Finally! We pulled into Two Rivers Campground in Nashville on the 18th. I bought tickets back in June for the Seahawks/Titans game Sept. 24th. Double bonus, our Seahawks vs Marcus Mariota, former Oregon Duck. Nashville is a huge city, over a million residents plus hoards of tourists. Our campground is nestled between two RV dealerships then sandwiched by 2 more RV parks on Music City Drive, near the Grand Old Opry. The RV park has live music three times a week outside the office, so fun. We visited Nashville two years ago so we were able to relax, we'd already seen most of the highlights of the area. We did go downtown for the craziness one afternoon. We checked out the Johnny Cash Museum, had lunch at Nudies (not what you might think), very loud music!!!! We met another Seahawk fan in town for the game, boy was he wired! The stadium is across the Cumberland River from downtown, we walked across the pedestrian bridge, checking out the progress they'd made on the Riverfront Park since our last visit. Our original plan (more about that later) was to take the Natchez Trace Parkway from Nashville, the Northern Terminus to Natchez, Ms. the Southern Terminus, a 444 mile drive, a National Scenic Byway. A non-commercial road that takes you through three states, a natural corridor that dates back to the 1,700's and early 1,800's.
We decided to check out the Tennessee section of the Trace, taking Luci for a ride in the car, we found the start of the Northern Terminius, driving over a beautiful double arch bridge down to the historic towns of Franklin and Leipers Fork, had lunch outside a Country Store/deli, the three of us sat outside in the heat and humidity with an occasional shower eating our lunch. We stopped at several points of interest and historic sites including a tobacco barn, drove down the Old Trace, a narrow, windy, gravel road for a couple of miles, then down to milepost 385, Meriwether Lewis gravesite, who died from suicide there in 1809. What a lovely drive, like I said no trucks and the road is smooth, no pot holes, etc.
We took the time to see the Belle Meade plantation, John Harding founded the plantation in 1807, the thoroughbred business started with the boarding of stallions and over the years bred and raised many, many champion race horses. The beautiful home, built in 1809 and enlarged in 1853 remained in the family until 1903, after successive owners the remaining 30 acres (originally 5,400) and home was sold to the State of Tennessee then deeded to Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities. Most of the furnishings in the mansion are original to the family.
Friday, Sept. 22nd., I decided to run to the store to pick up some milk, taking Luci with me, not buckling her in as usual, I had just passed the RV dealership, just a few blocks from our park, when I had to slow down for a van. Out of nowhere a car slammed into the back of the Jeep, sending Luci to the floor in front. Both of us were like "what the heck?". The teenager that hit me clearly wasn't paying attention. Texting? Maybe, he told his mom he was picking up a pack of cigarettes off the floor. Anyway, our new sturdy bike rack took the brunt of the impact, sending the young man back about 50 feet and into the opposite ditch. Luci was a little strange for a couple of days, she still loves to go for rides in the car though. I decided to check out my neck at a local hospital, ending up spending the night with a problem "ticker". Bummer! I ended up missing the football game I'd been looking forward to for months. Gary took our neighbor Steve and then Seahawks lost. Double bummer. We decided to forgo the trip down the Trace, doctor in Nashville wanted me to see my Corpus Christi cardiologist soon. Our major issue preparing to leave was "what to do with the bikes", since the hatchback was inoperable we managed to put the bikes in the back door. Tricky but we managed it plus the mangled bike rack was in there too for insurance reasons.
We pulled out of Nashville on the 27th, our first day we drove 307 miles stopping at Frog Hollow RV Park in Grenada, Ms. We spent the night, leaving very early (for us), we drove down the interstate as far as Jackson Ms. then traveled the Trace for about 100 miles into Natchez, over 200 miles the second day. At one of the scenic turn outs we met a local, he recommended we get off the Trace before Natchez to stop at a Country Store in Lorman for one of the top 5 fried chicken places in the US. Why not? No longer a store but a buffet restaurant amongst antiques. Mmmmmm, delish! We decided we had enough time to spend two nights at the State Park outside Natchez for a quick visit.
