To Be a Texan Or Not?

We drove from Vidalia, Louisiana yesterday morning to Livingston, Texas which is about 60 miles north east of Houston.  268 miles later we are sitting at the Escapee's Rainbow's End campground, which is a campground for Escapee members only.  But, the tug boat Sonny came by to say goodbye yesterday morning before we left.  The one thing I won't miss is the traffic on the Mississippi - at night you can hear the deep rumble of the engines as it labors to move barges up the river.  And hear it for a long long time after it's gone from view.

Many homes had Plantation sign on them

Here at the campground is the headquarters of Escapees and we want to sit with them on Monday and talk to see if it is feasible for us to switch our residency from Ohio to Texas.  We have no intention of coming back to Ohio long term, only short visits and why not see about Texas?  Since we had to drive through Texas to get back to Arizona, why not stop here?  Weird to see so many RVers with Texas plates when we know most of them are not from Texas originally.  The folks across from us are from the Columbus, Ohio area originally.  Lady I met in the laundry was from Boston, Mass. and has been full-timing for 12 years, coming back to Rainbow's End every winter.  Again, she has no intention of going back to Massachusetts, and she said she has not been back there in 6 years but she is licensed in Texas.

Many logging trucks

One of the things that stood out about our drive here yesterday - did not know that this north eastern part of the state was so hilly and mostly pine trees.  Tall oaks, lots of greenery.  Even a town we went through - Pineville, and another Woodville.   Logging trucks galore.  We thought maybe we were back in the western part of Washington.  But first, we drove through Louisiana - very pretty, lots of very poor communities, many plantations drove past.  Cotton everywhere to be picked.  And flat.  But once we got near the border of Texas, the geography changed considerably.  Crossed over a couple of lakes caused from dams being built and one was pretty flooded - saw tops of trees sticking up. Another thing we have to get used to - Texas names their roads by numbers but with an FM in front of it meaning - Farm to Market.  Our ride here from Louisisana was all state routes or national routes.  One particular road was Route 84 also known as the El Camino Real road.  For the most part was a nice drive and hardly any traffic.  Bad times only in the small towns where the roads were narrow and the pavement bumpy.

Definitely flooded

We only have plans to talk with the people-in-the-know, there is not much to see and do around here, so we will maximize our time with getting our questions answered, hopefully.  Will stay until this coming Friday and then head more west.

Visiting Natchez

Wanted to spend our last day today here with a visit to Natchez.  There is a walking tour you can do passing all the historical buildings and happenings with well marked directions placed on the pavement, or you can walk the Blues Trail which takes you by the places that play an important part in the making of the Mississippi Blues music.  Nature trails take you along the old Natchez-Under-The-Hill where thriving illicit, immoral markets were common up to 1863 and the Emancipation of Blacks.

Beautiful! On bluff overlooking Mississippi

A walk along bluffs - private homes 

Private garden 

Private home overlooking Mississippi

Natchez has done it right.  I felt such pride and respect for history in this city.  In two years the town will be celebrating it's 300th year founding (under Spanish rule then) and you can tell how everyone is sprucing up their buildings.  The gardens of some of the homes are just as amazing.  Wrought iron fencing, gates, upper balconies.  Walked along the bluff overlooking the Mississippi, saw private homes.  Some needed TLC while two others were bed-and-breakfast places.

Love the architecture

Would love to know the history

Private home

Rosalie Mansion, 1823, open for tours

As we drove around getting acclimated, we saw many private homes, some open for tours which we did not do.  The William Johnson home who was a freed slave and was famous for being the barber of Natchez and having 5 other businesses, is under the National Park protection, and it too was being painted and buffed - we think in preparation for the 300th anniversary - so we could not visit the grounds.  At the Forks-In-The-Road area, the second largest slave auctions were held in the south, the first being New Orleans, read about the history and what happened.  Sad history.  Saw some very old dilapidated homes, and if they could speak, would love to hear their history.  Have many pictures of historical buildings, won't bore you.

Holly Hedges - 1830 - for daughter of Melrose Mansion's owner
(wedding gift)

William Johnson home (back of)

Texada, first brick building of Mississippi 1792

We leave in the morning for Livingston, Texas, staying at the Escapee's headquarters campground to talk about mail service, etc.  Natchez has been a great town to visit and I would love to come back someday.

