Wedding Ride - Summer of 2013 - One More Wedding Then On the Road Again

Jeremy, Kayla and I hopped in the car and drove to Houston for the next wedding on the Great Wedding Ride of 2013.  My niece, Stephanie, was getting married and at least a few of my clan were going to be able to attend.  We picked up Jake and Renee at the Houston airport in another raging thunderstorm.  We drove from the airport out to Lake Conroe and met up with my parents so they too could meet Kayla Renee for the first time.

Kayla meets her Great Grandpa and Grandma Riddle for the first time.

Our friends from the many years we lived in Houston, Tim and Stephanie, (not the same Stephanie as the bride) had graciously invited us to spend the night with them.  They even volunteered to watch Kayla for us while we attended the wedding. So, Renee, Jake, Jeremy and I cleaned ourselves up and headed to the big town of Dobbin for a good ol' fashioned Aggie wedding.

The beautiful bride.

Stephanie and Cameron - The happy newlyweds.

Mr. and Mrs. Gafford have arrived...Let the party begin!

A way too infrequent event.  Renee and me with my brother and sister-in-law, Buddy and Maureen.

My posse...I'm not sure how Jessica and Haley got roped into this or why Jeremy went all gangsta' on us.  Must have been the glasses.

The wedding was fantastic.  The reception was awesome.  And, it was one of the few times I've gotten to hang out with both of my brothers at the same time in the past 15 years.  We polished the wedding weekend off on Saturday morning with breakfast at the Old Montgomery Steakhouse with family and friends (where I had a helping of biscuits and gravy the size of a house).  I had a great time and can't thank Stephanie and Cameron enough for inviting us to join them in their happy celebration.

On our way back to Kyle from Lake Conroe, we decided to pay a visit to the Little Creamery in Brenham, where they make the best ice cream in the world, Blue Bell.

Outside the Blue Bell Creamery where their slogan is, "We eat all we can and sell the rest."

The "Cow and Girl" logo was created in the 1970s to capture the country image that is the Little Creamery in Brenham.

The elevator doors inside the Creamery.

Blue Bell uses the milk from approximately 60,000 Jersey and Holstein cows each day to produce their delicious ice cream.  My favorite is Homemade Vanilla!

Renee and Jake stayed in Texas through the weekend and we got to hang out a little more.  The worst part was having to say goodbye to Kayla.  I took Renee and Jake to the airport on Monday then rode to San Antonio.  We have an office in San Antonio, so I worked there for a couple of more days before jumping on the bike on Wednesday afternoon and heading back toward Virginia.

Renee and Kayla hanging out at the Mexican restaurant.  Clearly, Renee destroyed that burrito.

The view of downtown San Antonio from our office.

I rode from San Antonio to Longview on Wednesday afternoon; about 350 miles.  There wasn't anything in particular I wanted to see, but it was a good way to get a little further down the road before hitting the many interesting stops I had planned for the rest of the trip home.  It was a 100-plus degree day in Texas that day, so needless to say, it was a sweltering ride.  I made a gas stop in Hearne and used that as an excuse to gulp down a Gatorade and, of course, scarf down a Snickers.

I did squeeze in one sightseeing stop on the way to Longview in a little town called New London. New London is the location of the New London School explosion that occurred on March 18, 1937.  A natural gas leak caused the explosion which destroyed the Junior-Senior High School and killed more than 295 students and teachers, making it the deadliest school disaster in American history.

 

The memorial for the New London School explosion sits in the middle of Texas State Highway 42.

I rode into Longview as the sun was beginning to set and walked across the parking lot of my Motel 6 to Taco Bell to grab some dinner.  Luckily, the gas station next door sold beer, so dinner was set.

Dinner consisted of a Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme and a Coors Light (ok, two Coors Lights, but who's counting).

I had been looking forward to the stops I had planned for the next couple of days since the time I first started plotting out my return trip.  There were several things along the route that I have wanted to visit for a long time and this trip finally presented the opportunity I needed to work them into a ride.  

My first stop was a visit to the site where Bonnie and Clyde were ambushed.  Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were ambushed and killed on a rural road (now LA-154) in Bienville Parish, Louisiana a few miles southwest of Gibsland.  The Barrow Gang is believed to have killed at least nine police officers and committed several civilian murders as well as robbed several banks, small stores and rural gas stations between 1932 and 1934.

