#350 On the road again, First night, Wind Creek State Park

India, myself, and everybody in the village gathered and they did a ceremony where we all smudged. It's where they have a Native blend of Cedar and all kinds of things that are like incense. You bring the smoke over your head and over your body and it drives out and cleanses you from evil spirits. We've done this every day probably since we got here, especially before starting work to ensure you have a safe day.

Marcus and everyone said nice things about us and presented us with a couple of feathers from the same bird that had been doctored by him. This means blessed sort of like holy water. He said he wanted us to keep these feathers with us and they would provide us a charm and medicine for good and safe travels. It was very touching and a few people spoke and I, we kind of teared up a little bit because I was so moved by all the love that we had received here in the village.

I put Mekkaneko into the driver's seat and Marcus in the passenger seat and I sat in the back and we went on down the road and Mekkaneko drove down to the end of the road. He got the biggest thrill out of driving the dually with the camper attached.

At the road, I took over and it was time to go. I made it about a mile down the road and I begin to think I had left my shoes back at the Village so I pulled into a parking lot of a church. A lady to come out saying can I help you? This kinda means get off my property. I had to say I'm good I'm just looking for my shoes. I thought that I had to turn around and go back to the village then suddenly I saw my shoes so now we can go forward. I say all this is because really leaving the village was about the only thing we did that day.

We left the village in the afternoon, it might have been 3:00 or so and I was convinced that there was a really cool place that was open for RV camping up about maybe 10 miles north. It was some sort of Cavern thing and so I headed the RV kind in that direction but you have to go a little while if we can catch a signal. I found a tower and pulled over to call this Cavern RV camping State Park thing and they were closed. Now I had to turn to go back south to the only game in town was Wind Creek State Park which is about a half an hour away. We went down, checked in, and got a bite to eat and little else except sleep. At least we were past the point of when are you going to leave and now we started our track west towards the Mississippi. We had decided to take the Great River Road north to Memphis and then east to NC.