On Sunday morning we decided to attend a church service. Since we were in the great state of Mississippi we had plenty of options to choose from. One of those options was a Jehovah's Witness worship center that we kindly overlooked.
Cameron and I found First Christian Church in Vicksburg. The skies were overcast but it was bright and refreshing mist was in the air, much like Saturday. We attended the 10:45 service.
The church was nestled atop a sweet little hill. It had room for only one stained glass window at the front of the church. It had a quaint, white steeple and glass double-doors at the entrance. We were welcomed with open arms by the pastor and congregation of roughly 15 people. We got a nod when we walked in as one of the elders was speaking of low attendance numbers. He said, "Thank you to the young couple in the back for attending this morning."
The church was bright and happy. It was comfortable to just sit and listen to the service. We enjoyed ourselves.
We had to get back to the hotel to check out, get Cinder and mosey on over to Tuscaloosa, AL. I drove this 3 hour leg of the trip and it was very enjoyable. The trees are thick and higher than Texas highways. The redbuds line the road as if someone, years ago, thought it would be a wonderful idea to plant a redbud every 2 feet along the route.
Around 4:00 we arrived at the Moundville Archeological Park in Tuscaloosa. Moundville is a flat area that is surrounded by forest where Native Amerians used to live. These Native Americans had a tradition of burying their dead under the house they were living in. Since they most likely lived in dirt-floor homes, their homes just rose with the years and layers of bodies being buried in the ground. So there are mounds that measure roughly 25 feet high and 50-75 feet in diameter. In the park, there are about 12-15 mounds. They are all covered in grass and maintained by the park that is owned by the University of Alabama.
We set up camp together by pitching our 8X10 tent. This was the first time we'd ever done this together and it was quite enjoyable. We work well together anyway so I wasn't surprised. It began to get dark and we needed to build our campfire. Cameron was in charge of that and I was in charge of dinner.
I had a hot plate that I used to make some tuna melts with cheese and tortillas. Cameron and I both were pleasantly surprised at the tastiness of this campsite fare. It was so good that we both had seconds. Then, for dessert, we attacked the Mississippi Mud Cake Monster that lived in the car overnight (leftover from Rusty's).
A retired couple from Oklahoma was in the campsite next to us staying in their comfortable, spacious, and dry RV. He came over and offered some burning embers for Cameron's fire. Things were so damp all over the area that it was incredibly difficult to build a fire right away. Never the less, a fire was started and it was a success.
Once things began to settle down all three of us went into the tent for the night. Cinder was being her spoiled self and insisted on being on one of our sleeping bags but we shunned her to use only her bedsheet to make herself comfortable.
Cameron and I played gin for a while and we heard some raindrops on the top of the tent. It rained all night long... It was rough.
We woke up to a soaked campsite. Luckily, nothing was damaged because all the important stuff was either inside the tent or the car. Cameron had a morning run and we ate cold cereal from a mug and a small pot. It was still raining. However, this place was so peaceful. The temperature was perfect. The surroundings were green, lush, and still. It was hard to believe that hundreds of years ago there were Native American people who lived in that same spot.
Another bonding experienced commenced as we began breaking down the tent and campsite. We had to just bear down and do it because the rain only let up a bit to trick us into thinking that "now" was the time to get started. The rain came down harder as we started to take the tent down.
I only got the tent for $25. So if it smells like mold and mildew when we take it out of the bag, I wont freak out if I have to toss it.
Before leaving the great town of Tuscaloosa we went through the University of Alabama campus. We found our way inside Paul Bear Bryant Stadium, Home of the Crimson Tide. Cameron was in his element and was enjoying every moment of being inside this impressive stadium. Cinder enjoyed herself as well, as she pulled me everywhere we went. There was also a cool graveyard that we got to drive through. Some of the headstones marked people who were born in 1803 and perhaps earlier.
We knew we needed to get on the road. So we called it a day for old Tuscaloosa and headed over to Birmingham, AL.
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