The state, not the river, is one step west from our last pause on the map.
Piney woods. The wide Mississippi River. Catfish.
These are three of the top impressions of my visits and travels in this state. Miles and miles of pine trees line the interstates. The smell is delicious and the dirt is sandy red. The river — well — as you may have guessed from previous topics — it’s my favorite of all American rivers. While I’m more familiar with the upper (northern) portion, the wider, slower waters hosting the barge traffic have a different sort of charm. And the catfish? Well, any self-respecting cafe, diner, or restaurant should have pond raised on the menu. And if my small sampling is any indication — they know how to both raise and cook them. Yum. Yum.
Like it’s neighbors — Mississippi is rich in Civil War history. One of my very first solo tourist trips was to visit the battlefield at Vicksburg. I was there in early April. It was already warm. The siege extended from May to July. Uniforms were wool. I’m glad I wasn’t there for multiple reasons.
Go ahead. Convince a horse to pull a cannon up one of these in July heat.
