Sights Along the Natchez Trace Parkway

Spring was gorgeous on the Natchez Trace Parkway!  In Natchez, Mississippi the leaves were all out on the trees and you could feel summer on the way.  Farther north in Tennessee, spring was just getting started.  Many of the trees were only beginning to bud out with dogwood blooms and the first spring flowers making their appearance.  It was fun to see the changes from almost summer to just getting to be spring as we drove north on the Trace. 
 

 

Fields of crimson clover along the Natchez Trace
 

 

  

 

Cypress - Tupelo Swamp north of Jackson, MS 

Maya and Cindy 'disappearing' in the Sunken Trace

 

 

Beaver Pond at Rock Spring in Alabama

 

 

Emerald Mound, an ancient Natchez Indian Ceremonial Site

and second largest Native American mound in North America

 

Blue-eyed grass on Emerald Mound

 

 

Dogwoods near one of our campsites along the Trace

 

 

Jackson Falls, south of Nashville, named for Andrew Jackson

 

 

Some people go both ways...

 

Our Natchez Trace journey was mostly a driving one but we did manage a little hiking everyday.  Here are David's stats for our hiking on the Trace.  

 

Days Hiked on Trace    8  
Total Miles Hiked     21.8 
Ave. Miles per Day     2.7  
Total Elevation Gain     2,513 
Ave. Elevation Gain per day   314

Natchez Trace Parkway

After exploring the city of Natchez and spending two nights at Natchez State Park, we were eager to start our adventure on the Natchez Trace Parkway.   Beginning in Natchez, Mississippi and ending in Nashville, Tennessee, the Natchez Trace Parkway took 67 years to construct but thousands of years to create the stories.  The National Park Service manages the Parkway and the numerous wayside exhibits, interpretive signs, nature trails and historic and cultural heritage sights along the road. 
 

Along the Natchez Trace

 

 The maximum speed limit is 50 mph so life slows down a bit on the curving two-lane Parkway.  We found it to be a perfect speed to really enjoy the beautiful landscape.  And this time of year the dogwoods, redbuds and spring wildflowers were just magnificent.  The centuries started to fall away and our imaginations began to recreate the past as we followed the footsteps and wagon wheel ruts of native peoples, explorers, trappers, boatmen, mail carriers and militia.

A one-way, 2.5 mile section of the Old Trace accessible to cars

While the Parkway follows the original 'Old Trace' closely, it takes some liberties for a smoother ride.  But there are places where cars can take sections of the original path.  On one of those sections David and I were treated to the sight of a barred owl that flew ahead of us, landed on the Trace and then flew and perched in a tree above us.  There are also sections of the Old Trace that you can hike, 65 miles of it have been designated a National Scenic Trail.  In places the wagon wheel ruts and the mud holes where the wagons bogged down are still visible. 

 

Soft, easily eroded soils called 'loess' make up several sections of the Old Trace.

These sections of the Trace 'sunk' over time with heavy use.

 

'Sunken Trace,' one of those deeply eroded sections of the original Trace

 

If we had stopped at every pull out, taken every trail and explored every town and city along the Natchez Trace, it might have taken a month or more.  Which is approximately how long it took the “Kaintuck” boatmen, who floated their goods down the Mississippi River, to walk back home on the Old Trace after selling everything including the boat in New Orleans.  As it was we spent 5 days along the Natchez Trace learning about our nation’s history and thoroughly enjoying the natural world of a place unspoiled by human blight.

One of the many waterfalls at Falls Hollow

 

 

 

Virginia Worm Rail Fence

 

 

Jackson to Natchez, Mississippi

Mississippi River from 'Natchez Under the Hill'

Originally we had planned on beginning our Mississippi journey at Natchez and then driving the Natchez Trace Parkway through Mississippi and maybe all the way to Nashville, Tennessee.  But our detour to Jackson for RV repairs would have had us starting on the Natchez Trace 100 miles north of the southern terminus.  We decided that we wanted to begin at the beginning and so we got on the freeway and drove the quick way to Natchez.

The Natchez Trace Parkway is 444 miles of National Scenic Byway and All-American Road that ‘traces’ American history and pre-history starting with the steps of migrating mastodons and bison, then followed by the first hunters, then Indians, then the conquistadors soon to be followed by more white men, then a kingdom of cotton rose and fell and a civil war was fought.  Whew!  All this and it is beautiful too – no commercial trucks, billboards or power lines, just miles and miles of trees, rocks, water and road.  No wonder the Natchez Trace is on many people’s ‘bucket’ list.

