The Mississippi Delta
We started the day by heading for an IHOP -- International House of Pancakes. Ajay recommended them years ago when he went to Dallas, and we've never been. It must be good because there were dozens of people queuing for a table, so we decided to go somewhere else.
We set off on US-61, of Highway 61 Revisited fame. I know it as a P.J. Harvey song -- can't say I've ever heard Dylan sing it.
As we drove, we listened to the Elvis CD we bought yesterday, and grew hungry as we realised we'd driven into a big empty bit of Mississipi. Eventually we arrived in Tunica, and had a late breakfast at the Blue and White Cafe.
Here, I had my first taste of red-eye gravy (it contains coffee granules) and grits. Grits is a little bit like semolina. Slightly sticky bitty mushy corny stuff. I probably won't repeat the experience.
Aside from the Blue and White Cafe, Tupela County has lots of casinos. Apparently state law allows gambling on floating establishments, so the casino owners -- having outgrown river boats -- dug enormous ponds, then build giant floating buildings in which to house their gambling areas.
We didn't see this for ourselves. We stuck rigidly to the river road route described in Road Trip USA, which alternates between US-61 and US-1. It follows the Mississippi river quite closely, but the river is always out of sight.
We stopped at Winterville Mounds. I had no idea the USA had anything like this: 1000 year old Mississippi Indian relics which would have looked similar to the temples of Tikal before they eroded down to mounds. They were built from earth rather than stone, so they've not lasted well.
There are hundreds of such mounds across the East of the USA, apparently.
We continued to Vicksburg, along rather monotonous roads. On an optional 30 mile loop Road Trip USA promised us second growth hardwood forest. We saw a few trees, but not enough to describe as forest, nor to serve as a habitat for bears, as promsied.
The thermometer peaked at 30°C, and the heat became quite oppressive every time we stopped at a junction. With the roof down it was very comfortable once we were moving.
On at least three occasions we saw a dead armadillo on the side of the road. It never occurred to us to take a photograph until it was too late.
Vicksburg seems very nice and picturesque (once you get past the industrial wasteland at the North), and offered us our first view of the river.
We're staying at the outrageously cheap Dixiana Motel. In Holbrook Arizona, the Star Motel taught us never to stay anywhere cheaper than $20 a night. This one is more like $25, we had a look at the room, and it's clean and perfectly nice -- although there is no phone, so this page will reach people's eager eyes tomorrow, or maybe even later.
We identified a promising looking Italian restaurant in a tourist map of Vicksburg, and drove out to it. It turned out to be a caff catering for shoppers at the local outlet mall. Wanting something a little more like a civilised meal, we went to the Pizza Inn nearby. After we'd sat down, our server (Desiree, like the apple) asked if we wanted the buffet.
It turned out the all-you-can-eat buffet was $5.99. Even with drinks and tax, the total -- for stuffing ourselves silly -- was a little over $15, so that's around £8. But that's not all. There is a genius out there somewhere, who has invented Dessert Pizza! Instead of cheese, that yellow vanilla stuff you get on danish pastries! Instead of tomato, cherry pie filling! I want to find that person and shake him by the hand. They also had choc chip pizza and pizza base drizzled in fondant icing.