Natchez Trace — Part 4

Once we got south of the madhouse called Jackson, MS -- I swear the locals use the Natchez Trace as an intra-urban speedway! -- the road returned to its pretty, varied, lightly travelled self. The sky was a little cloudy at times, but the weather remained excellent for almost the entire day.





There are many historical sites along the trail, each one of them telling a small piece of the story. I've only shared a few along the way, but they are all worth at least a minute if you ever drive this road. Of particular note, there are several ancient indian mounds, of which the Emeral Mound is probably the best. It started to rain pretty hard just as I began my climb up the hill, so this is all you get to see:



A definite highlight of the day was a lunch stop at the famous (seriously) Old Country Store Restaurant in Lorman, MS. The proprietor of this 100+ year old establishment is famous (seriously) for his fried chicken, and his reputation is not in error. I put some serious South in my mouth!



Reaching the end of this excellent drive, I took the mandatory photo of my rig at the southern terminus sign. Contrary to my expected plan from 2014, we did this drive in 4 days. I could see breaking the third leg in half and making 5 days out of it, but you could also do it in 3 days and still get the full experience. This road has beauty, history, nature and folklore, what else could you want?



Another complete and successful road trip is now officially on the blog! What's next? Well, I've been having a running debate with myself about that for several days and I'm still not sure. I plan to do some catching up with myself, sort through my gear and have a meeting with my dog, then we'll see... Stay tuned!

Natchez Trace — Part 3

The Natchez Trace was a different road today, between Tupelo and Jackson, MS. First, we definitely passed between two distinct ecosystems. The mixed hardwood forest we'd driven through for two days, abruptly gave way to a narrow transitional belt of scrub pines and other unidentified flora.



Almost as abruptly, that was followed by a thick southern pine forest which I never got a good shot of, but which surrounded us for the remainder of our day's drive.

Second, the narrative shifted from stories of settlers who used the Trace, to the plight of various native cultures who lived here and lost their land over time through a series of treaties, purchases and simple evictions. In the process, the new narrative also included some mention of French and British dominion at various times. I'm tempted to brush up on my Early American history!



Third, there was much more traffic on the road in this section. The Park Service advertises that 5 million "visitors" per year use the parkway. I've been skeptical of that number, simply because the traffic I've seen is orders of magnitude less than would be required to meet it. Most of the traffic today was clearly local people who use the parkway for commutation and other regional travel. I'm guessing the Park Service counts every vehicle that uses the road for any purpose.



Perhaps for a related reason, the quality of the road in this section is not as good as it is up north. Down here, it is rougher and less well maintained... Maybe just more worn out? Nevertheless, it's been another good day of beautiful and informative driving. We should reach the southern terminus in Natchez, MS, tomorrow... Stay tuned!

Happy: Two More States I've Peed In!

Hi, it's me, Happy The Sled Dog!

I've had a very successful day on the Natchez Trace. In addition to lots of exploration with my nose, I've also done some good work from my tail. This morning I left some pee mail in Alabama.



By end of business, I'd also done my business in Mississippi, too. Macgellan says we'll be in Louisiana in a couple of days, so it'll be a trifecta of new states for me. That will also fill in almost all of my map for the Southeast, except for Florida... Stay tuned!

Natchez Trace — Part 2

The Natchez Trace is such a beautiful road it's hard to imagine it as a "snake-infested, mosquito-beset, robber-haunted, Indian-traveled forest path." It was also a constant work in process as new pathways were cut to accommodate changing natural conditions. There are many places along the way where you can see small sections of the original -- or at least old -- Trace.



A dozen or so miles into our drive this morning, we crossed into the very northwest corner of Alabama. A few miles after that we crossed the beautiful Tennessee River. In case you are wondering, the deal that Happy and I have on road trips is simple: If we stop for more than a minute, she's allowed to get out of the truck for a look-see in her own way. Believe me, she makes the most of her explorations!



One of the heaviest early uses of the Natchez Trace was by folks from Kentucky and Tennessee who would build flat boats to float their crops and merchandise down the Tennessee-Ohio-Mississippi River complex to the Gulf. There they would sell their goods -- including the boats for lumber -- then walk back north on the Trace. Steam power changed this routine to a round-trip river journey.

Until midday today, the Trace has been almost completely tree-line by various hardwoods. We've now crossed one of the major ecosystem dividing lines and are into some more open areas with softer trees. The Trace crosses several ecosystems and many watersheds along its 444 mile course.




The weather has been spectacular and is predicted to continue tomorrow, but Friday is supposed to be pretty crappy. So, we are going to push a little farther than we have the past two days and aim for Jackson, MS. After that it will be a shorter run to the terminus in Natchez, MS, to minimize bad weather driving... Stay tuned!

Natchez Trace — Collinwood, TN

Picking up where I left off in my last post... After having lunch at a family diner in the small rural town of Collinwood, TN, the weather was overcast and not encouraging for an enjoyable continuation on the Natchez Trace. I inquired at the town's "Welcome Center" about the possibility of a place to stay, and was told that the couple who own the local hardware store have two "motel rooms" available. A phone call and a walk across the street later, I'd booked myself in at the Coast To Coast Motel:




Everything you need on an expedition, right? You might be surprised to know that this establishment and its innkeepers are given complimentary mentioned in an article in the 9/13/15 edition of The Washington Post's Fall Travel Magazine. Happy and I are very well set up for the night!

