OLA: Driving the Natchez Trace Parkway

Fall colors at the New Trace

Not only Bill drove. I drove 10% of the Natchez Trace Parkway!

Fall colors at the Old Trace

We were in Tennessee last year, making our way back to the Northwest from our first winter in Florida. We only visited its largest cities: Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis. This time around, we passed through in the opposite direction….towards Florida for our second winter! We found the drive through the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina so memorable (and the blog post is one of the most popular) that this year, we chose to drive the Parkway. Besides we wanted to cover Mississippi and it leads there!

Falll colors at the lake in Natchez Trace RV Resort

                                        

The Natchez Trace Parkway (the Old was started in 1801 while the New began in 1930) gently winds among low hills from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee, crossing Alabama at its northwestern tip.  This All-American Road, like its sister Blue Ridge, is maintained by the National Park Service, to commemorate the original route following the ’traces’ of bison and other game. In essence, it was the original path of the earliest Americans on the move (much like us)! Parts of the Old Trace is preserved and an added bonus was the fall colors draping its sides (my favorite season!).

them ol' cotton fields back at Donnivan Slough

Improved communications (steam boats, stagecoach lines, and railroads) and the development of ports along nearby rivers made the route obsolete as a means of commerce. As a result, no major population centers were born or developed along it. Thus the Trace and its alignment between Nashville and Natchez come down to us today almost completely undeveloped and unspoiled as an unhurried forest lane, with the exception of the cities of Tupelo and Jackson, Mississippi which developed later.

native-American ceremonial mound at the Trace

                                                                       There are many hiking trails in this quiet forest lane. Clear streams, little falls, shallow swamps, gentle meadows, pretty trees, and wild turkey are abundant. At Donivan Slough, I was fascinated by the cotton fields that almost look like acres of pock-marked snow.  Then there were the native-American burial mounds, bigger and higher (though not in special shapes) than the ones we saw at the Mounds National Monument in Iowa.  There was even a grave site of 13 unknown Confederate soldiers.  And near the Northern Terminus at milepost 444, a 155-ft. double arch bridge commands the intersection of the Parkway and Tennessee 100 at Birdsong Hollow.

155-ft. double-arch bridge over Tennessee 100

Tuscumbia, Alabama

Despite being rendered blind and deaf from a high fever at the early age of 19 months, Helen Keller, through the dedication of her beloved teacher Anne Sullivan, was able to graduate from Radcliff, cum laude. She went on to write 14 books and was a sought after inspirational speaker until she died at age 88 in 1968. A moon tree, from a seed carried in the Apollo 14 space flight to the moon, is growing well on the grounds of Ivy Green, her birthplace and childhood home in Tuscumbia, Alabama, a short diversion from the Trace.

Helen Keller's birthplace and childhood home in Alabama

 My mother was the Principal of the Philippine School for the Deaf and the Blind for years, having been sent by the government as its scholar to the Central Institute for the Deaf in Missouri. As a matter of fact, my sister Julie is now Executive Director of a nonprofit school called the Philippine Institute for the Deaf which we founded in her honor.  Thus I was so interested to make the short diversion to the Museum of the First Lady of Courage. She was my mother’s heroine. And my mom was mine!

Elvis Presley's birthplace and boyhood home in Mississippi

Tupelo, Mississippi

Another draw to the Trace is Tupelo, Mississippi which is the birthplace and home of Elvis before he headed for Memphis and stardom. Gospel singing influenced the star’s music so much that the church which he attended as a boy and teenager was relocated to the site of the home and museum, only one block from its original location. We were surprised that the Elvis landmark had so many more visitors than Ivy Green. I guess pop music and rock n’ roll has a wider appeal than rising above one’s handicap! But I enjoyed holding young Elvis’ hand for a photo!

flock of wild turkey fleeing from Bill's camera

We were not able to complete the Trace. But we promised ourselves that when we cross the Gulf States again, plying between California/Arizona and Florida for snow birding, we will complete the southern portion around Jackson, Mississippi most especially to see the unique Windsor Ruins, the patches of red clover, and yellow wildflowers on a river bend!

