I have changed my flight home from Mephis in the morning and will offset the one-way fee of the car with the hotel I will not need and also save myself a 400 mile drive back to Atlanta which obviously saves me a $50 tank of gas as a result. A friend of mine has offered me a place to crash for the night, so I can save the hotel costs to offset the extra rental fee.
So with that, I've loosened my leash and will venture about an hour west into Arkansas to get a visual on what's to come. My plan of attack has changed a bit with the new flight, but I had given myself some extra wiggle room.
More later...