On the Road with Rosie

We finished up on the Trace this week with this photo of Celine on the actual footpath used by centuries of travelers. Our journey didn't take as long. The last view we can offer you is this stately double arched bridge which crosses a valley, not a river. We loved our exploration of the Natchez Trace, the lack of commercialism, the slow tempo, the history, the scenic vistas.  The Trace ends in Nashville, TN which quickly restored any lost commercialism (or peace or tranquility). We arrived as hundreds of thousands of folks came for a regional music festival, a Jimmy Buffett concert and the NFL draft.  We found our camp outside of town and settled down near the water. Once we learned about Corp of Engineer camps and their half price senior discount we're hooked. We have been happy at all of them. We did take an in-town tour of Centennial Park where this replica of the Parthenon and Athena are located. Inside was also an art museum which as unexpected. ...

Tupelo, MS is really a lovely city in the northeast area. Elvis was born here. There are many churches in the South, but none more energized than the group preparing this cross for Easter. Isn't this pretty? Here are a couple of pix of the Elvis Presley birthplace, and the car used when the family packed up and moved to Memphis. We liked the porch swing and noted that the Presley house was bigger than ours. The car is a 39 Plymouth. Apparently the Presley family came upon hard times and had to skedaddle out of town after nightfall. The City of Tupelo takes their native son seriously and has erected guitars along the streets, named streets, and even moved Elvis' childhood church to the homestead area. In the picture below we are poised at the zero mile marker of the Natchez Trace. We began this 444 mile trek on Tuesday and reached Tupelo on Thursday. Tomorrow we'll drive back to the Trace and continue where we left off. The Trace, upgraded over the years, has...

   Vicksburg, MS was a very historical visit including the battlefield which was incredibly hilly. This place must have been tiring to move in and around. Also in the park is a restoration of a sunken ironclad, including the personal items of the 150+ sailors aboard when it was sunk by a mine. A very informative display. As we were leaving the park, both our phones got tornado warnings. Oh Boy. After learning that our campground  had a restroom that would provide some shelter we took off. During the tense 30 minute drive the view in the rear view mirror got darker and darker,and filled with intense lightening. We got to shelter and waited until the advisory expired. All was well for us, however, the place we left wasn't quite as lucky. The grocery store we shopped, lost part of a roof.   Today we are settled in the Natchez area which is as far South and West as we intent to travel. We drove into historic Natchez this afternoon and parked high on the cliff overlookin...

Mississippi    We're camping in MS, a town called Flora. North of the capitol, Jackson. Flora has a petrified forest!  Who knew?  We finished up Alabama this morning while the  TennTom  Waterway was climbing to flood stage. This was the longest stay of the trip and a beauty at twice the price. The locals we met were very gracious, offered many good ideas for food and campgrounds along our route, and made us feel welcome during our stay.      The countryside is quite nice with woods of pine and hardwood, pastures with cattle, and in one place, catfish ponds! These waist deep ponds are a form of farming here. Catfish are a dietary staple for many. The steer in the picture below was lying in a wooded area near the road. We found him during an unplanned road detour.      Our plan for now through the weekend is to visit the  Vicksburg  area and look at the battlefield and some museum exhibits. We've been to both Gettysburg and Antietam and they ...

Quality of Life Something about waterfront. This is taken along the Tenn-Tom Waterway where we are settled in we have full-service hook-ups here for an amazing $12.00 per night. Unbelievable, but true. The area has a good collection of wildlife including this Great Heron. There was a large collection of young deer by the side of the road and down over the riverbank we saw a Cottonmouth snake. Cardinals and Carolina Wrens keep us entertained each day. The campsites are very spacious and fairly empty this time of year. Here's a picture  of Rosie. The last two pictures depict the area's main event, namely, barges which are pushed up and down the waterway by pull boats which actually push the barges. Turns out a pull boat can move 8 barges which carry as much tonnage as 400 +/- 18 wheelers. That amazed me.  There are locks to pass through as the waterway has a collective height distance of 361 feet, beginning to end. Here are the pix; Don...