One Night on the Trace- As I grew up, one of the highlights of my life was going down to a college football game with my cousins. This was especially true of a double header in Jackson. Mississippi. We would go down the Natchez Trace at the posted speed limit of 50 MPH plus about 20 with radar detectors on. Before I started to drive I went with my Cousin Max Rhodes who took me with his boys to my first College game in 1970 and I was hooked. Max and his wife Joy Dale was with us when we went in a convoy one fall night in September of 1976. Paul was playing football at Kossuth High and we waited till after his game to go. Meeting in the school parking lot, the convoy was made up of several cars. Joe Mills and his wife, Jimmy and Carla Sue Hancock, L.C. Follin and his wife Anthia and each couples boys went. Paul and I rode with L.C and his wife. We left late and went down highway 45 to Tupelo and headed to the club at the Best Western which was about the only place we could get a meal near 12 midnight in those days. It was my first time in a club that late. I saw a new world. We all ordered burgers and such but Anthia. She ordered a chef salad, large. They brought her a bowl so large it embarrassed her as L.C. quipped, “Hell Anthia, why did you not just order a bale of hay!” After she turned about three shades of red she told him to shut-up. Now after eating, we head out and it is 1am. For some reason Paul and I rode with Max and Dale to the Jeff Busby station which was the only business on the Trace. As we headed down toward the place, we all wondered if they would ever finish the Trace around Jackson as it had been promised for decades. Paul napped and I was wide awake. Getting to the station, they all top off their cars and we all bought colas, coffee, candy, chips as if we had not eaten since morning much less a little over an hour past. This time Paul and I were put In L.C.’s car with his son Chuck. We had more room and Paul slept some more as he nursed his bruises from the football win by Kossuth where he played LB/FB. We headed south at high speed. Soon everyone in the car was passed out but me and L.C. Then it began. What seemed like feeding time at the zoo as all the creatures of the wild came out to feed or be fed on. L.C. said, “Look there on the left is a herd of deer. At least 10 of them up ahead.” I saw three. On we went. No one said a thing. “What was that? Hey, did you see that owl swoop over the road? Anthia- did you see that?” Anthia responded, “Shut up L.C.” A few minutes later he saw a wolf and let up all know excitedly. Then He shouted, “Raccoon!” On we went into the night as they all tried to sleep but I had not even tried because with all the why try? He turned the radio on to some mournful country songs. “L.C. - cut that damn radio off! We are trying to sleep,” Anthia fumed. Soon we got near Oprah’s hometown of Kosciusko, Mississippi. She had not really become known then as she had not even gotten to Chicago, but I digress. I suddenly hear,” Hun are you asleep?!” Again the phrase was repeated and again. Suddenly one hears, “Well I am not now!” It went like this till we reached Ross Barnett Reservoir when suddenly Anthia asked L.C. to pull off and he did. All the other cars followed. We got out of the car and L.C. told them all about the animals he saw on the road. Most had not seen what he had. We not mix up the cars as Anthia wanted to stretch out for 40 winks in the back seat. Paul and I find ourselves in the car with Jimmy and Carla. Carla and I talked politics as Carter v. Ford was coming up next month. She was impressed with my knowledge of politics and gave me her smiling peanut on a chain with a wide toothy Carter smile on it. ( I still have it.) Finally we reached Jackson where we stayed out at the Holiday Inn on 55N. We got there just short of 4am. The main game Ole Miss and LSU was at 11:30am as both were strong and on TV. Then the next game up was MSU and Alabama as Bama was #1 in the nation and looking for an easy win. By now we were all so excited we could not sleep so we sat up and waited for the football. I learned a lot. Both Ole Miss and MSU lost but we had a really good time. Ladies went to the big mall on Sunday morning and we all headed up the Trace about 1 pm. It was relatively uneventful. The zoo was closed. By the time we reached Alcorn County we were at light speed as they all wanted to get home where they could rest before work on Monday. We had had a lot of fun, good food, and football. We had all grown closer together and became better friends. Many of those good people are gone now but in my memories. The kids are grown with families of their own. That was it the prime of my life and I would not have taken anything for that night. Say was that an owl flying by?
Posted on: Sun, 04 May 2014 11:44:17 +0000
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