Tupelo Honey

Van Morrison would have cringed if he heard us singing.

Cypress Swamp

Our final leg on the Natchez Trace with us riding 100 miles of the 440 miles. I don't think I will ever ride the entire park but so glad we took the time to enjoy and see it.



We stopped at Cypress Swamp even though we had seen Cypress swamps in Texas and

to take the 20 minute walk. It lasted 10 minutes once I saw the huge black swamp snake slithering

 nearby, I was done.

Walmart

This has been quite an activity packed trip so far. Before heading much further we stopped to stock up at Walmart.

A couple of items that Walmart carries. We passed this time.

Tupelo, Mississippi

The temperatures are running 12 degrees above normal at 85 degrees so we decided to find a campground with full hookups. There are campgrounds on the Trace but are dry camping and we needed air conditioning. Our solar power just won't cut it. We found a place a Trace State Park overlooking the lake.

Trace State Park was 10 miles off the Trace but the closest campground where we wanted to stop. We keep seeing many of the same people at the different campgrounds each day as we travel north.

 

 A man camping nearby told us to take all of the firewood that we wanted. He was not going to load it and haul it around anymore. It was some great hardwood and we helped ourselves. We were then obligated to build a fire once it cooled down even though it was 87 degrees in the afternoon. 

 While sitting by the fire, a man from New Brunswick came marching over sat down and visited for an hour. He was a hoot. Then he got up and marched off when he saw his wife looking out the motorhome window. His stories were hilarious. Who needs TV or internet? The next day they invited us over after dinner to sit and visit by their fire. We are meeting some fun people along the way.

On our last day of riding our bikes, we stopped at the 13 unknown Confederate soldiers' graves along the trace that the soldiers, Indians and trappers would walk. The headstones face away from the graves so people walking the Trace could read and remember them. It is not known if the died of wounds, lingering hunger, poverty or sickness in the army camps.

We stopped at a rest area and met three ladies that were returning to Jackson on

their bikes. They had ridden a section north, camped and vowed to return and ride the

entire Trace both ways in May. They are from Alabama and Louisiana and must be

used to the heat and humidity. Actually, by getting out in the morning and done

before noon makes the riding much more pleasant.

Who could be in Tupelo and not check out Elvis's birthplace? It is actually not a very large town.

His dad built this 2 bedroom home.

Statue of Elvis at 13 years old.

A replica of the car driven by Elvis's family as they left Tupelo to make a life in Memphis.

The Assembly of God church that Elvis learned to play the guitar was moved to the Birthplace Park.

The circle of life exhibit around the house was very nice with a bit of his history while living in Tupelo.

I asked the visitor's center where we should have lunch. She recommended Johnnie's Drive Inn that Elvis frequented as a boy.

A dough burger is a combination of flour and hamburger meat that creates a patty.  Back in the day, individuals would make these patties in order for the meat to last longer.

Not much has changed at Johnnie’s.  The same booths that were there nearly 70 years ago are still there today. Johnnie’s Drive-In takes claim as being one of Elvis’s old hangout spots.  Today, customers can enjoy their meal in the exact booth as Elvis used to enjoy his.

You would think the tourists are what keeps Johnnie’s going, but actually the tourists are only 10 percent of their customers.  Johnnie’s has the same group of men that come and drink coffee every morning.  It’s the locals that keep it going.

We sat down in the tight quarters. I asked the lady next to me what she was eating. She liked the Johnny burger. Then spent the time visiting with them about Elvis and Tupelo.

The Elvis booth after a sweaty bike ride but a mandatory picture anyway.

We were there so we had to do it. We ended the day singing "Trying to get to you"  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEzSuFShgYc



Natchez Trace

Rocky Springs Campground on the Natchez Trace





The Natchez Trace is a 444 mile long National Park that many people drive but others

ride their bicycles. We wanted to experience at least a few days riding

but weren't able to make it work until now.

The Trace was only 20 miles as the crow flies from Vicksburg but our GPS was guiding

us on a 2.5 hour drive. We found some backroads on the map and were able

to figure out the names of the roads with our smart phone to

Rocky Spring Campground. We were up early and on the road by 8am. I was

able to follow our winding progress on the phone. Once I told Mike I thought we

should take a right. He took a left and was correct. The next time I told

him to take a right. He took a left. This time I was correct. We are basically

each correct 50% of the time.

We left early so we could get a morning bike ride in. Who wants to ride in

the hot afternoon? There are not many campgrounds along the Trace making planning ahead
a priority. We wanted to stay at a free federal first come, first serve campground on the

Natchez Trace. As we pulled up, RVs were pulling out. Rounding the first

corner was a large drive thru that I promptly pulled through. As we were pulling

out our bikes, several cyclists were heading out with their panniers loaded to

continue the 444 miles north.

We had heard that many Canadians stop in these campground as they return from wintering in Texas. 90% of the slots were people from Quebec and Ontario. Unfortunately, many of the federal sites are in poor repair and some of the restrooms are closed. I wish they would charge us a small amount and use that money for upkeep and avoid loosing these resources. 

 We headed south on our bikes along the beautiful and peaceful highway. The
trees acted as a canopy to keep us cool on our 32 mile ride. We hadn't ridden
much recently. The previous day was the hilly Vicksburg ride. By mile 28, my
butt was getting pretty sore. We stopped for a rest and a man driving by stopped
to make sure we were ok. He said we needed to check out Natchez which is the
oldest continuous settlement on the Mississippi. Another person in the campground had just come
from there and said they enjoyed it.

