DAY FIFTEEN, part one: Ozark, AR to Tupelo, MS
The curse of the Days Inn only held slightly true last night. As John and Desirae walked to the gas station in search of alcohol or sparkling juice for the midnight toast, Kaylin turned on the TV to try and watch the ball drop in New York City (on repeat- it had actually dropped 30 minutes prior at this point). And the stupid TV had no sound.
We pushed buttons and tried cords and called the front desk. John returned and tried everything. So we had to move rooms. But at least the room was clean and comfortable and had a spacious shower. John’s quest to the gas station was semi-fruitless. It was 1130pm and the county was unable to sell alcohol after 11. So two small bottles of Grape Crush soda sat on the dresser waiting for the midnight toast.
Ava kept trying to fall asleep, and we kept trying to keep her awake! She made it til midnight, and as the countdown on the TV hit “Happy New Year!” we all clinked our plastic cups and welcomed the new year with big swigs of deep purple carbonated sugar. It’s gunna be a good year!
When morning came again, we packed up and hit the road with 770 miles to travel. We figure if we minimize stops we should be home by 10pm, including the hour we lose to the time change. Of course, if we pass something as irresistible as Carhenge we may be forced to stop again!
There isn’t a lot to see or do on this leg. We did pass Little Rock and Memphis, but we do not have the time to stop in and see anything. I was kind of excited to see the bridge from “The Firm” in the distance.
As we dipped southward on the Appalachian highway, we realized we would pass through Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis’ boyhood home! Oh to be able to find a diner specializing in Elvis-y food like peanut butter banana sandwiches!
I looked frantically online and found a diner that was frequented by Elvis’ family when he was a kid. We drove through Tupelo and found it, but seeing as its New Year’s Day, it was closed. As we headed back out of town, we passed right by a sign pointing us to Elvis’ birthplace. How could we pass through Tupelo and not pay it a visit?
The house he was born in was VERY small. To see what humble beginnings Elvis came from, its no wonder he didn’t handle fame well. We looked through the gift shop and bought magnets. I’ll say this: when Elvis was young he was beautiful!
As we drove out of Tupelo we scanned for any diner, drive-in, or dive that might be open for lunch. We had no luck. So on to the next stop!