 

Early morning hike to lake at Natchez State Park

 

We arrived in Natchez late in the afternoon and stayed at Natchez State Park, a quiet park just minutes away from the ‘Trace.’  The next morning we enjoyed a nature hike to the small lake at the park’s center and then we went into Natchez to do some sightseeing. 

 

One of the many historic homes in Natchez

 

Natchez is a picturesque river town full of history and grandeur. It sits on a bluff above the Mississippi River and many of the historic homes have beautiful views of the Mississippi.  We did a self-guided walking tour through downtown and then visited ‘Natchez Under the Hill.’  This section of Natchez was located under the bluff right on the river – below and out of sight of Natchez ‘proper.'  Locals of the time described Natchez Under the Hill as the most decadent, seedy and dangerous place imaginable.  No respectable woman would even think of going there.  It was so much fun to learn about Natchez and see the beautiful, historic homes.  What a place it must have been back in the day of the steamboats!

Check Engine Light

“Yeah, we’re going to Jackson, ain’t never coming back…”

As we pulled out of Lake D’Arbonne State Park in Louisiana the ‘check engine light’ came on and we started losing power to the RV.  Change in plans!  David did a search for the nearest Sprinter Service Center on our phone and it was in Jackson, Mississippi - about 150 miles away.  Having a ‘smart phone’ and the Internet sure makes problems on the road less worrisome.

We unhooked the Honda from the RV to give it a little more power and I drove the car and David drove the RV to Jackson.  Fortunately unhooking the car really helped with the power issue and David was able to drive the RV about 60 most of the way.

Mississippi River at Vicksburg

We crossed the Mississippi at Vicksburg and rolled on into Jackson with no problems.  It was late in the day so we found a commercial campground that night and took the RV into the shop the next morning.  The diagnosis was an engine/exhaust problem and the good news was that it was under warranty.  But the bad news was that it would take the day and part of the next to fix it.  Maya and I weren’t too upset that we would have to spend the night in a motel and do some sightseeing in Jackson. 

A girl needs a 'spa' day...

We’ve been traveling since last June and this is the first time we have had anything other than routine maintenance performed on the RV.  I have heard stories of some RVs having lots of mechanical problems so I guess we have done well.

We all enjoyed our time in a big motel room with all the amenities.  Also we had TV and were able to catch up on the sad news of the day about the bombing in Boston during the marathon.  The next day everything was fixed and we were back on the road...

Louisiana

Kisatchie National Forest and Lake D’Arbonne State Park

 

Wild Azalea

 

We left Caddo Lake State Park (so far no cases of poison ivy) headed for Shreveport, Louisiana.  Though always subject to change, we decided to travel a mainly northern route through the Gulf Coast States this spring and then on the return trip this fall, to follow the coast providing there are no imminent hurricanes.  From Shreveport we drove on I-20 to Minden and then headed north a short distance to the Beaver Dam Campground on Upper Caney Lake in the Kisatchie National Forest. 

We wanted to check out the only national forest in Louisiana and we were really glad we did.  The recently improved campground hugged the shoreline and almost every site had a view of the lake.  Each campsite had electricity and water which is typically not the ‘norm’ in national forests; at least that has not been our experience in the West.
 

Along the Sugar Cane National Recreation Trail

 

 

The Kisatchie National Forest is divided into five Ranger Districts and Caney Lake is in the northern most district.  Not all that long ago the forest around Upper and Lower Caney Lakes had been cleared and sugar cane and cotton fields surrounded the lakes.  An environmental success story, the forest has been re-established but the name “Caney Lake” is a reminder of its not-so-distant agricultural past.   Now instead of fields of sugar cane and cotton, The Sugar Cane National Recreation Trail winds through the thick pine and hardwood forest.  As we hiked this beautiful trail around the lakes, we were grateful for the shade of that forest.  It was a warm day!

Lake D'Arbonne

 

 

Just a couple of hours to the east near the town of Farmerville was our next destination, Lake D’Arbonne State Park.  The park is home to towering pines, rolling hills, miles of trails and the centerpiece, the majestic 15,250-acre Lake D’Arbonne.  Fishing and boating are the big attractions and everyone, no matter what age, had a fishing pole or two.   At dinner time the aroma of fresh fish being fried or grilled wafted through the campground. 

 

Campground, Lake D'Arbonne - Flamingos can go camping too...

