Lunch is in the Third State

 Day 5 - Tuesday,  July 19, 2022

Tom Sawyer's RV Park, West Memphis AR

On our second day by the Mississippi River, we drive the Jeep into town for supplies around 11:30 am, and watch for a restaurant for lunch.  We see a Popeye's Chicken and decide to do our shopping first and stop for lunch on the way back to the RV Park.

Yikes! Just as Herb pulls into the Walmart parking lot, he notices that the Jeep's right rear tire has low air pressure of only 10 lbs.  Fortunately, Walmart has a tire shop and he gets the tire aired up to 35 lbs.  

Discount Tire in Pearland sold us the tires, which are still under warranty, so we should find their store near us for the repair.   Uh, oh, there's not one in West Memphis.  Or Memphis, Tennessee.  Herb locates one in Southaven, Mississippi.  

If we had stayed at Walmart to have the repair done, it would have voided our warranty.  So there is no option but to drive to Southaven, about 25 miles from West Memphis.

I have a sinking feeling as we drive into the parking lot, seeing so many cars.  They can't all be employees, so there's probably a lot of customers getting service.  Yep, the waiting room is full.  When we walk in, an employee checks us in, and says it will be a couple of hours until the tire can be looked at, so we should be ready to go around 7 pm.  It is now about 1:30 in the afternoon, and we wished we had picked up Popeye's on the way into town.

Herb says, "7?  What happened to 'couple of hours?' "  I mention to the employee that we have not had lunch, and we don't see any restaurants nearby, and he then says "I'll see what I can do."

He also tells us that there is a What-a-burger just over the hill (across some major highways), so we don't want to walk in that traffic.  There's a Jimmy John's (not one readily available where we live) a few blocks away, and we would have to cross only some side streets.  Oh, no sidewalks for pedestrians, so we walk through the shrubs lining the Tire Store's parking lot, and head toward Jimmy John's.

Did I mention that the temperature is just as hot as it was in Texas when we left?

Herb quickly find his choice - Chicken Caesar Wrap.  Not being familiar with the menu on the wall, I take several minutes to find what sounds good to me - Tuna Sandwich.  It takes a few minutes for our orders to come, as they are made fresh.  We get a drink and have to ask where the soda straws are - up above the drink machine - we just have to look up!  "And do you have any napkins, please?"  The man behind the counter says to look down on his side of the counter to get our napkins.  

We work hard to get our act together, but it is worth it.  The food is delicious.  And I recall that one of the first times I had lunch at a Jimmy John's restaurant was in Seattle with my good friend, Vicki Brown, about nine years ago. 

Then we get good news!  Discount Tire texts Herb that our Jeep is in the bay.  Yay!

Well, when we return to the tire store, we find only one vacant chair, so I take it, and Herb goes to check on the progress with our car.  Only ten minutes later we are back on the road again with a fresh tire patch where a screw has been removed from the tire.

Not 7 pm, but well in time for Happy Hour!  We laugh about having to drive from Arkansas through Tennessee and into Mississippi for lunch!

Willie of Sweet Georgia Brown,

   and of Walldog and Willie

   Tuesday, July 19, 2022