April 10, 2012 Vicksburg to Tupelo

We stopped and stayed at Natchez State Park for 2 nights, this is a wonderful state park only about 11 miles north of Natchez.  We had water and electric, there was a dump station and the cost was $26 for 2 nights!  What a deal!  Some of the highlights of these 2 days were:

Ø Windsor Ruins – WOW, here are ruins of one of the largest antebellum homes in the state of Mississippi, that survived the civil war, but burnt to the ground because a guest dropped a cigarette into some construction debris on the third floor during a party.  It is very eerie to look at these columns still standing where the flora and fauna are taking over.

Ø Went to Lorman, MS on the advice of Lisa and Murphy Matthews to the Old Country Store.  Oh my – it is an old graying building, looks kind of like an old warehouse, when you go in (they open at 11) it looks like an antique shop – the walls and ceiling are lined with shelves and shelves of antiques – from dolls to dishes, from weapons to farm implements, toys to…you get the picture!  It is all buffet, and has been featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives, because of Mr D, who is famous for his fried chicken!  I must say that after I had the first bite, I had to agree, it was totally the best fried chicken I ever ate!  There was salads, all made from scratch, the potato was very close to mine, excellent, apple butter, cole slaw, about any kind of salad and pickle you’d want – and the hot table, besides the chicken, there were pork chops, with bell pepper & onion, and without, ribs, with and without a marvelous sauce, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, green beans with bacon, black eyed peas, creamed corn, mashed potatoes and two kinds of gravy, watermelon, pudding, and of course we had to share a blackberry cobbler with ice cream…

Ø We toured some Indian Mounds which were interesting ONLY if you read the book – they just looked like a big football field with a ring of dirt around them, planted with grass. 

Ø Sunken Trace – the Natchez Trace Parkway had its beginnings from peoples feet over many years, which is actually sunken into the ground – this is called the ‘old trace’ and when you stop at these areas and walk into the woods just a little bit you get a sense of just how rugged those pioneers were to endure the hardship of this travel.  We stopped at many turn outs to read information, and see what there was to see.

Ø We detoured to Vicksburg for a couple days where we stayed at the Ameristar Casino RV Park for 3 days, so we were not on the road for Easter.  We toured the Vicksburg National Military Park – we got in free with our Access pass, went to the visitor center, watched a movie, bought the auto tour cd, began our tour.  It is a 16 mile tour, encompassing 20 miles of reconstructed trenches and earthworks, 1,325 historic monuments and markers.  With the audio tour, it explains what happened where and you feel like you are really there.  In the park is also the USS Cairo (an ironclad that was sunk), and Vicksburg National Cemetery.  Here are a few pics, but they do not do it justice – if you ever get near Vicksburg, you owe it to yourself to go and experience this!

Ø While in Vicksburg we toured more antebellum homes, had a wonderful lunch at a little place called The Tomato Patch, and had Easter dinner at the buffet at the casino.  It was fantastic – all the normal stuff, prime rib, fried shrimp, ribs, etc., etc….

Ø Toured the USS Battleship Museum - $5 donation and excellent models of all the different types of ships that ply the Mississippi.  Also included a movie about the siege of Vicksburg, told from peoples journals that survived it.

Ø Toured the riverfront mural area – and a terrific children’s park! 

Ø Monday, April 9 we went up the trace and spent the night at Jeff Busby National campground – no hook-ups, very dark, but nice for a change.  It really is too tough to do much boondocking with the oxygen that David needs!  We hate running the generator so much.

Ø While at Jeff Busby we toured “French Camp” and had lunch at the historic café there.  I had potato soup and David had chili, and we shared a ‘monster’ BLT on homemade bread!  They have a sorghum festival every fall, where they make syrup and molasses, very similar to the Maple Festival in Meyersdale, PA in the spring! 

Ø We arrived here in Tupelo, MS April 10^th – which brings us up to date once again!