 

 
We arrived at Lake D'Arbonne just a few hours ahead of rain and a cool front.  It rained during our first night and into the next day but then it cleared and was so nice and cool that we stayed a few extra days to enjoy the park and the great weather.  We hiked every trail at least once and strolled along the lake and its piers enjoying the sunsets. The dogwoods and wild azaleas were just a little past their full bloom but still a beautiful sight!
 

And as promised, here are David's Stats for our 5 day stay in Louisiana:

Days Hiked     4  
Total Miles Hiked     24.5 
Ave. Miles per Day     6.1  
Total Elevation Gain     2,166 
Ave. Elevation Gain per day    433

We had one day where it rained so much that we did not hike.

 

 

 

 

 

The Adventure Begins Again -- Part 2

September wildflowers in Canada

Our goal when we started our adventure last June was to follow the wildflowers as they bloomed going north and the fall leaves as they turned colors going south.  We wanted to do this on the west side of the country one year and then do the same for the east side of the country the next.  Going west last year we made plans to see things we’d never seen before, but mostly we let the weather and other natural forces guide our journey.  That seemed to work fairly well so we are ready try it again counter clockwise.

We began a bit late last year for following wildflowers as we didn’t get on the road until June.  Starting out in April this year should give us a better chance. So far the dogwoods and wild azaleas have been amazing although we are missing the Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC right now.  Well, it isn’t possible to see it all but we will give it our best effort.  And there are always nice surprises – last September we lucked into some pretty great wildflowers in Canada.  You just never know.  Our travels have reinforced for us that things in nature are hard to predict and dependent on so much more than ‘dates’ on a calendar. 

Wild Azaleas in East Texas

Since we are starting our eastern journey, David thought it would be interesting to sum up our mileage so far.  After leaving Texas in June last year, we traveled 9,223 miles in the RV in the western states and Canada.  Upon returning to Texas in mid-November, we traveled another 6,580 miles!  Well, it is a big state, but that surprised me.  

And that was just driving the RV.  On our Honda CR-V, which we tow behind our motorhome, we drove 8,201 miles in the West and then another 5,550 miles in Texas this winter (that's not including the towing miles).  We did  even more sight-seeing, driving to trailheads and running around our destinations than I thought.

Mount Hood, Oregon

 

It is hard to think of ourselves as ‘green’ when driving that many miles and using that much gas and diesel.  I’d don’t even want to know, but I am sure David does know just how many gallons and how much money we spent on fuel.  We probably won’t improve our green status this year going east, but we have a plan once we get back to Texas in the fall to do less back and forth driving across the state. 

Maybe not too surprisingly, we are green in other ways.  Not having a house helps a lot.  I do miss my house sometimes but mostly the yard.  And now I have a much bigger, way more beautiful ‘yard’ and I don’t ever have to water it!  Speaking of water - we use so much less of it, around 40 - 50 gallons a week for the both of us.  I have become a master of the 3 minute shower.  We wash clothes about every 10 days to 2 weeks at the campgrounds so that does add several gallons to our overall weekly total.

Fall Aspens near Torrey, Utah

 

 

We often don’t have electricity and because David likes to be where ‘the weather suits his clothes’ we don’t run the air conditioner or heat pump much when we do have electricity.  We do use propane to cook, heat water and run the furnace but it is very efficient.  We’ve only filled our propane tank, which holds 12.7 gallons, 3 times in 11 months.  Our solar panels charge the 12 volt system so we can have lights and music (some things are essential) when we don’t have electricity at the campsite.
 
Recycling is a challenge.  I am surprised at how many campgrounds and parks don’t recycle anything.  Some recycle aluminum only.  A lot of commercial campgrounds around the bigger cities will also recycle plastic, glass and paper.  We try to recycle; it hurts to throw away plastic or glass.  In San Antonio we practically didn’t have trash.  Our neighborhood even took compost waste.  On the road, it isn’t that easy.  David won’t let me carry too many bags of recyclables in the RV and there isn’t that much room anyway. There should be an ‘app’ for that, showing the location of recycling centers wherever you are.  Maybe there is, let me know if you know of one.

We don’t have any statistics on actual miles hiked, elevation gained, etc. from our time in the west.  But with David’s new GPS unit, we will be able to keep track of those miles this season ‘On the Road with Maya...’ 
  

 

 

 

East Texas and Dogwoods

We are almost ready to head to the eastern states and leave Texas behind for the next 7 months!  I can’t believe how fast the winter went by and now here we are at Caddo Lake State Park enjoying an almost too warm spring day.

