THE Trip, THE Encore' :: Driving Natchez Trace, Day One

Copyright 2012, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

One of the bucket list items for THE Trip, THE Encore' was to drive the Natchez Trace Parkway south from Nashville Tennessee.  We actually did drive it one time several years ago, from Jackson Mississippi to Nashville, but, we were in a huge hurry due to a medical situation at home and we did not stop at the numerous pull-offs except for potty stops.  We knew we had missed much and have long wanted to repeat the experience. We had hoped that since we were leaving on this trip a few weeks earlier than our norm that we might even catch some fall color along the Trace.

The color has been spotty, but, quite sufficient.  We have stopped and hiked a little, read a bunch of signs, taken a few photos.  The photo below is soon after we hopped on the Trace just south of Nashville Tennessee.  You can see why they call it a parkway, they cut some of the "lawn" on each side of the two lane highway.  No commercial trucks are allowed on any of the Trace.  Only personal cars and RVs.  The speed limit varies from 40 to 50 MPH.  444 miles of pure quiet, beauty, buckets and buckets of history and soul healing beauty (ohhh, said it was beautiful did I??  well, it is and more).

We stopped along a slow moving stream for lunch.  The sun was out for only a few minutes longer, and it was starting to get cool, but, we did enjoy our lunch site!

Here you look down on a valley full of colorful trees.

Further south, lots of green and again, you can see that being called a "parkway" is perfect.

Some of the pull-offs had some very nice views indeed:

We stopped for the night in a Mississippi State Park, what an experience that was.  Stay tuned, I'll chat about it.




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