Moving on Down the Road


Friday, May 31,2019

Knowing that we had a long way to go today meant we had an early departure.  By 8:00 we were back on the Natchez Trace Parkway, ‘moving on down the road’.

The drive continued to be an easy one.  The Parkway is reasonably flat with gentle curves and easy to navigate at the posted speed limit of 50 mph.  Our distance today could not have been accomplished on the Skyline Drive or on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We had time to stop and tour the grounds of the Mount Locust Inn and Plantation.  Mount Locust was built in 1780 originally as a corn farm and later becoming a cotton Plantation.  At its peak it had 51 slaves.  During the period from 1805 to the mid 1820’s their house was turned into a ‘stand’ (crude inn) where weary travelers were able to stay on their way north on the Old Trace.  Twenty-five cents got you a meal of corn mush and milk with sleeping arrangements on the porches.  Later they built a separate four room annex.  Mount Locust is one of the oldest structures in the area.

We have traveled almost to the end of the Natchez Trace Parkway.  We are staying at Natchez State Park just outside of Natchez.  We appear to have the campground to ourselves.  It is hot!  At 6:00 pm it is still 33 degrees.

Distance Traveled = 559 km.  Wildlife Sightings = Red Headed Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, Great Blue Heron, Cardinal, Great Egret, Brown Thrasher, Kingbird, Deer.


Sunrise from campsite at Trace State Park


Mount Locust Historical Inn


Southern Magnolia

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