Sites Around Natchez

Only have 3 days to sight see so we took advantage of the 80 degrees and sunny skies and headed out.  As we traveled the Natchez Parkway the day we came here we had passed a couple of sights and wanted to go back to see them.  Our first stop was to Mount Locust, also known as Locust Inn and Plantation, the oldest original structure still standing in the Natchez area. Built in 1780 along the Natchez Trace and only 10 miles from the town of Natchez, it was originally built as a farm/plantation but with the increasing numbers of boatmen known as "Kaintucks" who were returning from floating their goods down the Ohio to Mississippi to New Orleans, selling the boat and all and returning by land on the Trace, the travelers compelled the owners to turn their home into a 'stand' which was a crude inn.  A place to spend the night and have a meal was a welcome sight to the returning Kaintucks. According to records the traveler paid $.25 for meal and place to sleep, in today's value it would be $3.37!  Mount Locust is the only remaining inn of 50 that once thrived along the 444 miles of the Natchez Trace.

Mount Locust/Locust Inn and Plantation
furnished in 1805 period pieces

Amazing to see the home, walk the grounds and see the slave cemetery as well as the family's cemetery plots, envision what life would have been like in the early 1800s.  From there we drove closer to Natchez on the Parkway and stopped at an interpretive sign about Loess soil, something we learned about back in Nebraska.

Can't escape from the Loess!

Then on to Emerald Mound, second largest Indian mound in North America, the biggest is located in Cahokia, Illinois.  Dating back to 1200 to 1730 CE, this mound is huge!  Archaeological excavations over the years have determined that there were 3 mounds at this location, used for ceremonial as well as burial grounds.  Explorer Hernando de Soto passed through this area in 1540 and described these mounds in his journals.

This is from the first level of the mound - looking down at car

From the Mound we traveled back into Natchez and went to the Natchez National Historical Park, Melrose, and toured the 1841 - what is considered to be the finest home in the Natchez region - Greek Revival-style home. Very opulent and as the journals of the McMurran owners stated it was furnished with "all that fine taste and a full purse" could provide.  Rich, rich, rich.  And of course they had slaves to tend to the wishes of the family from cooking, cleaning, laundry, taking care of the children, tending to the yards and gardens, tending the horses and cattle, etc.  I have to say - I was amazed at the grandiose of the home but turned off by it.  Too gaudy for my taste but showed how the rich folks lived.  I stopped taking pictures after the first two rooms, just was stunned at the fru-fru.  So - 60 years ago the Locust Inn was built and served travelers and then Melrose was built to serve it's owner and family. What a difference!  I felt at home and pictured myself at Mount Locust instead of Melrose.

Mahogany punkah over table - slave pulled rope
so it could swing back and forth and keep flies away

Gold

Exterior under renovation - heated by 10 fireplaces, one in each room, 
no kitchen (other building)
slave quarters in another, laundry, dairy, all in other buildings

And last, we traveled just a couple miles from the Melrose mansion and within the city limits visited the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians.  Again, depicted the culture and ceremonial practices,  walking tour of the mounds of the Natchez Indians who lived in the area as early as 1200.  French settlers around 1700 described the life and ceremonies of this village.  Have since learned that in this area alone there are over 200 known Indian mounds, some have been dated back 3500 years ago!

Indian huts made out of mud and grasses

Camping Beside Mississippi River

We did not travel far yesterday, the closest of all our trips ever.  A whopping 86 miles.  From Vicksburg to Natchez, Mississippi only we crossed over and sitting in Vidalia, Louisiana.  4 years ago we wanted to camp at the Mark Twain Campground, also on the river, but in Memphis, Tennessee.  However, it was under water.  I am sure it is open now, but we are not 'north', we are working our way south and to the west, heading towards Picacho, Arizona.

We traveled the Natchez Parkway to the southern terminus (end/starting point) and hopped over the bridge in Natchez to here.  Since we knew what to expect on the parkway, we relaxed and just enjoyed the 50 mile an hour speed.  Did the best mileage per gallon of the trip, 11.2!  Now - we are sitting here watching tug boats with barges drift up and down the river.  Really cool!  Looking for Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn to float by any day.  We can only stay here till Friday, there is a large rally coming in and they have booked the entire campground.  That's okay - we will head to Livingston, Texas from here.

