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The road to Oxford, Mississippi is 848 miles long and will take 16 hours and 18 minutes by car. I’ll stop to rest for the night midway, which happens to be Shreveport, Louisiana. Starting out from Austin, I plan to head south first in order to drive by smaller towns throughout Texas. I want to avoid the bigger cities such as Dallas and Houston so that I may get a better feel of the old fashioned South as I drive through. In fact, the biggest city I will end up driving through will be Shreveport. There’s a little town called Luling, Texas just south of Austin at which there seems to be a nice variety of good-looking watermelons. It being my favorite fruit, I feel it most appropriate to stop here. The drive over towards Shreveport, Louisiana should be interesting. Fascinating little towns and illuminating landscapes should begin to prepare me for the great Oxford, Mississippi. The drive thus far should encourage me to think about the journey that the Bundrens took towards the town of Jefferson. They encountered several people and situations that were life altering – all in the sake of getting Addie’s body in Jefferson soil. This reminds me of my parents’ wishes to be buried back in their hometowns in Mexico. This would give me the opportunity to see the land as my parents saw it, to learn to truly value it – for it is the land that will hold the bones of my father and the ashes of my mother. It’s a very poetic thought, indeed. Delving into the past I’ll make my way towards Shreveport and stay there for the night. This marks mile 418, about half way. I would have loved to stay in the historic Jefferson Hotel, but that closed down about five years ago or so. Instead, I will stay at the El Dorado Casino Hotel. I would like to visit the  best local burger place before heading off to bed. Burgers are an important thing of the South I like to think. I wonder if Faulkner liked burgers as well.

            At sunrise, I’ll check out of my hotel room and make my way towards Oxford, Mississippi. There will be about 430 miles to go. I plan to stop in a couple places to take pictures and take in the natural atmosphere. I’ll be stopping at the Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge. This should give me the opportunity to see the South in its undisturbed form. After taking a few hours to take it all in, I’ll head on out towards the town of Epps to inquire about their watermelons. Shortly afterwards, I’ll be driving right alongside the Mississippi river. This should be an emotional experience. I’ll get to imagine myself trying to cross a part of the river that’s not too wide/deep just like the Bundrens had to. If my eyes play tricks on me, perhaps I’ll see a coffin floating downstream. Eventually I’ll come across the Glendora Cotton Gin, the site of the Emmett Till murder. I don’t want to elaborate too much on this subject. I think a picture speaks louder than words in this case. I’m just there to pay my respects.

            The road to Oxford, Mississippi is now shorter. Once arriving, I’ll be too tired to do anything so I’ll get a room for the rest of the day. After all, I’ll need the energy for the much exploring there is to be done. I’ll be staying at the historic Ole Miss Hotel. I’ll have finally arrived to Faulkner’s “Jefferson” and I’ll be excited to see what the next day holds.

            On this day I’ll be exploring the University of Mississippi as well as Rowan Oak, Faulkner’s home. Although these are important landmarks, I really want to focus more on the people and their surroundings. I want to ask questions about what it is like to live in this town. Is it as magical as people have mentioned it to be? I want to visit the art department of the university in order to see artists’ renditions of the land around them. Faulkner painted the land through his words so well and I would really like to see this expression through paints. I’ll be looking for a friendly family that would be willing to take me in for an evening to talk about life in Oxford. I want to show them a map Faulkner drew of his fictional Jefferson and see if it resembles any specific part of town. If it does, I want to go there and see the resemblances myself. I want to find out if my hosts want to be buried in Oxford and why. Southern people are tied to the land. They rely on it for their own living. They tend the land and it rewards them with life. They keep one other alive. It’s a mutual, positive relationship. I want to explore this phenomenon deeper.

            Finally it will be time for me to end my journey. If my research calls for me to stay another night, I will. Afterwards I will head on out of Oxford the same exact way I came – all the way to my home in Austin. Everything I passed on my trip, I want to pass again just to make sure I see it from both perspectives.