#NatchezTraceParkway – Chasing Sonshine

After South Carolina, we decided to ramble our way back toward Kansas City at a rather leisurely pace. Our next stop was beautiful Lake Martin in Alabama. We camped at Wind Creek State Park, one of the largest state-owned campgrounds in the United States with 586 campsites. Since the campsites sprawl in nearly all directions, we camped in relative seclusion. Having a mostly private bathroom nearby was a nice perk.

Lake Martin is pristine and peaceful, most of the time. One morning we were awakened before dawn by loudspeaker mumbles while boat engines roared at regular intervals. At first, we thought boat races were commencing. However as we listened, Bill realized a fishing tournament was underway. We watched out the camper’s window as boat after boat raced off to favorite fishing spots. By mid-afternoon, we watched as the boats scrambled back to the check-in site to register their day’s bounty. Once the tournament was over, the lake returned to its quiet self.

Alabama has some great motorcycling. From Wind Creek, we rode north into the Talladega National Forest and enjoyed the twisty rural mountain roads. We toured Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, the sight in 1814 of the final battle in the Creek War. We also rode around Lake Martin and through the town of Kowaliga, AL. In the early 1950’s, Hank Williams was staying in a cabin at Kowaliga on Lake Martin when he penned his famous song, Kaw-Liga.

These baby trees grow into these towering giants!

Cy’s aunt and uncle live a couple hours from Lake Martin so we met them for dinner one evening. It was so good to catch up with them.

My spunky Aunt Jane and Uncle Wilbur. Please pray for Janey as she is facing some recent health challenges.

Our next stop was David Crockett State Park in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. In 1817, David Crockett moved to the area with his family. He established a powder mill, a grist mill, and a distillery on the land the park now occupies. Unfortunately, in 1821 a flood swept away Crockett’s industry and he moved his family to West Tennessee. In 1836, Crockett died defending the Alamo in Texas. At the museum, we learned that he disliked the nickname ‘Davy’ even though he has been immortalized as ‘Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.’

In the 1830’s, the Federal Government forcibly removed thousands of American Indians from their homelands, marching them to reservations in Oklahoma. The Trail of Tears the Indians walked cut through this state park. The Trail remains as a sober reminder of the unjust treatment the Native Americans endured during that dark time in our nation’s history.

From this point, they still had over 500 miles to go.

From Tennessee, we went to Tombigbee State Park in Tupelo, Mississippi. While we camped in Tupelo, we were able to ride more of the Natchez Trace Parkway. The Trace totals 444 miles, stretching from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. Around Tupelo, the Trace has several historic markers, noting the Native Americans, the enslaved, and the early settlers in the area.

The city of Tupelo is best known as the birthplace of Elvis Presley. While the museum was closed due to Covid, the grounds were open so we wandered where young Elvis used to play. He learned to play guitar from Brother Frank Smith, the minister at the Assembly of God Church young Elvis attended. The original church was relocated and now stands on the museum grounds. The Presley family moved from Tupelo to Memphis in 1948 when Elvis was thirteen.

We continued our journey toward Kansas City with a stop outside of Little Rock, Arkansas. Maumelle Park on the Arkansas River was a scenic wooded campground. We awoke to dense fog blanketing the campground and the river.

The fog had started lifting by the time we snapped a photo.

After we packed up camp, we drove across Arkansas to Rogers, to see our daughter and son-in-law. Our daughter had told us about Hattie B’s Hot Chicken so we tried it when we were in Birmingham, Alabama. Delicious!

Hattie B’s was great but we still think Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken is the fried chicken to beat!

The next day, we drove the final leg back to Kansas City. We arrived at sunset, just in time to tour the land we had offered to purchase. We were very happy with the lay of the land so we decided to let our offer stand. Just a few days later, the owner finally decided to sign the sales contract. We scheduled a soil morphology test to make sure we could get a septic system installed. We also called the water department and other utilities to make sure they were available at the property. Everything was positive, so we continued the contract and (eventually) became land owners near Holt, Missouri.

The view from our future homesite, if the Lord is willing!

Lesson Learned: There is joy in the journey, especially when we patiently follow the Lord’s leading while Chasing Sonshine.

After our stay at Poverty Point, Louisiana, we headed south toward our next destination, Buccaneer State Park in Waveland, Mississippi. Buccaneer State Park is just an hour east of New Orleans, which we planned to visit.

On our way, we drove part of the Natchez Trace Parkway. The 444 mile parkway stretches from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. Originally this travel corridor was used by the Natchez, Chickasaw, and Choctaw tribes. By the late 1700’s, travelers and tradesmen used the route. As trade progressed, merchants floated goods down the Mississippi River, sold everything in Natchez or New Orleans, and walked the Trace back home to get another load ready to sell. Slave traders also used the route to move enslaved people throughout the region. So many people traversed the Trace that sunken sections of the original trail are still visible today. We stopped several times to see these sections as well as other landmarks along the parkway.

