Our final destination would be Dekalb, Mississippi. I wanted to do some family research on my father's side of the family. C. does not have any interest in genealogy, but went along reluctantly.
The weather was warm and sunny and it seemed, at first, the trip would be good. Our first stop was Casey Jones Restaurant and gift shop to get coffee and an Oatmeal cookie to share. I've stopped here many times when travelling with my job before retirement. I know the country cooking here is superb, but it was too early for lunch.
Next stop, Harrah's casino in Tunica Mississippi. It was a lovely building. Paula Deean, the famous Southern Cook has a restaurant located in Harrah's. We decided to spend the night in Tunica, MS but not here.
We stayed at the Hollywood Hotel and casino. The place was very interesting because it was decorated with pictures of old movie stars and movie memorabilia.
C. enjoys playing Black Jack at a "$1.00 table" now and then. He played for about 2 hours and only lost $16.50. That was quiet enough considering the 2009 economy. I knitted in our room. I'm hardly the party girl these days. we had dinner at an all you can eat buffet. Nice variety.
The mattresses were great for sleeping after a long day of driving. They were "Tempurpedic" It rained this night.
Tuesday March 24, 2009, we checked out of the Hollywood Hotel and Casino. C. wanted to stay another night, but I was anxious to move on. I have a horrible fear of elevators. For security reasons, at the Hollywood you have to insert your room key in the elevator control panel to make it go. There were no lobby level rooms for non-smokers, so an elevator trip to the second floor was necessary. A trip down the "Blues" Highway 61 seemed the best way to get to Natchez, so off we went. The sky was grey and covered by volumptuous yellow and green-grey clouds. Again, rain seemed imminent. The terrain was flat and there was one cotton field right after another the entire 5 hour drive to Natchez. we saw hundreds of yellow and green John Deere tractors plowing the fields in preparation of planting Cotton.
The poverty in this part of Mississippi was obvious. Many homes were in a sad state of repair. There were fans on front porches. I imagined the fans were to create a breeze to circulate air through the house. The doors on some homes were open and you could not help but see the lack of furnishings inside. Some were preparing meals on tables in the front yard. There were many abandoned vehicles and old farm equipment. Most barns were in the process of falling.
This marker is at the crossroads of Hwy 61 and Hwy 49.
Actor Morgan Freeman has a tavern in Clarksdale, MS. We stopped in this little town for a coffee refill. A tornado went through Claksdale, MS the day after we had stopped there. As I mentioned, the weather was threatening the entire trip.
This is a house we saw on the road
from Clarksdale to Vicksburg, MS
This is a typical looking swamp on Hwy 61 to Vicksburg, MS. A beautiful site. There was a lovely crane posed for us, but you can not see it in this photo.
Grace
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