The ambush site is marked by a granite stone that has seen more than its fair share of souvenir hunters chipping portions of it off to take home with them.  I didn't take a piece of it with me, but a lot of other people appear to have abused it.

On January 16, Clyde orchestrated the escape of several Texas inmates in the infamous "Eastham Breakout" of 1934.  During the jailbreak, escapee Joe Palmer shot a prison officer.  This prompted the Texas and federal governments to begin a manhunt for Bonnie and Clyde. The Texas Department of Corrections contacted former Texas Ranger Captain Frank A. Hamer, and persuaded him to accept an assignment to hunt down the Barrow Gang.  A posse, consisting of Captain Hamer, Dallas County Sheriff's Deputies Bob Alcorn and Ted Hinton (both of whom knew Barrow and Parker by sight), former Texas Ranger B.M. "Manny" Gault, Bienville Parish Sheriff Henderson Jordan and his deputy and successor in office, Prentiss Oakley, set up the ambush on May 23, 1934.  This is where Bonnie and Clyde met their demise.

At the time of the ambush, LA-154 was a small dirt road running through the Louisiana countryside.

Gibsland is home to the Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum located in the building that was Ma Canfield's Cafe, where Clyde bought two egg sandwiches just a short time before they were gunned down. The museum is operated by L.J. "Boots" Hinton, a son of posse member Ted Hinton.

From Gibsland, I continued east on I-20 to West Monroe, Louisiana.  Now, if you have ever watched TV, you have probably seen the show, or at least the advertisements for, Duck Dynasty.  If you're a fan, then you will no doubt recognize West Monroe as the home of the bearded Robertsons of Duck Dynasty fame.  However, I have to admit that Duck Dynasty was an afterthought for me.  My first priority was to get some breakfast and that meant a stop at Waffle House.

A hearty All-American breakfast at the Waffle House.  My nephew, Travis, would be proud of me.

I finished breakfast and, on a whim, decided to see exactly where the Duck Commander headquarters was in West Monroe.  If it was close by, I thought I'd stop by.  If not, oh well, it wasn't the end of the world if I missed it.  As luck would have it the headquarters was a half a mile from the Waffle House on the same road I was sitting on.  Hell, might as well stop by while I'm in the neighborhood.

Duck Commander headquarters is pretty much exactly like you see on TV.  The one thing you don't see is the large gravel parking lot they have built to accommodate the increased  number of visitors they get since the success of Duck Dynasty.

Here's the deal.  I didn't go inside.  The parking lot was full and I'm not much for celebrity.  But, to be clear, I do like the Robertsons and Duck Dynasty and if it hadn't been so crowded, I would have given it the ol' college try to walk in and meet them.  As it was, I was content with a few pictures from outside and then getting on my way.

The rig outside Duck Commander headquarters is pretty impressive.

This is as close as I got to meeting the bearded ones of Duck Dynasty.

I rode out of the Duck Commander parking lot and continued my eastbound journey on I-20 to cross the mighty Mississippi River again and visit Vicksburg.  The draw for me in Vicksburg was a visit to the Vicksburg National Military Park (VNMP).  VNMP is located along the lines of the Confederate and Union forces who fought here during the siege of Vicksburg during the Civil War in 1863.

I think even the Robertsons would agree with me that there's a hell of a contrast between visiting something as trivial as Duck Dynasty to something as significant and hallowed as the VNMP.  But, honestly, that's what makes my road trips and this country so great.  You have the freedom and ability to visit two such contrasting sites within 80 miles of each other.  I love that!

My first stop in Vicksburg was the Welcome Center that sits on the east bank of the Mississippi River.

The I-20 bridge over the Mississippi River.  I love crossing this river.

The Ameristar Casino and Hotel in Vicksburg. Since I have stock in Ameristar, let me throw in a shameless promotion here.  There are several Ameristar Casinos and Hotels along the Mississippi River, so if you're a gambler, stop in and lose some money here.  I'm sure I can speak for the other shareholders, we'd love to see you visit!

I know this picture looks like a toy train set, but this is a real train crossing the river.  The tracks take it under the walkway at the Welcome Center.

Civil War era cannon sitting at the top of the bluffs overlooking and "guarding" the approaches to Vicksburg on the Mississippi River.