Looking across the street, I noticed a well renovated and maintained old train depot. Turns out it is the town's library and museum.




Although it's much more library than museum, it has a small but interesting collection of memorabilia.



My favorite is the timetable from 1918 for the local train service. Looks to me like you had one shot a day getting into or out of town!



Having had lunch at the local family diner, I've been informed there's another restaurant "just down the road" and will give it a try for dinner. The weather is supposed to be perfect again tomorrow morning, so Happy and I will hit the road with Tupelo, MS, as our tentative goal... Stay tuned!

Natchez Trace — Part 1

Happy and I were on station at a reasonable hour this morning, positioned to begin our leisurely drive of the Natchez Trace. Looking back at my May 2014 post about my first sampling of this part of the road, I don't think I can do any better explaining the history, various sites and overall experience. Rather than repeat it, I will reprise my invitation for you to read it for yourself.



What's different this time, of course, is the season. Rather than lush green everywhere, it's now ebbing toward winter with a pretty good showing of fall color. The sun was low in the sky this morning, making the views vibrant but the photography challenging.







The Natchez Trace is an impossibly beautiful, possibly perfect road. In addition to lovely views around every bend, the roadway itself is very smooth, well maintained and made of a composition that generates little tire noise. The speed limit is 50mph, but I found that 45mph was a better speed for fully enjoying the experience. On top of everything, there was practically no traffic besides a few bikes, motorcycles and an occasional car.

As the morning wore on, the sky started filling with puffy little photogenic clouds. What a drive!





Early afternoon, I pulled off in the small rural town of Collinwood, TN, and found a typical little family diner for lunch. By the time I was done eating, the sky had filled with clouds and darkened with threat of rain. Rather than push on in less than ideal conditions, I inquired at the town's "welcome center" about the possibility of a place to stay. What follows is a story worthy of its own post... Stay tuned!

Next Up: Natchez Trace

Greetings from Nashville! After our weekend in Atlanta, Happy and I have driven here to be in position for our next road trip...

Back in May, 2014 -- during our US70 "Coast-to-End" road trip -- Happy and I spent a day on this amazing road and it's been on our list ever since.



You can read an intro and overview in the post about it and view the National Park Service website.

At 444 miles from just south of Nashville to the bluffs of the lower Mississippi River, it's about the same length and driving conditions as the Blue Ridge Parkway we just completed. So, we plan to drive the Natchez Trace in about four days... Stay tuned!

US Hwy 70 — Detour: Natchez Trace Parkway

You may be wondering why a guy who doesn't like cities or country music is visiting Nashville, TN. Well, the main reason I am here is to scout out a road… And what a road it turned out to be!

The Natchez Trace Parkway runs 444 miles from the southern Appalachian foothills near Nashville to the bluffs of the lower Mississippi River, not far from the Gulf of Mexico. It is in a national park throughout its route, commemorating the most significant early highway of the Old Southwest.



To say it is an impossibly beautiful road does not do it justice. Uninterrupted by so much as a stop sign for its entire length, the smooth two lane roadway is a pleasure to drive. Commercial traffic is prohibited, there are few access point to other roads and the speed limit is 50mph. All of which combine to make it a peaceful, secluded, lightly traveled route. It is simply gorgeous!



The natural travel corridor that became the Natchez Trace dates back many centuries. It bisected the traditional homelands of the Natchez, Chickasaw and Choctaw nations. As the US expanded westward in the late 1700s and early 1800s, growing numbers of travelers tramped the rough trail into a clearly marked path. You can see it here, on the far side of the fence.



There are numerous opportunities to pause along the road, ranging from simple pull-outs to more substantial picnic/camping areas with comfort facilities. Natural and historical points of interest are well designed and maintained, illustrating in some detail the historical significance of the route.

Happy and I stopped at one to take a lovely 2-mile loop walk through the woods, and at another to see a monument commemorating the route's significance in moving troops during the War of 1812.



Not surprisingly, the road is very popular with cyclists, and I strongly encourage any of you two-wheelers to make it a priority ride. Limited access to supplies, facilities and accommodations would require some detailed planning, but I guarantee it would be the ride of your life.



It didn't hurt to drive the route on a beautiful day! While the portion of the road that I drove was set mostly amongst lush green forests, there were numerous places to stop and enjoy sweeping views of the countryside. The entire route crosses four distinct ecosystems, all sure to be stunning.



Since my mission for the day was only to scout the road as a possible future expedition — which it clearly warrants and is now on my list! — I stopped after driving only 60 of the 444 miles. That coincided with the location of one of the larger park facilities on the route, where Ranger Carol provided me with some excellent intel on planning my future exploration and gave Happy some much appreciated pats. It's also where Meriwhether Lewis "died of gunshot wounds" so Happy and I posed by the monument in honor of our fellow explorer.



After a long, overwhelmingly rewarding day scouting this astonishing road, Happy and I high-tailed it on the nearest interstate back to Nashville for the night. Considering the semi-leisurely pace we set for the day, I'm now planning on 10 days to do our future expedition right… Stay tuned!



Click here to see exactly where I am posting this from on Google Maps.