VICKSBURG

Sunday, 4/20. There is a noticeable difference in menu items as we travel through the states. Our breakfast this a.m. in Mississippi included eggs, bacon, fruit cocktail, and the "best ever" biscuits, grits and scrapple gravy. At Vicksburg National Military park, we found the 16-mile battlefield landmark tour very interesting, especially the restored USS Cairo and artifacts recovered from the Union ironclad gunboat. Cairo was the 1st vessel in history to be sunk (12/12/1862) by an electrically detonated torpedo (today called a mine). Of the nearly 17,000 Union soldiers buried at the Vicksburg National Cemetery, about 13,000 are unknown.

Over the Mississippi River and on Hwy20W again, we passed straight through Louisiana. It didn't matter where you were or what you were doing, the locals were friendly.

Now....it's been four days since we've had a Dunkin Donuts (DD) coffee. Our GPS indicated one up ahead just past Dallas, TX. Off the beaten path about 8 miles, Ms. Garmin directs us to the site; however, DD was gone! and instead was the new TX Rangers baseball stadium under construction. Time to upload new maps. Looks like we are going to make Nolan, TX tonight. HAPPY ASS RANCH, HERE WE COME!