 

 

David says spring is here and it’s time to get started on our journey.  I’m hoping his spirit of adventure will inspire me because after our humid, sweaty walk this morning through a forest of pine with a mostly solid poison ivy ground cover, scratching my chigger bites and picking ticks off of Maya - I’m thinking I’ve had enough of the ‘east’ already…  But it is so green and beautiful and the dogwoods are in magnificent full bloom.

 

Caddo Lake Saw Mill Pond

‘So, you think you can tell

Heaven from hell

Blue skies from rain…’

 

Pink Floyd got it right I think.  The good and bad are all mixed together and it is just pretty hard to tell the difference until you have experienced it.  So, there is nothing left to do but go for it.  Goodbye Texas, see you this fall…

Poison Ivy

 

 

As far as the eye can see...

 

 

 

 

Cooper Lake and Daingerfield State Parks

Little Pine Lake at Daingerfield State Park

Stuffed with German Chocolate Cake (although my family did help us eat it) we said our goodbyes, left West Texas and headed towards the Louisiana border, a mere 500 miles away.  Needless to say, we were going to take a few days to get there and make a few stops along the way.

One stop was Commerce, TX to visit our longtime friends Chad and Resa.  Years ago, we all lived in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and spent many a day and night sailing on Lake Grapevine.  We also backpacked and camped together.  Times have changed and I guess David and I traded the backpacking tent for an RV but we are all still ‘playing’ outdoors.

 

Chad and Wyatt fishing on Cooper Lake

 

We camped for two nights at nearby Cooper Lake State Park while visiting. We had some great meals together and Chad, Resa and their son, Wyatt met us at the park for a fun day of hiking and fishing. The lake was low but we didn’t realize how low until David informed us that his new GPS unit indicated that we were standing in the lake.  And we were all quite dry with the water’s edge still a good 20 yards away.
 



Dogwoods in the forest

The next day we traveled about 70 miles east to Daingerfield State Park, another new park for us.  We loved the 3 mile hike around beautiful Little Pine Lake.  The deep green forest around the lake was brightened with the sparkling blossoms of dogwood trees.   The night was a little warm but perfect for sitting out and enjoying our campsite beside the little lake. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday RV! Happy Birthday David!

German Chocolate Cake... 

Exactly one year ago this weekend our new RV arrived from Canada and we picked it up in Ft. Worth and drove it back home to San Antonio.  We camped the first night in the parking lot at the RV dealer.  Not exactly a beautiful location for our first night, but very practical.  We were able to try everything mechanical making sure we knew how it all worked and then we had a list of questions in the morning for the guys in the shop.  The next night we stayed in a commercial campground nearby in Arlington just in case we had more questions and then we felt good enough to take off. 

Our brand new RV last year at Dinosaur Valley State Park

 
I’ll never forget our first ‘real’ camping night at Dinosaur Valley State Park.  We were so happy and excited to be camping in our new RV.  Everything went smoothly including cooking our first ‘real’ meal of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.  The bluebonnets were just fantastic and their fragrance was incredible.  I tend to think of wildflowers as a visual experience, but camping in the middle of fields of bluebonnets is also quite a fragrant experience.  And David celebrated his birthday with a new RV in bluebonnets.  It doesn’t get much better!

Maya came with us on our 'maiden voyage.'
She didn't really want to pose for a cheesy bluebonnet 
photo but I made her, just like moms do.

 

Only a few short weeks after picking up the RV last year, the house sold unbelievably fast and we were packing like crazy getting ready to take off on the adventure of a lifetime.  And here we are one year later (still married, I might add) so the closeness of RV life has worked out for us.  The bluebonnets aren’t quite as magnificent as last year, but we’ve seen some nice fields of wildflowers this spring.  I baked David his favorite German Chocolate Cake in my mom’s kitchen in Odessa.  Our RV has a combination microwave and convection oven which is a little small to bake a cake in (although it does pretty well on cookies and brownies).
 
David’s birthday present this year was a really nice GPS unit.  He wasn’t very satisfied with the GPS ‘app’ on my phone and besides it depends on cell service and often on our hikes we have not had cell service.  Satellite service should be more dependable.  David is practicing using the GPS right now so look forward on this season's adventure to ‘Stats by David.'  We will be leaving Texas in just a few days and appreciate all your suggestions of places to visit along the east coast and Appalachian Mountains.  There is still plenty of time to send us a suggestion...  

Searching for a satellite

 

Maya knows where she is...