November 3, 2009 – Tip of the Hat to Jill

We spent an extra day in Nashville on Sunday. It was basically just to kick back, watch NASCAR/football, and take the dog for a long walk.

On Monday, we buttoned everything up and headed southwest. Our friend Jill had highly recommended the Natchez Trace Parkway, so we wanted to experience it. The Trace runs from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. It actually begins some forty miles southwest of Nashville, but we all have some idea of where Nashville is. Few of us can locate the intersection of TN 100 and McCrory Lane, where the Parkway actually begins.

The Trace was everything Jill had said it would be. The only downside was “fall” had peaked a couple of weeks earlier. Combine that with a couple of strong storms and a lot of leaves were on their way to being mulch. All considered, it was a lovely drive. We stopped for some photos and took a couple of walks along the “Old Trace”. Being a parkway, the speed limits varied between 45 and 50 MPH, and there was very little traffic. The drive was relaxing.

Out of Tennessee, through the corner of AL and into Mississippi we drove. Tishomingo is a state park just inside of the MS/AL border. Carol and I had discussed camping in Tishomingo. The description of the park was very inviting, but it was still early in the day when we got there. Regardless, we went in for a look-see. My initial reaction was to stay, but if we stayed Monday evening, I would want to stay another day minimum. I was conflicted because we don’t have anything we really want to see between here and home, so let’s just head on home. I kept my thoughts to myself and asked Carol what she wanted to do. She was ambivalent, leaving the decision to me. We finished our tour and headed back to the Trace. For me, home had won out.

Back on the Trace, I told Carol about my thoughts on camping. She was in agreement. We both acknowledge there are many things we still want to see, but we don’t have the time remaining to visit areas the way we want to. So let’s just have an easy ride home. That being settled, where to go for the night? Carol found another campground about another 100 miles down the road. Jeff Busby campground has 17 campsites, but since Tishomingo was empty when we drove through it, we weren’t worried. Additionally, the campground has no services and no attractions. Why would you want to stay there? It was dark when we reached the campground. And, it was packed. There was no way to see where the campsite were or if they were empty other then to have Carol walk in front of the RV, flashlight in hand, making a visual search. We took the last spot available, an ugly little pull through, but it worked and it was only one night. You can set up really quickly when you don’t have to connect to shore power, run hoses for water and disconnect the Dakota. We just stopped, dropped the leveling jacks and we were done.

Then it was time to walk the dog, eat some dinner, read our books and go to bed. See you in the morning.