Everything went good on the first few miles of our departure
from Wheeler Dam Campground; we made it in one piece across the way too skinny
dam. Only a few miles down the road our luck struck again. We had a flat tire
on a late Saturday afternoon about 30 min away from civilization. Also as our
luck goes there was but one tire center open on this beautiful sunny afternoon.
We pulled into a church parking lot and waited until the hubby could get the
tire changed out. This consisted of him leaving me, 2 kids (even though he’s
technically an adult my oldest will always be my ‘kid’), and the dog with the
house but without a drivable vehicle for over an hour. We had packed a bare
minimal cooler; this was only going to be a short 3 ½ hour trip, right??
To keep the lil one
amused for this period we made up and played games that consisted of throwing
and tossing rocks. We also toured and paid respect to the fallen soldiers that
had found that cemetery as their last resting place. We try to instill a sense
of Patriotism in the lil one and make the sacrifices paid for the freedoms
realized in the ever growing mind we are cultivating. Finally, while on our
last bottle of cold water the hubby returned with a new-to-us tire for the rig.
A quick 30 minutes later and we were back on the road.
 |
| Our view in the RV Park in Southaven, MS |
After this escapade
we made pretty good time as RVing time goes, you are really on your own schedule
when you travel the way we do. It was dinner time when we landed just south of
Memphis in Southaven, MS. We chose to stay just across the state line in
Mississippi so the lil one can add another state the map and be one state
closer to seeing all of the lower 48.
The only places I
really wanted to show the lil one here was the Memphis Zoo, one of the best in
my opinion, and the Pink Palace museum. We
wouldn’t get to be here for the Memphis in May celebration unless the security
badge was approved. This would be the only way to stay in the area longer than
a few months. As soon as we hit town the hubby started looking for temporary
work, it would only be 4-6 weeks until we got news on the work badge; we only
had to survive for this long. After only a few days and a few temp daily jobs
the hubby landed a job building a Waffle House with a guy named Denton from
Denton, TX, LOL. We tried to get my oldest in on the work too but his asthmas
wouldn’t allow it in the sweltering Southern heat. I got in on some of the painting
on the end to help us out with bill money.
Thankfully he still
had this job when we got the denial for the security badge, very depressing for
a few days after that news. We had counted on this badge going thru and having
the security of the full time permanent long term position that we had moved to
the Memphis area for. Now we had to back up and punt as they say and come up
with another plan. The hubby called a few old work contacts in Jacksonville, FL
and soon had a job, albeit in South Carolina for a week. Temporary work but
work none the less. This soon led to more work and led to our decision to move
back to Jacksonville, FL and follow the work. My oldest was happy with this decision;
he was looking to move back anyway.
When the plan started
taking shape we got in a rush to see the sights we hadn’t been able to yet. The
zoo was top on the list; the Pink Palace could wait if I couldn’t find the
money for both.
The lil one really enjoyed the surprise upon waking on one of
the last few weekdays there, we always tried to be tourists while everyone else
was at work; we had decided to visit the zoo before packing the rig up. We all
loved watching the penguins and the sea lions, especially there show they
performed in, the lil one’s eyes shined with pure amazement. It was a very tiring but fun filled day that
will go down in the memory books of the lil one’s childhood to be reflected
upon in the years to come.
We finished our work
on the Waffle House, got all the stuff stored at the mom-n-laws again and were
preparing to head south. Due to money being very tight we planned on an all-night
drive, making a 16hr run all at once instead of 2 days. This trip ended up
being pretty uneventful. I was coming to love these trips like this; you know,
the ones with no surprises.
We landed in Jax safe and sound the following
morning and pulled into our site about an hour before the office opened. We
were exhausted, road weary and in need of showers and long naps; but the
important fact was we had made an uneventful trip and landed safe and sound.
Until next time……
Luck never gives; it only lends. ~Swedish Proverb
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