Traveling north from Mississippi

My drive through northern Mississippi was mostly uneventful, excluding the fact that Mississippi drivers were the worst I had encountered at that point. They were soon to be overshadowed by drivers from Arkansas, who seem to live up to their reputation of inbreeding. Fortunately, most Arkansasians (?) seem to be content to not travel more than a few miles from home. Possibly because the prospect of leaving their beloved family members (and other breeding prospects, i.e. livestock) too far behind, is too much to bear. For you few intelligent folks from Arkansas (I know you exist, you're the ones who actually do travel), I don't mean to insult your beautiful state. But most of us from the deep south have fully accepted the sad fact that the area is innundated with idiots.

But I digress. Memphis is a very pretty town, but home to some of the narrowest, poorly maintained, most confusing roads on the planet. The drivers there weren't much better than the wonderful people from the great state of Mississippi, but fortunately I was just passing through. Quickly.

Once across the Mighty Mississippi River, I traveled north along the river through Arkansas. I already commented on the drivers and people I met while there, so I won't mention it again. The road was bordered on both sides by some of the most featureless, most barren (strange for a delta) land I have encountered short of some great, sandy desert or arctic plain. I didn't experience much change in scenery for several hundred miles. Lets just say that the phrase "Arkansas? I spent a week there one day," applies.

Once I passed into Missouri, however, I was in an entirely different world. Beautiful rolling hills, with the highway cutting through in enormous trenches of walled rock. There were also many trees, resplendent in shades of green, yellow, and red. I don't think I could have picked a better time of year for a cross-country drive.

Another great thing I'd like to mention about Missouri, aside from the state's stunning beauty, is that it is home to some of the most aware, conscientious, polite, drivers that I have ever encountered in all my travels! I only ran into one jerk, whom I realized, once he passed, was sporting a Mississippi tag! I arrived in St. Louis, just in time for rush hour, which, thanks to the wonderful people of Missouri, wasn't all that bad. I found my hotel with no problems, checked in with the amazingly courteous desk clerk, and had my dinner on its way within minutes.

That's it for that day, more to come later on the rest of the trip!