The drive down the Trace is 55mph with very little traffic other than a few turtles

or snakes crossing the road.

 Artifacts found in the mounds tell about the prehistoric people who lived in this area.

Some of the old Natchez Trace worn down by American Indians, "Kaintucks," and settlers traveling between Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN.

Natchez, Mississippi





We had a nice camping spot that was free and no real plans. We decided to stay

another night and drive down to the town of Natchez. I actually needed a day

off the bike and this seemed like a good plan and since so many people recommended the stop..

The bluff walk along the Mississippi River was very nice. Fortunately, the clouds

were coming in for the expected rain storm in the evening which made the walk more

comfortable.

We were only 54 miles for Natchez and glad we made the drive but also glad we

didn't stay longer.

Under the hill is where the unruly and no virtuous woman would venture. There are many stories of the ruffians that would frequent the area.

Just wearing those pants would make a person want to be law abiding.


What would a southern town be without a horse drawn carriage ride?

In the evening, a person across from us pulled out his fiddle. The strum of

his fiddle echoed through the trees as we would listen as we read. Dry camping

is nice at times without distractions. Your mind can wander to what time might

have been like for the people who were here in the past.



 Ross Barnett Reservoir, north or Jackson, Miss

Our third day on the trace was the best yet. Even though the traffic was heavier the first couple of miles north of Jackson, the ride was even more pleasant with less hills and no storm blowing along the lake.

It is easy to be drawn to a longer out and back bike ride when it is this pleasant but you have remember you have to turn around and do it all again in reverse. With the temperatures rising and humidity high, a 22 mile ride was good today.

A dinner visitor at our campsite on the lake. I think he was scoping out the young geese on the shore. 

Vicksburg, MS

We have attempted to plan a bike ride on the Natchez Trace several times in the past. We are finally getting that chance to ride the Trace . The weather has been pretty volatile on this trip and rain in the forecast for next week. We decided to skip Natchez and the beautiful antebellum mansions and head north to Vicksburg before starting our ride on the Natchez Trace. As we entered Mississippi, (yes, I did just go M I S S I S S I P P I while typing) we crossed the mighty and muddy Mississippi River.

Looks like I am having some shutter problems with my camera.

We had changed our plans several times on our way here. After getting settled in, we had to spend some time figuring out how we wanted to handle the next few weeks.  First, we had to see Vicksburg and learn more of the history during the Civil War.

As we were preparing to start our ride, a couple of cyclist called out to us that they were doing the county loop if we would like to join them. We said thanks but we wanted to see the Park. Half way through our tour, those two flew by as they finished their ride. They were moving at a pretty good clip. Glad we passed on that ride.

We rode our bikes on the 16 mile hilly loop through Vicksburg's Military Park. The hills were beautiful and no traffic since it was a Sunday morning. 

Our ride was slow as we stopped to read about the War and look at the many statues and monuments throughout the park.

Most of the road was one way and we started on the Union side.

Vicksburg is  best known for the role that it played in the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln told his civilian and military leaders, “See what a lot of land these fellows hold, of which Vicksburg is the key! “ On July 4, 1863, the key was placed in Lincoln’s pocket with the surrender of Vicksburg ending a 47-day siege that was intended to starve the city into submission. The surrender of Vicksburg, together with the defeat of General Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg the day before, marked the turning point in America’s defining war.

You could go to each battle area and imagine the soldiers on the hills down in front of us.

As we traveled along the road the signs would tell about the roles of the different states and their divisions.

Mike is very small in this picture on the right hand side with his bike checking out the hills ahead. A local bike rider rode along with us for a while asking about where we were from and giving us tips about the Natchez Trace. He is using the Military Park to train for the Ride the Rockies in Colorado.

During the Civil War, soldiers that succumbed to wounds or disease were typically buried close to where they died. If their name was known, their grave could be marked with whatever materials were at hand — most commonly the etching of the name into a wooden board.

Vicksburg National Cemetery has 116 acres, and holds the remains of 17,000 Civil War Union soldiers, a number unmatched by any other national cemetery. 13,000 names are unknown. As a mom, I think of all of the broken hearts.

This goes on over and over through the fields and hills.

The Confederate side was on the down hill ride of those 16 miles.

The hilltop they were fighting for overlooks where the Mississippi River used to run but was diverted. This is the Yazoo Diversion that was left.

After riding the loop, we left the park and headed into historic Vicksburg to see the waterfront murals and what they had to offer.

 The Yazoo Mississippi River Station

We found Monsour's at Biscuit Company that used to ship its biscuits down the river but is now just a restaurant and bar. We stuck our heads to see what they had for a snack before we ended our ride and headed home. A couple was sitting at a table and told us we had to stop and have brunch. We only had two miles back to our truck and decided to take their advice since they have Sunday Brunch there every Sunday. We had a pleasant visit while savoring some excellent food.

The waitress of 20 years insisted in showing us around the establishment. I took pictures of everything she told me that I should.

Another man came in and sat near us and asked if we rode the Military Park in less than an hour. Yeah, right. There is something disarming about a bike or maybe it's just southern hospitality.

Our adventure is turning out to be mighty fine.