Jack Daniel’s Distillery 

the natural spring from where Jack Daniels comes from 

Two weeks ago, I wrote that 95% of bourbon-making is in Kentucky. Well, a day when I was not feeling well, Bill went to Lynchburg, Tennessee to tour the only Jack Daniels Distillery. Daniels started working at the general store owned by the man that owned the still when he was only 7 years old. He bought it for $25 when he was only 13!  One morning he went to work early. Not able to remember the combination to the safe, he kicked it in frustration, breaking his big toe.  Gangrene set in and eventually resulted in his death.  (The lesson is: ‘Don’t go to work too early!’ ) The company now has 400 employees in a town of 500 in a dry county in Tennessee!   

13 gravesites of unknown Confederates on the Old Trace

                                                                          Next Stop: Atlanta and Macon, Georgia

Getting My 'Fixes' Around Cincy.....OLA

Ohio Barn Quilt

I am a tennis fan-addict! Bill cannot quite understand why I passionately stay awake up to the wee hours of the morning to watch the rounds of the majors. Finally in Cincy (cute nickname of Cincinnati, Ohio) I got the chance to go to my very first live ATP Masters tennis tournament: The Western and Southern Open. It is part of the US Open Series prior to the US Open which just started today in Flushing Meadows, New York. The Cincy tourney has been running since 1899 and is the only one still playing in its original city. The Lindner Family and Tennis Center in Mason, a suburb of Cincy, is one of the country’s major tennis centers.

Blake-Baghdatis encounter on Opening Night

You cannot imagine my excitement as I waited in line for the gates to open, toured the many exhibits and kiosks, gobbled up many souvenir items (for our grandchildren and myself!), took countless photos, and watched #1 woman player Caroline Wozniacki and #2 men’s player Rafa Nadal practice at the side courts! I was frozen many times while watching even just the early rounds. My eyes followed the living ball whizz to and fro during the Blake-Baghdatis, Harrison-Chela, and Roddick-Kohlschreiber matches. Now, watching at least one of the four majors is a definite addition to our bucket list!

a section of Highway 127 in Ohio

Just like any other female, I am also a shopping fan-addict! But, retired and without the income I had before, it has evolved to become more of treasure hunting. Last year I was just reading about the World’s Longest Yard Sale in a travel magazine. It’s all of 625 miles along Highway 127, from Gadsden, Alabama to Hudson, Michigan on the first weekend of August. I ran into It when I took to bring Bill home from his surgery. On its last day, I dragged Bill, still in crutches, to get my ‘finds’: ‘Hot Wheels’ for my other grandson, Kenji who lives in Seattle, some bake ware, and other bargains! 

 

the Great American Ball Park

I am also a fan of Paul McCartney who chose Cincy as one of the venues for his 8-city ‘On the Run’ tour. It was a sell-out crowd of 41,500 at the Great American Ball Park. Unfortunately, we were not one able to go because of Bill’s surgery. Later we were able to go to the famous home of the Cincinnati Reds (although they may not be playing well nowadays)! I thought…wow they indeed got the best name for a ball park even if it is not ranked as one of the top 3 (Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees, Wrigley’s Field of the Chicago Cubs, and Fenway Park of the Boston Red Sox)!

the family with Bill, catching a small one

Admittedly, another addiction of mine is to entertain! The Wilmington RV Resort had a family centers basketball/volleyball/tennis courts, indoor pool and spa, mini-golf, horseshoe pits and shuffleboards, and 3 fishing ponds! Former I/ACT colleague Lea, husband Jimmy and children, Miles, Patrick, and Mathew visited us there during our first weekend. Matthew had long wanted to inspect RV living up close and personal. So in our Chicago reunion, Lea decided to visit us in this Ohio campground, just 30 minutes away from her home. I had a lot of fun watching the family catch three fish in just thirty minutes, enjoy the ‘ride’ on the RV slide-out going out, and take a nap on the dinette turned bed!

how can I bring home this chair???

And the biggest addiction of mine…the color yellow…got fed as we explored the farms around Clinton County. There we found more barn quilts (56) than the collection in Houston County, Minnesota! Wilmington is also the home of the first banana split in the world and the site of the annual Banana Split Festival in mid-June. But the most special find of all is the biggest chair I have ever seen, probably about 10 feet tall…and it’s all in yellow! 