I left the Welcome Center and headed for the park.  VNMP is managed by the National Park Service and commemorates the battle for Vicksburg and control of the Mississippi River.  Vicksburg National Cemetery is the largest internment of Civil War dead in the nation.  It is the burial place for nearly 17,000 Union soldiers.

For the Union, the spring of 1863 signaled the beginning of the final and successful phase of the Vicksburg Campaign as Major General Ulysses S. Grant initiated the march of his Army of the Tennessee down the Mississippi River.  After two unsuccessful assaults on the Vicksburg defenses, Grant decided his best option was to put Vicksburg under siege.  The siege lasted from May 19 until July 3, 1863.  On July 4, 1863, Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton formally surrendered Vicksburg to Grant.  

President Abraham Lincoln, in speaking of Vicksburg's importance, is reputed to have stated early during the Civil War, "See what a lot of land these fellows hold, of which Vicksburg is the key, the war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket."  The fall of Vicksburg, coupled with the defeat of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in the battle of Gettysburg fought over July 1-3, 1863, marked the turning point of the Civil War.

VNMP is one of the most heavily monumented parks in the world with over 1330 monuments, markers, tablets, and plaques. 

The Illinois Memorial from across the fields.

One of many Union artillery lines.

Another of the magnificent memorials spread throughout the more than 1800 acres encompassed in the park.

Another impressive feature of the VNMP is the USS Cairo Gunboat and Museum. The USS Cairo was sunk by a Confederate torpedo (mine) on December 12, 1862, in the Yazoo River, 13 miles north of Vicksburg. It was located and identified in 1956 and raised on December 12, 1964.  It was ultimately reassembled and put on display at the park in 1977.

The USS Cairo is covered by a tension-fabric system to provide some protection from the elements and the harsh southern climate. It is the best-preserved Civil War ironclad in existence.

The pictures don't really do it justice, so to give you a feel for the size of the USS Cairo, here are her dimensions:175' x 51'2" x 6'.  Displacement: 888 tons full load. Armament: (6) 32-pdr 42-cwt smoothbores; (3) 8" 64-pdr smoothbores; (3) 7" 42-pdr Army rifles; (1) 12-pdr howitzer.  Armor: 2½" iron plate on casement, backed by 26" white oak.

As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to another Civil War battlefield and memorial.  I get a sense similar to the feelings I have when visiting some of the old west sites.  It's like I have a kindred spirit with the men who fought on these fields.  I can't really describe the feeling, but it's like I am walking in their shoes.  Almost as if I was there with them.  It's very awe inspiring for me.  I never leave these places disappointed.

My travels from Vicksburg were going to take me from the Civil War of the 1860s to the civil rights movement of the 1960s.  Since I had given four of my last six dollars to the National Park Service Ranger to enter the VNMP, I decided it would be wise to stop and get some cash soon.  I stopped at a Wal-Mart on the outskirts of Jackson, Mississippi and hit the ATM there.

I headed north on I-220 to the northwest side of Jackson where I exited on Medgar Evers Boulevard. Medgar Evers was the NAACP's first field secretary for Mississippi. In this position, he helped organize boycotts and set up new local chapters of the NAACP.  He was involved with James Meredith's efforts to enroll in the University of Mississippi in the early 1960s.  I wanted to visit his home in Jackson.

Medgar Evers' home in a quiet, nice neighborhood in northwest Jackson.

In the early morning of June 12, 1963, Medgar pulled into his driveway after returning from a meeting. As he left his car, he was struck in the back by a rifle bullet.  He staggered about 30 feet towards his door before collapsing.  He died at a local hospital 50 minutes later.  Evers was buried on June 19 in Arlington National Cemetery, where as a WWII veteran, he received full military honors before a crowd of more than 3,000 mourners.

The sign outside of Medgar Evers home commemorating his home as part of the Mississippi Freedom Trail.

On June 21, 1963, Byron De La Beckwith, a fertilizer salesman and member of the White Citizens' Council (and later of the Ku Klux Klan), was arrested for Evers' murder.  De La Beckwith was tried twice that year by juries composed solely of white men.  Both juries deadlocked on De La Beckwith's guilt. 

