Day Nine: New York to Texas, Our Off Highway Travels on the Natchez Trace Parkway

Eric & I return to the
Natchez Trace Parkway
on November 16th.

121 miles to Tupelo

This sign warns us of

 a lane closure ahead.

Eric & I wait with the
construction worker
for about five minutes.

We follow the Pilot Car

through the Work Zone.

Eric thinks this is a
paving job.

No... Dirt is being added to the

 edge of the road to create

a soft road shoulder.

Eric & I are confused by
this sign....

There's a dotted line at the
center of the road that means
passing is allowed here.




The newly applied and rolled out dirt at the edge of the road is easy to see.

Bicyclists may use a full traffic

lane on the Natchez Trace

 Parkway.

A truck & AirStream Trailer
are stopped in on of the many
roadside pull-offs





They are essential on this narrow two lane road with little to no road shoulders.

I search the edge of fields

for wildlife.

No Deer sightings so far.....

Eric & I pass by groomed
fields...

... stands of roadside trees.

We drive over one of the
roads that allow access
to the Parkway.

Cattle graze in nearby

fields.

It's a lot easier to spot domesticated animals.  They are fenced in and aren't moving...

A truck & Horse Trailer
travels north.

All the bridges that span the

Natchez Trace Parkway are

at least 14 feet tall.

This Cruise America Rental
RV is also headed north.

The Tennessee River

The Mississippi

State Line

Eric and I, along with many others grew up spelling Mississippi this way:
M-I-Crooked Letter-Crooked Letter-I-Crooked Letter-Crooked Letter-I-
Hump Back-Hump Back-I.

This bicyclist is taking a short

break at the side of the road.

We pull off the road a 269.4 miles

to see Confederate Graves

& The Old Trace. 

Eric looks at the line of graves.

No one knows who the 

soldiers were.

Our next stop:  The Visitor Center

One of the many displays about

The Trace & its long history.

The Visitor Center's Introductory Film provides a concise overview of history of The Trace and of its uses: a trail between Native American communities; later used by European settlers and for American Army troop movements during the War of 1812.

Eric leaves the Natchez Trace

to get fuel in Tupelo.

Elvis Presley fans flock here

to see his Birthplace at
306 Presley Drive.

Murphy's Express has diesel

fro $2.44 per gallon.

We are using an outer
pump.

The fill was very
slow.......

I am driving this leg of

today's journey.

Eric's signature photo of his

feet, propped up on the

dashboard.

He takes pictures of

sunlight streaming

through the trees.

Mile Marker 195...

A motorcycle heading north.

.9 miles to Jeff Busby Park
has a Picnic Area & free
Campground.






Thomas Jefferson Busby is the Mississippi Congressman who envisioned a Parkway that allows access to the historic Trace Trail, its historic sites and natural areas.

This free campground has no water, electric or sewer hookups.  A restroom available for campers' use.

The map of the Picnic Area &

Campground are on the sign.

This is an efficient way to
 orient visitors.

We are parked in a drive

through site, at the edge

of a hill.

Eric is very pleased with our perfectly leveled motorhome.  I opened our driver's side slides to make our night's stay roomy and comfortable.  There is a hole in the trees to the south of the motorhome and we accessed DirecTV's satellites.  Our evening will be spent catching up on the day's news and watching our favorite sitcoms.