Tupelo Mississippi

So we took the back roads out of Hamilton this morning and it was interesting patch work on the paved roads. Fortunately, I was in the van so was not lucky enough to experience the great bumps along the way. Before we knew it, we already had crossed the state border into Mississippi.

It was a hot day and we needed some shade for everyone to cool down. As the van driver for the day, I asked around in the town of Fulton for a good place where I could find shade and bathrooms close by. Fortunately, there was a very kind owner of the local convenient store who likes to take care of people. So he offered us the shade underneath his Oak Tree, a couple tables and chairs for us to use. While we ate our lunch, the owner brought us out random food and drinks that he donated to our group. So we got a 10 pound cut of bologna, commemorative Elvis Presley Pepsi Bottles (to save up one day) and it just kept coming with surprises. Great guy!

So after lunch we easily made our way into Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis Presley. I got to check out his home that was very nice and quant while getting some awesome Elvis Postcards! For the evening we originally had no dinner plans until a couple riders found a restaurant that was willing to serve our whole group for no costs. So we made our way there and enjoyed great free food while buying some refreshing beverages on the side from the bar. While we were eating our food, a big storm came rolling through with monstrous winds that caused tornado warnings. It was awesome!

The dinner was great with everyone getting a chance to be social outside of churches for a change. We met locals and shared our stories in order to gain a better understanding of each other. I was hoping to grab a full sized cardboard Elvis but no businesses were able to hook us up. Maybe next years group!