No cars - but did have radar set up??

Near southern terminus of Parkway

Crossing Mississippi for last time - BIG!

Going up river

Going up and down - busy river

Sonny is busy - up and down all day

View out our front window - there is Sonny again!

Coffee and Donut Search in Vicksburg

Impossible to find a coffee shop, donut shop, restaurant that serves breakfast, go sightseeing at museums in Vicksburg on a Sunday.  Zilch open.  We mosied over to the Welcome Center right as you cross over the Mississippi River from Louisiana to Mississippi to ask what is open on Sunday.

We wanted to get coffee and a couple of donuts and go sit and watch the river traffic this morning.  Went in search of donuts at a chain called Shipley's Donuts - not open.  Then went into the old historic district of downtown Vicksburg where we remembered seeing a couple of coffee shops - not open.  Museums on the river not open.  Casinos were open but we did not want to go in.

Overlook from Mississippi side to Louisiana

Pilot house up on stilts to see over to front of barges

Pre-Civil War Home

Pre-Civil War home 

Did find two overlooks and watched an ocean going tug push barges up river.  Current was very strong and very muddy.  Drove around town looking for somewhere we could get breakfast and saw lots of Waffle Houses, packed, and that was it.  I had eaten at one of those years ago and had gotten sick, so we by-passed it.  Drove in and around the city, saw mansions, antebellum homes, very impressive.  I do not know anything about this city other than the Civil War battle in 1863, but Vicksburg could be so much more - relating it to Savannah, Georgia and all the mansions and old homes in the heart of the city.

Lots of homes behind gates 

Historic area of downtown Vicksburg

Ended up at the grocery store where we picked up (they don't eat donuts or breakfast in this town is what we were told by the lady at the visitor center!) a pre-made lemon cake.  Oh well.  Made coffee back at the RV and had the cake.

Tomorrow we are heading down about 70 miles to Natchez, Mississippi and actually will camp for a few days in Vidalia, Louisiana which is on the west side of the river.  Glad to leave Mississippi.  Very sad area.  Never felt our safety in jeopardy, but such poverty. Another thing we will be glad to leave behind - the campground is next door to a Veterinarian hospital.  First thing in the morning when who ever gets to the clinic, they must let the dogs out in their runs out back.  And the mournful howling begins - "please let me go home!" Oh so sad!

Traveling the Natchez Trace Parkway

The Natchez Trace Parkway extends from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi - a distance of 444 miles long.  We are near one of the entrance points of the Parkway and traveled south for about 40 miles, stopping along the way to look at interpretive signs, actually walk the old trace road, see ruins.  If you wanted a non-stop way to get from Nashville to Natchez, this is the way to do it.  No lights, no towns to pass through, no stop and go.  There was very little traffic on our portion, no trucks or commercial vehicles are permitted, only cars, motorcycles, and RVs.  Seriously thinking of taking the Parkway to Natchez (our next stop) when we leave here in a few days.

Today's Trace

Today's Trace runs parallel to Old Trace

Green, lush forests, this trace is the original road that the Choctow, Natchez, and Chickasaw Indians used in traveling.  The French and Spanish used the road to move inland and the early pioneers used this road also move goods to New Orleans.  The Parkway at times uses the same path where most of the original Trace runs parallel to the modern Parkway.  We were able to hike a few places where the Old Trace is still in existence.  Saw an abandoned town - Rocky Springs - where only the church and cemetery remain.

Humbled 

Old Trace - Rocky Springs town

Old Church left at Rocky Springs 

Walked an area that is called Sunken Trace - felt that we were 15 feet down below today's ground level.  Weird.

Sunken Trace

One sensory we had - who mows this land?  Lots and lots of grass.  Another is in the old days malaria was a major problem - lots of bayous and bottom lands.

One stop we did was visit the Windsor Ruins, a magnificent home built in 1859 to 1861 and burned to the ground in 1890.  How sad.  All that stands are the 23 of the 29 forty foot columns that supported the roof.  Mark Twain had visited this mansion and stood on it's upper floors and watched the traffic on the Mississippi.       We will visit the Parkway again as we move more south.