Nachez Trace

Today is the day that we will finally ride our abbreviated stretch of the Natchez Trace. We ride to Tupelo and agree that we will skip seeing Elvis Presley's birthplace. There are 3 areas of the Trace defined by the types of trees you see. We are in the northern section which is mostly deciduous trees. This is a national road and no commercial traffic is allowed. This means no trucks. It is a sightseeing road with a 50 mph speed limit. However from time to time we are tailgated by a local driver who is using the road for his commute and is in a hurry. The road is very well maintained but is hilly and curvy which means passing opportunities for the locals are limited. There are many pullouts for viewing different signs that give information about historical events or locations and also for scenic views, waterfalls, etc. The trace was originally an animal trail which was used by the Indians. When the white men came to the area they also used it and the government finally used it as a postal route. Many farmers used the Mississippi river to float their harvest down river to New Orleans. They had no way to go back up the river so they walked or rode horses hundreds of miles back up the trace to get home with their money. Naturally there were several robbers that also used the trace to prey on the returning farmers. Once the steamboat was invented it quickly became the preferred way home and the trace was no longer used. Merriwether Lewis of Lewis & Clark fame died on the trace of poisoning and is buried at Grinder's Stand on the northern part of the trace. Because we are riding on a road lined with trees on both sides we find that the temperature is 3-4 degrees cooler than the roads beside the trace. We left the trace twice, once for gas and the other time for a BBQ picture in Alabama. At the end of the trace we also took a BBQ picture in Tennessee and then continued northwest toward Paducah, