A hot, sunny Monday in June
We were leaving Nashville after attending the Country Music Associations week long festivities...CMA Fest. However, the next stage of our road trip was going to be as far removed from the music, the activities and events we had just witnessed that you could probably get. We were at the Northern entrance to the Natchez Trace Parkway, a 444 mile roadway passing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi.
Maintained by the National Park Service, the route follows close to the original trace all the way from South Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi, along a two lane road which is barred to commercial vehicles. The original route has seen it's fair share of history and from the native American Indians to the War of Independence through to the American Civil war the trail has been used to travel through the area. Evidence of this would be found along our journey with a number of stop offs with monuments, burial sites and natural beauty spots to take in.
Conveniently by the start of the Parkway was the infamous Loveless cafe, serving its traditional Southern breakfasts. This set us up well for the long journey ahead and in turn allowed us to experience a warm friendly southern welcome with a homely, family atmosphere being evident in the restaurant. The cafe is reknown for its hot biscuits and they were certainly the nicest we had ever eaten during our time in the US.Our journey nearly got off to a bad start as I approached the entrance to the route at a bit too excessive speed and was greeted by a stationary police car flashing its lights and its occupant waving at me to slow down, thankfully on this occasion the officer thought this was sufficient. The road has a restricted speed limit of 50mph which is reported to be strictly adhered to by the traffic cops. We instantly came upon the impressive Birdsong Hollow bridge, so we stopped for a quick photo opportunity, and a brief glance back to ensure the traffic officer had not decided to follow. Lesson learnt, the cruise control on our car was set to the appropriate speed and we set off, taking a short detour off the route to visit the small but picturesque town of Leipers Fork with its collection of Antique and Craft shops
Back on the trace parkway, we continued southbound along the winding tree lined route spotting wildlife along the side of the road, Snakes, Wild Turkeys and Deer. It was possibly the least stressful drive I have ever encountered, with the sun shining, the beautiful nature abound and the lack of other vehicles around, we had seen only a handful as we had travelled along. Periodically sign posts advised of an upcoming site of interest, whether that be historical, cultural or for leisure activities such as a hiking route.
Our next stop was at Jackson Falls, where a short walk into the forest led to a steep pathway down to a shallow stream where crystal clear water was cascading down over the rock face.It was so quiet the only noise being the water dropping on to the rocks at the bottom of the waterfall. We sat back and took in the peacefulness of the place, there was something therapeutic about the silence with just the rushing of water evident.Although the return trip up the slope was strenuous in the humid heat, it had been well worth it for the relaxing environment we had just encountered.
Six miles further on we stopped at a memorial area to Merriweather Lewis, the famous explorer. Uncertainty still remains about what actually happened here to cause his death in 1809, whether it be suicide or murder, a single column monument signifying his burial place.
Along the route, parts of the original old trace pathway can be visited and walked upon. It's hard to imagine that this was the first major route in the area used by Indian Natives, Explorers, Settlers and Armies making it an integral part of the regions history. In places the "Old Trace" had sunken over the years highlighting the narrowness of what was such a prominent route.
Time restrictions meant we were unable to stop at all available points of interest so we skipped some of the Picnic areas and hiking trails, which ranged from short walks into the forest through to multi mile treks for the real enthusiasts. After approximately 100 miles we crossed the state line into Alabama and stopped for a rest at Colbert Ferry. This was a large park area offering Boat launches,walks, picnic tables, Campsites and clean restrooms which as with the other stops highlighted how well the trace parkway is maintained by the Park services.The large car parks demonstrated how busy this place could be but once again we had it all to ourselves, we presumed it must be a different story on the weekends or main summer months when the locals would flock to nature spots such as this. Based on the side of the Tennessee River the stop afforded views of the magnificent John Coffee Memorial bridge stretching across the waterway.
At Tupelo we left the route for our overnight accommodation, a lakeside cabin at Tombigbee State park. Here we had the perfect evening, a glorious picturesque view, relaxing on a swing chair on the outdoor porch. As the sun set and darkness fell we experienced the flash of fire flies, followed by a deafening orchestra of insect calls, topped only by the appearance of a couple of wild raccoons nervously investigating outside our porch door.
We had travelled around 190 miles and had been on the road for around 6 hours including stops.
It had been a long but fulfilling day seeing so much variety of history, culture and nature, yet we were only part way down our journey.....more was to come
Part two to follow -Our continued journey down the Natchez Trace Parkway - Tupelo to Natchez
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