Day 41 – July 29, 2019

Happy birthday, Kathy!

The birthday girl got to call the shots today.

The day started with a very delicious breakfast at the hotel. This followed the now traditional southern treat known as s’morning.

Kathy’s birthday wish was to drive straight to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Pretty much what every girl wants for her special day. It was a 276 mile drive, but we were up for the challenge.

We had a nice lunch in Meridian, Mississippi. While we ate salad, sandwiches, and pizza, we busted out the DSs for some Mario Party.

We played as teams. Kathy and Ashley against me and a CPU. I maintained a huge, dare I say insurmountable, lead with just a few turns remaining. I’m talking six stars to zero.

I felt kind of bad beating the birthday girl so badly, especially on her birthday. But I was determined to win decisively.

But then those darn girls started stealing my stars. And I was losing them to Bowser. And I don’t really know what happened, it is all kind of a blur.

At the end, the girls walked off with the epic come from behind win. Ashley assured me she would never let me forget this game.

The highlight of the day was getting gas for $2.30 per gallon.

We finally did make it to the motel in Vicksburg. We decided not to risk camping as there were reports of thunderstorms (they never happened).

Our motel sits right next to a Civil War battleground. But it was too late to visit. Maybe tomorrow before we leave for Louisiana.

We got to our room, sang Kathy happy birthday, and ate cake.

We relaxed in bed and watched Captain America through the laptop.

Cassie called to wish her mom a happy birthday and to relay the goings on back home.

We are amazed how much we have learned on this trip. Even on a day that involves just driving. For example, on this day we learned Birmingham, Meridian, Jackson, and Vicksburg are places we would never want to live. Never. Ever. EVER.

Just to be safe, let’s cross the entire states of Alabama and Mississippi off the list.