In 1994, 30 years after the two previous trials had failed to reach a verdict, De La Beckwith was brought to trial based on new evidence.  He was convicted of murder on February 5, 1994, after having lived as a free man for much of the three decades following the killing.  He appealed unsuccessfully, and died at age 80 in prison in January 2001. 

From Jackson, I headed northeast on Mississippi State Highway 21 to Philadelphia, MS.  Mississippi was the battleground for the civil rights movement in the 1960s and I wanted to see more history associated with the turmoil that occurred there.  

I made one stop on my way into Philadelphia at the 106 year old Williams Brothers General Store. A lot of merchandise moves through the store.  For example, in 2012 the store was selling about two tons of bacon a week along with some of its other most popular items such as red rind Wisconsin hoop cheese, shoes, lots of cowboy boots, and tons of blue denim overalls.

I had a good time wandering through the aisles of Williams Brothers.  The store was featured in National Geographic in 1939 where they labeled it as a source of anything from “needles to horse collars”.  I should have bought me some overalls.

Philadelphia in particular had an infamous role to play in the violence that was Mississippi of the 60s.  Three American civil rights' workers, James Earl Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael "Mickey" Schwerner, were shot on the night of June 21–22, 1964 by members of the Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, the Neshoba County's Sheriff Office and the Philadelphia Police Department. The three had been working on the "Freedom Summer" campaign, attempting to register African Americans to vote.

This memorial sits outside the Mount Zion Methodist Church.  The three civil rights workers had visited investigating the burning of the church.

Neshoba County Sheriff's Deputy, Cecil Price, arrested the three (Chaney, Schwerner and Goodman) for an alleged traffic violation and took them to the Neshoba County jail.  They were released that evening, without being allowed to telephone anyone.  On the way back to Meridian, they were stopped by patrol lights and two carloads of KKK members on Hwy 19 then taken in the car to another remote rural road.  The men shot and killed Schwerner, then Goodman, and finally Chaney, after chain-whipping him.  They buried the young men in an earthen dam nearby.

The murders of the three young men sparked national outrage and a massive federal investigation. The Federal Bureau of Investigation referred to this investigation as Mississippi Burning (MIBURN), and eventually found the bodies 44 days later in the earthen dam near the murder site. After the state government refused to prosecute, the federal government initially charged 18 individuals but was only able to secure convictions for seven of them, who received relatively minor sentences for their actions. However, outrage over their deaths assisted in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

 

The historical marker at Mount Zion Church honors the three young men.

I rode north on County Road 747 to west on MS-482 and then north again on County Road 759.  I wasn't entirely sure where I was, but I knew if I kept heading north I would eventually hit MS-21 again and that would allow me to head toward my next Motel 6 stop in Columbus, Mississippi.  The real problem was that I was running low on gas and wasn't entirely sure if I'd see a gas station anytime soon.

I got lucky in more ways than one when I came to the intersection of MS-21 and MS-397 and the Preston General Store.  They had gas pumps out front.  Unfortunately, you couldn't pay at the pump, but that just gave me a reason to head inside.  The store has a big front porch that looks like something right out of the 1930s. 

It was obvious that the Preston General Store was a local gathering spot.  I made my way up the steps and threaded my way through several people who were enjoying the shade of the porch.  I gave the girl behind the counter a twenty dollar bill and told her I was going to fill up.  While pumping gas, I watched several cars pull in and the drivers inevitably stopped and chatted with someone who was there.  It felt like I had gone back in time.  It was great.

The Preston General Store. A step back in time.

I finished pumping my gas and went back inside to get my change, a Gatorade and a Snickers.  I pulled the bike across the road and enjoyed my snack while still watching the goings on at the store.  I should have asked everyone on the porch if they would mind me taking a picture, but instead, I took the shot from across the road.  Preston General Store became another spot on the map that will always bring back a fond memory for me.

From Preston it was only another hour or so to Columbus.  It was another day when I could have probably gotten further down the road, but it was hot, I was tired, the Motel 6 was right here, and there was a Chili's right across the street.  My better judgment won out and I stopped for the night.

Sorry for the out of focus shot, but dinner was Chili's Margarita Chicken - pay no attention to the chips and salsa and cold beer in the background.

Another great day of riding (475 miles), exploring and discovery was under my belt.  I had one more full day of adventure planned.  I'll bring you the highlights of that day in the next post.  Until then, get out and see what you can find.