We are having a lot of fun but soon I have to fly to Vegas for a mini-reunion with gal pals Jingjing and Ann and a visit to my friend Angie and cousin, Ate Tesing. Finally, Bill might be able to have time for his own ‘fixes’…sans moi!  

Crossing the Gulf States

First stop back in the US was San Antonio. April, my youngest daughter, went with us to check out the lifestyle. We stayed at Medina Lake, a large Thousand Trails campground, where going to the bathhouse/pool/spa and the clubhouse/activity center were both quite a jaunt…1 mile each to the left and to the right of our site. But, in our first morning there, we were greeted by 25 or so deer that were waiting to be fed! April had the time of her life!

Bill was coughing a lot but we decided to head on out to San Antonio, about 45 minutes away. We had fun taking photos of the colorful Christmas décor and sights at the River Walk and the historic nooks and corners of the Alamo. I found out that April had not seen the movie The Alamo and so she found out about the story of those brave 300 men and the birth of the Texas Republic. At the end of the day, we chose an English Pub where the yuppie and I delighted on giant treat of appetizers while Bill feasted on shepherd’s pie, a traditional dish he had missed. But Bill was also feeling tired by the time we left.

The following day we chose to go straight on down to Houston where we were to meet the Mackies (Jack was a member of the DUs, Damned Unbearables, Bill’s high school gang). Jack immediately brought Bill to his doctor and that was where they diagnosed him with pneumonia. When they recommended an MRI because of a suspicious spot they found after an Xray of his lungs was taken. I cried at the agony of not knowing. It was a long one week later when we found out, after anxiously following up almost every day, that they were futile tears.

Then Joy made us a wonderful dinner of beef pasta, salad, and wine. We all decided to stay another night because Bill needed a lot of rest so Jack and I bought a Thai dinner of red curry, pad thai, and veggies with peanut sauce. We stayed another night to give Bill more rest (by the way, I do not drive and the reason is another story!) so I cooked chicken tinola with substitute veggies. The next morning, before our departure, Joy treated us to a wonderful new idea in breakfasts: harvest pancakes, sausage patties, and the ‘Joy’ scrambled eggs. The Mackies were very gracious hosts.

In no time we were in New Orleans, The Big Easy. And what delight we had when we found out that our RV Park was just right around the corner of The French Quarter! To top it all, it was only 5 years old and the amenities and facilities were top-class. Of course, the camping fees were also top dollar ($69 per night) but since we were CCUSA members we only paid half! It was all well worth it.

Katrina must have really taken a toll on New Orleans because I remember the French Quarter as a little cleaner, smelling better than this. But the revelry was the same and I actually got to know the place better. The last time I was there was for a conference and, aside from coffee at Café du monde and a private party at a pub, I had not really walked around. Now, with our cruising lifestyle, we had the time to visit the Cathedral, the alleys, Café du Monde, the French Market, the Creole Shop, Pat O’Brien’s and sample treats such as gumbo, hurricane, and pralines, etc. But we were sad to see April go at the end of this leg. She will be spending Christmas with sisters Trisha and Claudine in Seattle.

Our next stop was Styx River Resort in Robertsdale, Alabama. It had the best spa we ever had thus far. It was indoor, together with a heated pool, and it was small enough so we could put up our feet on the other side and truly relax. It was more of a family resort for the weekend. We could not use the spa the day we arrived because some teenagers were not careful the night before (we never found out what they really did).

But the best part of this stop was discovering Fair Hope, Alabama, a quaint little town where we found a Writers’ Cottage behind the public library where writers could take temporary refuge, had raw oysters for $3 a dozen at a pub on the waterfront (Mobile Bay), and tons of Christmas lights on all the trees that lined the streets.

There were also many quaint shops so Bill and I agreed to part and look for our stocking stuffers ($20 budget: for each other). I found a leather passport holder that they engraved in silver the letters, ‘William R. Colborn’ for free. Bill found a cute cheese slicer and a petite umbrella for me. We also shopped for the small Christmas Eve dinner we wanted to prepare for ourselves. We found a 3-pound turkey roast, cranberry jelly, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, candied yams, green beans for a casserole, and whipped cream for the bread pudding I was going to make.

And we headed on to Florida for the holidays and the long winter!