Georgia to Alabama
Wednesday, October 11: We left our Atlanta Airbnb before 8:00 a.m. this morning and soon we were on the highway west through Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. It was going to be a grueling drive at 9 hours today, but Mike had the idea to stop in Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi on the way. He was also very excited to be able to make a stop at the “world’s largest convenience store,” Buc-ee’s” in Leeds, Alabama.We started seeing signs for it soon after getting underway: BUC’EE’S WITH HUGS AND BEAVER NUGS. FEELING THOSE BUC-EE’S VIBES. BUC-EE’S: BUSINESS IN THE FRONT, POTTY IN THE BACK. BUC’EE’S: EAT HERE GET GAS. BUC-EE’S: MEET ME AT THE JERKY BAR. All the signs reminded me of the multitude of signs that line I-95 for South of the Border in South Carolina.
We passed signs for Talledega National Forest and the Coosa River, and just after 9:00, we got off at Exit 140 for Buc-ee’s.
I had never heard of this mega-convenience store, but Mike knew it as a Texas icon. There are 34 Buc-ee’s stores in Texas. Since 2019, the chain has expanded into Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, and recently, even Virginia.
Texas native Arch “Beaver” Alpin opened the first store in 1982. The name Buc-ee’s is a combination of his childhood nickname Beaver and the name of his Labrador Retriever, Buck.
Each Buc-ee’s location averages 100 gas pumps. Its most popular snack food is the Beaver Nuggets – caramel, sugar and butter-coated corn puffs. We got bags of the White Cheddar and the Cinnamon Sugar. Mike got himself some fresh teriyaki beef jerky and a chopped brisket sandwich, while I got a bean, potato and cheese taco (for lunch). We also got a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit that we shared even though we’d already eaten breakfast.
Buc-ee’s was originally known for clean bathrooms and cheap ice. Half of each store is dedicated to items not found at the usual convenience store: tchotchkes, Buc-ee the Beaver souvenirs, clothing, home decor, fishing gear, and Christmas paraphernalia. You can even purchase buckets of bacon grease.
Welcome to Mississippi
At 11:42, a sign welcomed us to Mississippi: Home of America’s Music. I didn’t know that Mississippi was known for its music, but some research showed that it is known for the Blues, which in turn gave birth to Jazz, R&B, and Rock ‘n’ Roll, the staples of popular music. Jimmie Rodgers, known as the “Father of Country Music,” was born in Meridian, and Elvis Presley, born in Tupelo, is considered “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
At 2:10, we stopped at Vicksburg National Military Park, which is right off I-20 in Vicksburg, Mississippi. During the Civil War, Vicksburg was the lifeline for the South. Confederates, who controlled the Mississippi River south of Cairo, Illinois, fortified Vicksburg with riverfront artillery batteries and a ring of forts whose 172 guns guarded all land approaches.
The Federals wanted the town to be its lifeline. The U.S. Army could pass troops and supplies into the South by road, river, or rail. They could isolate Texas, Arkansas and most of Louisiana, which would cut off Confederate supplies and recruits. President Abraham Lincoln knew gaining control of Vicksburg was key to winning the war. After many battles with huge Union losses, Ulysses S. Grant laid siege to the city for 46 days, at which time the city was starved out and finally surrendered.
The surrender of Vicksburg (7/4/1863) and then Port Hudson (7/9/1863) came on the heels of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s defeat in Gettysburg, PA (July 1-3, 1863). The Civil War had reached a turning point. Federal control of the Mississippi River helped ensure the U.S. victory in 1865.
The Feds stayed in Vicksburg and suspended civil liberties, seized property, arrested, and even banished many residents of the city, creating much ill will. Many of the 5,000 U.S. Colored Troops garrisoned at Vicksburg settled here, believing their military duty personified freedom. However the southern states passed laws to disadvantage African Americans, like the Black Codes (1865-66) that led to Reconstruction and Jim Crow laws that forced racial segregation from 1877-the 1950s.
We watched the 20-minute film and drove the 16-mile tour of the battlefield that explained the campaign and siege of Vicksburg. There are over 1300 monuments to memorialize soldiers and sailors who fell and to implore Americans to never take up arms against one another again.
We stopped to have a look at the U.S.S. Cairo, one of the U.S.’s first ironclad warships, but the museum was closed. The ship was sunk by a Confederate mine but was discovered in 1956 buried under silt, sand and mud.
Established in 1866, Vicksburg National Cemetery holds the remains of 17,000 Union servicemen – more than any other national cemetery – and about 1,000 veterans of other U.S. conflicts.
Welcome to Louisiana
We crossed into Louisiana at around 4:30; the state sign welcomes visitors in English and includes a French version: “Bienvenue én Louisiane.” We drove across the state until we reached Shreveport near the Texas border around 2 1/2 hours later.
We checked in for tonight at La Quinta Wyndham Shreveport. We ate our leftover Buc-ee’s food for dinner.
La Quinta Wyndham in Shreveport
Steps: 5,877; Miles 2.49. Drove 621.4 miles. Weather Hi 77°, Low 58°. Cloudy.
~ wander.essence ~ 
That sounds like the best convenience store ever – lots of fun to visit. And so much history at the military park. Glen would enjoy spending some time there.
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That was a long day with a lot of driving! I always feel really sad at battlefields, and the Civil War ones seem especially poignant for some reason. I would probably pass on Buc-ee’s!
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