Skip to main content

#Scattered_Day 2


552 miles from Bremen, Georgia to Shreveport, Louisiana

I had a difficult time conjuring Della, Tish, or Ann on todays ride. First of all, I despise the kind of Super Slab Ground Pounding style of riding I've been doing for the last two days. It's all because I made reservations in Sedona! Something I never do just for this reason. So as of tomorrow morning, that's gonna stop. I'll get to Sedona when I get to Sedona. And if my hosts' psyche skills are legit, she will already know that, right!? 

Frankly, I wanted to quit today. I'll admit it. And if you read my book 'Riding Soul-O,' you know I'm okay with 'honoring my limitations.' After calling the 4 key people in my life (my go-to people) and having this discussion their collective advice was basically 'you are tired, you need to get something to eat, a good nights sleep and make your decision in the morning.'  I'm not a quitter. But I will 'Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome.'

I've traveled the deep south for the last two days - I've LIVED in the deep south for the last 40 years but Florida doesn't really count as DEEP SOUTH - and here is what occupied my mind as I clicked off the miles. The Confederate flag. The flag flies everywhere down here; twice today I saw the Confederate flag flying ABOVE the U.S. flag on a flag pole. One was even flying (below) along with the U.S. flag at the Mississippi National Guard Armory.

I don't intend to make this blog political but it IS my blog and it IS about the topics that set my brain on fire.

I visited Appomattox Court House a few years ago and walked the same path that General Lee walked on his way to surrender to General Grant which ended the Civil War. Period. The flag was representative of the Confederate states; they don't exist. The flag has since become a symbol of hate, division, racism, bigotry and violence. A symbol of the Klan and white supremacists. It is a symbol of oppression that needs to be laid to rest. Enough about politics.

I crossed the Mississippi River again today and the sight of its muddy waters never ceases to amaze me. I've crossed it in every state it runs through on various travels. The Mississippi River carries a vast amount of our country's history along in its current. The music, the literature, the food and of course the river's role in the Civil War. I guess I thought a great deal about history today. I am a huge blues fan; traveled all through Mississippi on the Blues Trail. When I taught 9th grade I used the entire PBS series 'The History of the Blues' to engage reluctant readers! The kids loved it; we spent an entire semester learning about the blues. I've stood at the crossroads of Rt. 61 and 49 where legend has it  Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil for guitar greatness. Promised myself on the return trip home, I would hit the Blues Trail again.

I'm hoping tomorrow my character Della will decide to ride with me; history can weigh heavy on my mind, especially when I see it being repeated.


Debi Tolbert Duggar is the author of 'Riding Soul-O'
Part Memoir, Part Travelogue, Part Spiritual Salvation
Available at Bessieandme.com and online wherever books are sold




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I Knew Better

July 3, 2013 Typical Pennsylvania Road I always hate saying ‘Goodbye’ to my Dad. He won’t travel since Mom passed several years ago, which means I don’t see him except in the summer when I travel North - or every few years during the Holidays.  I’ve learned many things from my Dad; some of the lessons came hard, some of the lessons were difficult, and unfortunately, most of the lessons were learned much later in life. Had I paid attention the first time, my journey would not have been as rough, and my ability to grasp the many opportunities presented to me would have been easier. As my Dad and I both age, we get a long better, and our relationship had deepened after my Mom passed...for this I am grateful. I left Indiana early this morning - taking 35S  - the fields were shrouded in a chilly mist as the sun cast a pinkish glow to the East. I was filled with anticipation that I was going to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s ‘Falling Water’ home south of Pittsburgh.  Wh...
1 comment
Read more

Summer Road Trip 2014_Final Thoughts

I awoke Friday morning exhausted; as if someone had put on boxing gloves and gently but consistently pummeled me from head to toe. I dreaded the long journey ahead of us. Since arriving in Indiana early Wednesday morning, it had been   a whirlwind of responsibilities. Mine were minimal compared to what my brother and sister had already had to do to arrange the funeral, tie up loose ends, and cover all the bases that need covering when a parent dies. After the service and dinner at the church, I think we all felt a foreboding. Our Grandparents were gone,   our Mom was gone, our Dad was gone…..who does the family gather around from this point forward? We were all at loose ends. The trip back to Florida would be another ‘get on the super slab and ride’ kinda trip….the worst. I-75 South is congested with traffic, and the Weather Gods were not going to be in our favor today.   We gulped a cup of coffee, my brother gave me a hug and we TRIED to sli...
3 comments
Read more

Plan? What Plan?

"Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won't have titles until much later." In the last few months I've been asked from several readers and followers, 'How do you plan your trips?' I also see the question asked numerous times (like over and over and over and over...) on the various biker-related groups on social media.  Penny Tours I confess: I'm not much of a planner! I ride in the spirit of the intrepid Bessie Stringfield, a pioneer of the sport of motorcycling who in 1930 became the first black woman to ride solo across the U.S.. Bessie was notorious for her 'Penny Tours.' She would toss a penny in the air and wherever it landed on her map of the U.S.....that is the direction she would travel. And yes; I've done the Penny Tour many times. Just a few weeks ago in Indiana; I had a 'free' day between events and tossed the penny on the map of Indiana. It landed in the northern part of the state near the ...
2 comments
Read more