Forks of the Road in Natchez, MS. These shackles mark the site of one of the largest slave markets in the United States. The market was at a formerly prominent intersection in the city. Now, just these shackles and a few signs bear witness to the heinous activity that happened here.

By the time we arrived at our campsite in Waveland, it was dark and misting. Thankfully the campground was well lit so we were able to see as we set up camp. When we arrive at a camp, we both have certain jobs to do. We work together to unload the motorcycles then our individual chores begin. After getting the trailer in the right spot and level, Bill deploys the stabilizers, places the wheel chocks behind the trailer wheels, unhooks the trailer from the truck, connects the electricity, secures the propane tank to the trailer, attaches the kitchen shelf to the trailer, clips a tarp over our sleeping canvas, sets out our lawn chairs and table, stores the motorcycle tie-downs, and refills our water jugs. Cy’s tasks begin with removing the motorcycle wheel chocks from the trailer floor. Then she sweeps the floor, unrolls the carpet, extends our sleeping canvas and makes our bed, transfers our clothing tubs from the truck to the trailer, sets up the pantry shelf, removes the Velcro strips that secure our belongings as we travel, and connects the television.

Our television reception varies greatly, depending on the proximity of a city and the campsite’s terrain. At several sites, we haven’t received any channels. At a few campgrounds, we have had over 10 channels. Granted, some of these stations were home shopping or in Spanish. While they were watchable, they were not of general interest to us. At times, we have splurged on a few DVDs. We set a limit of $5 maximum for a movie. Thankfully, Walmart and Dollar General have decent cinema selections under our budget limit. We have seen such gems as Jumanji, Gone With the Wind, the original theatrical releases of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. While we enjoyed these films, we really liked 42, about Jackie Robinson and his experience as the first Black baseball player in major league baseball. Watching this movie about segregation while touring the South made it even more impactful. If you haven’t watched 42, we highly recommend the film.

In New Orleans, we learned about the city’s multicultural population through its food on a Doctor Gumbo Food Tour. Our knowledgeable guide pointed out how the people of New Orleans changed the culture and the foods of New Orleans. Because of its location on the Mississippi River, New Orleans became home to several diverse populations including Choctaw Indians, French and Spanish settlers (later called Creoles), Irish, German, and Italian immigrants, formerly enslaved people from Africa and the West Indies, ‘Kaintucks’ from the Ohio River Valley, and Acadians from Nova Scotia (eventually called Cajuns). When these people settled in New Orleans, they blended their food traditions and seasonings with the available produce and proteins to become the culinary melting pot that is New Orleans. On our food tour, we sampled gumbo, muffuletta and po’boy sandwiches, pralines, turtle soup, and bread pudding. On our own, we had more gumbo, beignets, red beans and rice, étouffée, and crawfish pie. Really, all we did was eat!

In addition to eating, we toured the must-see National World War II Museum.

We spent several hours at the museum and could have stayed for several more. Unlike other museums we have experienced, this one seeks to capture the voices of the people involved in the conflict. Each exhibit had personal items displayed along with a story or account of the owner. These personal histories were moving and thought provoking. Our hearts were grieved by the reality that some very vocal Americans today scorn our Constitutional freedoms and actively embrace the failed socialist ideals that their grandparents’ and great grandparents’ generations battled to defeat over 75 years ago. So many died to preserve freedom, yet our nation seems to be sliding toward ‘cancel culture’ and socialism. The contrast between then and now was stark. We pray it won’t take another war to defeat those ideas which destroy freedom.

Fredric Arnold crafted this cast bronze piece from his personal experience flying P-38’s in combat over North Africa, Italy, and Sicily. After six months of missions, he was one of the few men left from his aviation class. The lighter airmen figures portray the spirits of pilots killed on previous missions. More than 88,000 U.S. airmen died during the war. Mr. Arnold completed this moving sculpture at age 94 and he died two years later.

We planned to stay at our campsite in Waveland for five nights; however, we didn’t plan on Hurricane Zeta. Since the hurricane was predicted to hit the park, we left a few days early and headed to Florida. We were glad we did. The storm’s high winds caused significant power outages and some structural damage. Our little Intech Flyer home would not have stood a chance!

The gulf on our last night in the area. Two nights later, the hurricane hit here.

Lesson Learned: Stay off Bourbon Street after 3:00 pm, especially in a large vehicle!

Almost time for us to leave Bourbon Street. After 3:00 pm, the French Quarter becomes very crowded with an interesting mix of eclectic people .

Praying that Jesus shines brightly in New Orleans and that people there accept His gift of life.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUPkvv4H0V0

Tag: #NatchezTraceParkway

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