After weeks of anticipation and days of planning The day of departure arrived! I drove from Cherokee Co., Ga. through north Alabama and Mississippi and my com-padres (another brother in-law and the Captain's brother) were driving up from the Gulf Coast, Pensacola, Orange Beach and Ocean Springs, MS, all converging on Oxford, MS. I decided to drive over on Friday and enjoy a leisurely trek across the back roads while the Captain and his crew booked up the interstates on game day.
I am from West Georgia originally and much of Alabama that I crossed was vaguely familiar, having traveled those roads 40 years (plus) ago. Leaving Rome and cutting across 411 through Cave Springs towards Centre, Al was a very pretty drive full of wide opens farms with long tree-lined drives to beautiful houses with large, ornate barns. Valleys planted with cotton is a sight I do not see in North Ga. and it definitely brought back memories of my childhood. Mixed in with wide open farms and beautiful countryside was a more subtle sight, although disturbingly real; many closed businesses, stores and gas stations, local repair shops, and closed farm equipment businesses. A very real reminder of the tenuous state of the country's economy and who is taking the worst blows.
Although I had Google Map directions and a Garmin GPS I traveled 250 of the 300 mile trip to Tupelo the old fashioned way; I followed my nose and made decisions as I encountered intersections or new roads. I made it Hamilton, AL before deciding that I needed the GPS to get me to the hotel. An impromptu stop was Double Springs, AL, in Winston County (more on that connection later) where I inadvertently wore my UGA attire (my regular Friday ensemble) into a country store and the locals looked at me as either a 'Guvmn't' agent or an alien; either way I was "uncomfortable" but the store clerk was very nice and helpful and assured me I was on the right track and I was on my way.
I arrived in Tupelo (America's First TVA City according to the sign in town) and at the hotel where I was staying to avoid Oxford crowds and double room rates. Again the hotel clerks were incredibly well-mannered and helpful to me and everyone I encountered in the lobby; a Gold Wing Motorcycle Club in for the weekend, people there to see the birthplace of Elvis (I missed that) and, of course, people going to the games, because there were spectators staying to attend either the Ole Miss game or the Miss. State game (again, more on that later). I settled in for the night and could hardly go to sleep in anticipation of game day at The Grove!
Stadium Tour #3 - Part Two covers the trip to Oxford, game day experiences and, of course, the game and look for Jason4Bama, Quan, David from BIrmingham, DR from BridgeMill,etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment