Day 1

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We got on the road at 9:45, not bad considering my late night. My brain wouldn't quiet down, kept reminding me not to forget this or that. We've been planning this trip for weeks, but the starting date was fluid waiting on a weather window. So now we're on our way, feeling a bit disorganized and fragmented.

We entered the Natchez Trace Parkway at Tupelo, MS. The speed limit is 50 MPH and there isn't much traffic, so it's a peaceful drive. The Natchez Trace probably began as a hunting trail for native tribes and was later used by early explorers. It later became the main artery connecting New Orleans, Natchez, MS and Nashville until steamboats started carrying passengers on the rivers. From the parkway you can still see bits of the old trace. The trail is deeply worn into the forest floor, testament to the many people who traveled it both on foot and horseback.

We stopped for the night at Movietown RV park in Canton, MS. It was noisy, but clean and level.

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Photos

oldtrace
A section of the old Natchez Trace