleans! I think I'll stop here and post New Orleans next as there is a lot to cover.  Meanwhile, I'll leave you with Elvis ...