Richard W. Price

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Super Epic - Super Pacific Road Trip - Days 17 & 18: Riverwalks, Battlefields, Missing Roofs, & 'Mater Sammiches

Like so many other plans on this trip, my exercise plan has gone sideways. Between the distance we are trying to cover each day, learning the ins and outs of the new setup, and the mechanical issues, there has been less downtime than I'd hoped.

By the time we got to Little Rock, it had been a couple of weeks since I'd run, and I was itching to stretch my legs. They have a fantastic river walk with multiple bridges spanning the Arkansas River, connecting Little Rock to North Little Rock, and a bunch of statues, parks, and little side trials.

It was the perfect place for a run, and I could have spent the entire day there. But the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library was waiting, and Julia would just as soon cut my legs off as be late, so I headed back to pack up the truck.

After the library, we had lunch at The Root Cafe, a damn good spot with local, farm-to-table type stuff, and then hit the road for Vicksburg, MS. We took the Great River Road for most of the way, which turned out to be, along this section, cornfields.

Lots of cornfields.

But Vicksburg turned out to be pretty fabulous.

We had supper at 10 South, an excellent restaurant on the 10th floor of a 100-year-old building. While we waited, a HUGE storm shook the entire building and rattled the windows.

There was momentary chaos that made me wonder if the staff was sincere when they said it was "totally normal," but fifteen minutes later, all was calm again.

But on the walk back to the Airbnb, we came across an entire roof that had blown off a building and was now lying across the power lines.

Tornado, maybe?

This morning we spent time at the Vicksburg National Military Park commemorating the siege of Vicksburg during the Civil War. If you're in the area, this is absolutely, 100% worth taking a detour for. They even have a restored Ironclad Warship that you can walk in!

Lunch was at a quirky little spot called The Tomato Place, where I had what is undoubtedly the best tomato sandwich on the planet, along with some excellent ribs and ice-cold sweet tea.

Now we're southbound for New Orleans, where we'll be until Tuesday morning.

There's only one stop left after that, in Montgomery, AL, and this trip will come to an end Wednesday evening.

Yesterday someone asked me if I was tired of being on the road.

Nope.

Not even a little bit.

And unless Julia is lying, neither is she.