5:15 p.m. (In the car) As we woke up in Chicago this morning to a rain that was hard and relentless, we knew the opening part of the drive would be slick. So we met in front of Willow Creek Church around 5:45 am and left around 6:15 with 15 people in a pair of white 10-seat vans. Our on-site coordinator, Allison Hosack, has a very outgoing personality. She says the words "Hello (as in Hello, are you alive?!) and dude. She's an intern in extension ministries at Willow, a few months older than me, and from Ohio. She's also lived in countries like Hawaii, France and Switzerland. She basically kept the conversation going.
We drove down Highway 57 through Illinois, Missouri, and into the west side of Memphis. From a distance, across the Mississippi River, I could see the Memphis Pyramid, where big events and concerts are held in that city. We had a weird experience as we approached Elvis Presley Blvd where Graceland is. We had jokes about going there even though we all knew we were never going there. So I'm in the second van. Just as we're getting to the exit, Evan, one of four guys on the trip, says into the walkie-talkie to the other van, "So are we going?" We look in front of us, and whoever was driving the van started to pull over to the right before making this Dale Earnhardt left swerve back onto the main road. We could not stop laughing.
And the weather was unexplainable. Our first rest stop was in Champaign. It was cold (around 55), the sky was gray, and a steady wind was whipping through. It reminded me of the Urbana mission conference I attended in December 2001, and that was the coldest I have ever been. It was warmer on this day, but I was reminded how cold Champaign, IL can be. Our next stop was somewhere in northern Missouri. Someone must have painted the sky blue and jacked the temperature up to 85 or 90 degrees. Anyone who had been wearing a jacket hurled it into the back of their van. We wouldn't need them the rest of the trip. At least I wouldn't. We then switched over to Highway 55 which took us through Arkansas and down into Mississippi. The roads are basically lined with trees, very quiet, without much traffic. And no tolls either, which are always nice to avoid. I must have seen 11 or 12 Illinois state troopers too. I mean, unless there's a fugitive on the run, let us drive already!
Sunday 1 a.m. (In bed) We took 55 down through Louisiana and then turned in east to get to Waveland, Bay St. Louis, and Kiln, MS. I have visited Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana for the first time on this trip. That brings my state count to 41 that I've visited.
We stopped in a little town about 2 hours north of Jackson to have dinner in a real bayou and seafood restaurant. I mean there were alligator heads on the table, the women had way too much makeup on, kind of like Tammy Faye. But the food was awesome. I ordered a fried crawfish po' boy. A Po boy is a New Orleans version of a sub or hero sandwich. A few people at my table had fried catfish and it was the best catfish I've ever eaten. Had sweet tea to drink and as much iced tea as I go through, that should be no surprise. I admit I kind of wanted to order some fried cheesecake with the cinnamon sugar and strawberries, but figured I should hold up.
I'm in a very small cabin. 12 bunk beds, a broom, an a/c, and a fan. No to mention a few mosquitoes. No bathroom, no windows, and no garbage can. The women have a bathroom in their cabin and we have to walk about 5 minutes which is not bad. The bathroom is very tight, like swimming in a sardine can. 2 showers, 2 sinks, 2 toilets. We have church tomorrow morning but right now I need some sleep.
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