One of our favorite authors is Greg Isles, a Natchez native, reading his books peeked our interest in Natchez and the Trace so much so we included it in our itinerary. Time constraints didn't allow us to travel the entire distance, the speed limits are 40-50 mph. Hopefully someday we'll be able to see the middle section of the Trace. Natchez sits a top a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and Louisiana across the river. In 1719 Jean Baptist le Moyne established Natchez, in the 19th century cotton growing was the leading industry and Natchez was an important port, plus it made many cotton growers millionaires. There are approximately 500 antebellum houses left, Natchez was spared from the Union soldiers, after the town had been fired upon a couple of times the mayor surrendered the town to keep it from being burned. The Union generals stayed in some of the mansions while in the area. The first thing we did was go to the 150-200 foot bluff overlooking the river. The river traffic was busy in both directions, a beautiful clear day. On our way to the Visitor Center we stopped at The Rosalie, a large brick Federal Style mansion built on the bluff near the site of the massacre of the Natchez Indians and served as the local headquarters for the Union Soldiers during the Civil War. Contains it's original 1850's furniture (looks like the owners just walked out the door) with 4 acres of beautiful gardens.
At the Visitor Center we discovered Natchez has Fall and Spring Pilgrimages - local private antebellum owners open their home to the public - what great timing. We signed up for a 7pm Open Air Town Tour, in a 6 seat golf cart for an hour narrated tour of the historic district of Natchez. We had some time to kill, we decided to check out Natchez Under the Hill, once a place for scallaywags, built at the base of the bluff, actually where the town started. Caves were dug into the bluff to hide stolen goods and other illicit activities. The hideaways caused landslides and were abandoned, several businesses were restored, restaurants, bars, hotels and of course the usual souvenir shops. The Mississippi River boats dock there. We ate at Magnolia Grill with a nice view of the river - food was so-so. Julie our tour guide picked us up at 7 just after a beautiful sunset over the river. She is a hoot, and believe it or not, the New Jersey native graduated from Eastern Oregon University and does know her Natchez history, she even filled us in on Greg Iles, supposedly his books' characters bear a resemblance to local residents, some not favorably. It was getting dark but we were able to see some of the homes on the Pilgrimage tour, the Basilica, parks and churches.
Friday morning we visited the Natchez City Cemetery, almost 200 years old, one of the most beautiful cemeteries we've seen, we wanted to see the Turning Angel statue, featured in one of Isles books. After lunch at Jim Bowie's Tavern we took a tour of Stanton House, an Antebellum Classic Revival mansion built in the 1850's, now operates as a historic house museum, it sits on 2 acres, a complete city block and is ringed by wrought iron fencing. Frederick Stanton, a cotton broker, built the 2 story brick home, plastered over and painted white to look like his ancestral home in Ireland. He died shortly after moving in, heirs couldn't maintain the mansion and after the Civil War it became a College for Young Ladies. In 1940 the Pilgrimage Garden Club acquired the property. We've discovered several antebellum/historic homes have been saved by ladies clubs in the south. We've enjoyed our visit to Natchez, we had to hit the road but will be back. Every year on the third weekend of October they have a Hot Air Balloon Race over the Mississippi River, we'd love to see that.
Saturday morning we hit the road for our 426 mile drive through Mississippi, Louisiana and through downtown Houston to Wharton, Tx., about 120 miles out of Rockport. Gary said he was going to drive until we reached Rockport or until he cried "uncle". Well he cried Uncle! We stayed at Wharton Wal-Mart parking lot, it was pretty quiet, sometimes the truckers idle their engines overnight.
Sunday, October 1st. We finally made it to Rockport about 11:30, after about 1,000 mile drive from Nashville. It makes our heart ache to see the total devastation the Hurricane Harvey leveled on the towns of Rockport/Fulton. Everyone says, "you should have seen it a month ago ".I just can't imagine. Piles of debris are taken to the street, FEMA contractors come along and pick up, taking the stuff to the median between N/S Hwy 35, the road to Corpus, where they separate the brush for mulch and metal for recycling. What they will do with the rest of the debris I haven't heard. It's been great getting together with friends here at BayView, it will be a very different year. It's been hot! hot! hot! and humid, I think October 1st is too early to come back, usually we arrive about the first of November.
Enjoy the pic's
TTFN,
Gary and Pam
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| Double arch bridge Northern Terminus Natchez Trace |
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| Belle Meade, Nashville no pic's allowed inside |
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| Start of Natchez Trace over double arch bridge |
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| Tobacco growing at tobacco barn Natchez Trace |
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| Tobacco drying in barn |
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| Meriwether Lewis gravesite |
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| Jackson Falls along trace |
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| Wall of Johnny Cash records |
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| Cash family piano |
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| Looking across Cumberland River at Nissan Stadium ped. bridge |
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| Downtown Nashville & Riverfront Park |
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| Pedestrian bridge |
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| Party wagon |
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| Not my idea of fun drinking and pedaling |
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| Crunch |
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| Bike rack used to stick out over 2 feeet |
