Let’s Take the Long Way Home

After South Carolina, we decided to ramble our way back toward Kansas City at a rather leisurely pace.  Our next stop was beautiful Lake Martin in Alabama.  We camped at Wind Creek State Park, one of the largest state-owned campgrounds in the United States with 586 campsites.  Since the campsites sprawl in nearly all directions, we camped in relative seclusion.  Having a mostly private bathroom nearby was a nice perk.  

Lake Martin is pristine and peaceful, most of the time.  One morning we were awakened before dawn by loudspeaker mumbles while boat engines roared at regular intervals.  At first, we thought boat races were commencing.  However as we listened, Bill realized a fishing tournament was underway.  We watched out the camper’s window as boat after boat raced off to favorite fishing spots.  By mid-afternoon, we watched as the boats scrambled back to the check-in site to register their day’s bounty.  Once the tournament was over, the lake returned to its quiet self.

Alabama has some great motorcycling.  From Wind Creek, we rode north into the Talladega National Forest and enjoyed the twisty rural mountain roads.  We toured Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, the sight in 1814 of the final battle in the Creek War.  We also rode around Lake Martin and through the town of Kowaliga, AL.  In the early 1950’s, Hank Williams was staying in a cabin at Kowaliga on Lake Martin when he penned his famous song, Kaw-Liga.

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Cy’s aunt and uncle live a couple hours from Lake Martin so we met them for dinner one evening.  It was so good to catch up with them.  

Our next stop was David Crockett State Park in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.  In 1817, David Crockett moved to the area with his family.  He established a powder mill, a grist mill, and a distillery on the land the park now occupies.  Unfortunately, in 1821 a flood swept away Crockett’s industry and he moved his family to West Tennessee.  In 1836, Crockett died defending the Alamo in Texas.  At the museum, we learned that he disliked the nickname ‘Davy’ even though he has been immortalized as ‘Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.’  

In the 1830’s, the Federal Government forcibly removed thousands of American Indians from their homelands, marching them to reservations in Oklahoma.  The Trail of Tears the Indians walked cut through this state park.  The Trail remains as a sober reminder of the unjust treatment the Native Americans endured during that dark time in our nation’s history.  

From Tennessee, we went to Tombigbee State Park in Tupelo, Mississippi.  While we camped in Tupelo, we were able to ride more of the Natchez Trace Parkway.  The Trace totals 444 miles, stretching from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS.  Around Tupelo, the Trace has several historic markers, noting the Native Americans, the enslaved, and the early settlers in the area. 

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The city of Tupelo is best known as the birthplace of Elvis Presley.  While the museum was closed due to Covid, the grounds were open so we wandered where young Elvis used to play.  He learned to play guitar from Brother Frank Smith, the minister at the Assembly of God Church young Elvis attended.  The original church was relocated and now stands on the museum grounds.  The Presley family moved from Tupelo to Memphis in 1948 when Elvis was thirteen.  

We continued our journey toward Kansas City with a stop outside of Little Rock, Arkansas.  Maumelle Park on the Arkansas River was a scenic wooded campground.  We awoke to dense fog blanketing the campground and the river. 

After we packed up camp, we drove across Arkansas to Rogers, to see our daughter and son-in-law.  Our daughter had told us about Hattie B’s Hot Chicken so we tried it when we were in Birmingham, Alabama. Delicious!

The next day, we drove the final leg back to Kansas City. We arrived at sunset, just in time to tour the land we had offered to purchase. We were very happy with the lay of the land so we decided to let our offer stand.  Just a few days later, the owner finally decided to sign the sales contract.  We scheduled a soil morphology test to make sure we could get a septic system installed.  We also called the water department and other utilities to make sure they were available at the property.  Everything was positive, so we continued the contract and (eventually) became land owners near Holt, Missouri.  

Lesson Learned: There is joy in the journey, especially when we patiently follow the Lord’s leading while Chasing Sonshine.