Mileage: 1040 miles.
Time spent on the road: 4 days.
Places seen: St. Louis; Perryville; Memphis; Canton, Jackson, Clinton…
Traffic tickets: 0
Location: Clinton, Mississippi (just outside the city of Jackson)
My Mood: J.
I spent the entire day in the big city of St. Louis. I crossed into Missouri this morning. After spending the whole day in the city, I'm happy to note that I was navigating the city like a native. Right now, I have thrown away all the driving directions I got from Mapquest because I don't need them! I mean, as long as I have a map, I will reach my destination. I took Geography when I was in high school, a course that's not taught in most of American schools. I think it's a loss for them not to teach it, because it results in high school graduates who can't find Fiji on a simple map. Anyway, my geography is now helping me navigate to any place I want.
St. Louis is a very nice city, with lots of cool places to visit. I walked the downtown area, and I was amazed to see very rich people (those living the American Dream, who believe it exists) and juxtaposed to that, I saw a white brother and sister who were living on the street. You know, they had all their possessions, were unkempt. For them, the American dream is a myth. I would love to hear what Tocqueville would say now, given that a century ago he had claimed that 'there is economic equality in America.' This makes me wonder, where did he look to come up with a conclusion like that? There is deep social and economic disparity across America today, and according to reports, it's increasing. It makes me wonder why a nation with so much prosperity is also a nation of the poor, the invisible poor that you never see on tv or any place. In the cities I will visit, I hope I will see more evidence of equality and/or inequality. It will help me come to a conclusion of whether the American dream is real or not.
For the first time, I saw hills! I mean some Midwest version of mountains. Do you know that since I came from Zimbabwe, I never saw a mountain? I love Missouri, it's awesome. I guess that's why Mark Twain was inspired to write such classics as Huckleberry Fin. While in St. Louis, I got to travel on a River Boat, one called Tom Sawyer, I think named after that great writer. I visited the Arch Gateway, and the museum underneath it. It's amazing to see the work of such greats like Lewis and Clark. Tourism is a lifeline of the city. I was thrown back in time when the ship passed through "Blood Island", an island that the Captain of the ship claimed belonged neither to Missouri nor Illinois making it a heaven for those who wanted to duel. Dueling was illegal is both states, and so them of old would go to blood island to settle their differences :). Along the same, it's amazing to see what people would do to escape state laws. A Mississippi law prohibits the establishment of casinos on dry land, but can be floating on water! So, there are lots of casinos on the river. The twist: Some people are building a casino on dry-land, and to evade the law, they are gonna pump water from the river around their building, making it float!
Whereas the American of yore looked upon the uncharted West for adventure, the ones of today have surrounded themselves with cathedrals of adventure. People celebrate history, and the present. The museum at the Gateway Arch on Westward Expansion was awesome. I got to see things that I never you. Um, I have always looked at zoos with skepticism. The zoo in Forest Park in St. Louis changed all that. There were hundreds of tourists around, admiring all sorts of animals and the like. Given that this is the only chance most Americans have of seeing a live Giraffe, it helps in the conservation efforts, it's easy to tell somebody to help save something, if they know it. Come to think of it, Zoo might be the last bastion of all the flora and fauna in the world, which are facing habitat destruction, over hunting, and the like. Supporting a Zoo, a very good idea.
I'm off to Memphis, TE. If you haven't already noticed, my journey across the country is very flexible. If I find something interesting, I will stop and investigate. I will in Memphis Sunday, and I hope to visit Elvis Presley's home, Graceland, and the like. The weird thing? I don't have a single Elvis song on my computer! It's really awesome to drive along the highways. I spend most of my time talking to my friend, a elephant doll. Coz he has huge ears, at first I called him Dumbo, but I have changed my mind. I'm looking for his name now. I rescued from the Dumpster in Grinnell, one of my floor mates wanted to throw him away. For pictures of the trip, check my blog: http://tmacvivo.blogspot.com I will try to add pics there whenever I get a chance.
Memphis was great. I got to walk Mulberry St, where the Lorraine hotel is located, where Dr Martin Luther K. Jr was shot and killed. It wasn't what I expected, I mean the city of Memphis. Like St. Louis it was bereft of people, just a few people milling around. Most of the people were tourists. Met Harold Wilson, a 58 year old man who gave me an unofficial tour of the city. He was nice. You know what they say, join them if you want to know more about them! Mr. Wilson showed me the great places and the the areas where the poor live. Somebody offered to clean USS Enterprise (my car) for $2.17 Then I went to Graceland, to see Elvis's home. It was nice, and again flooded by hordes of tourists! They celebrate everything about the man, they have an Elvis TV station, Radio, t-shirts and all manner of artifacts. Being surrounded by the King, I think I should start my own band. I mean, I would drop out of college and give it a shot, I'm sure I will end up being a king like him. What do you think? Wanna join me? :)
Here in the Deep South, I had anticipated to see the last vestiges of Jim Crow. I have been looking for him, but I haven't found him yet. The people are great, and nice. I can't describe them, but hey I love them. I mean this is as deep south as you can get, and so I hope Jim Crow is dead. There is lots of diversity; I mean the people, black, white, and a sprinkling of Mexicans. Right now, I'm in a small town called Clinton, in Mississippi. It's nice, I'm about to take off for Vicksburg, a city besieged by Gen. Grant for 47 days during the Civil War. When he took the city, the tide of the war changed in favor of the Union Yankees. Since today is Memorial Day, to pay my respects to the fallen heroes, I will go and spend some time at the Vicksburg Military museum.
It will be sometime till you here from me. I will say something when I get to New Orleans. Meanwhile, bye for now. How did I fix the fuse for my automatic doors? I turned into a small town, drove around until I found an auto repair, dealer. It’s a small one street town. I told him my problem, and he said "Here, take this box of fuses with you, so that if it blows again during your journey, you will be able to fix it!" Remember this was a complete stranger etc. Back in the day, I remember reading in the National Geographic about this story of this writer who traveled across America. He observed the same thing, the generosity of most Americans, even to strangers. Tocqueville claimed that Americans were easy going, and feel comfortable talking to anybody because they are not afraid of losing their status something. He gave an example of a British aristocrat, who because of his privileged status, is afraid to make friends, to mingle with a stranger, who he thinks might take away his status…Whatever he was saying, I think he was right, and that observation he made back in the day, is still valid as it was back then.
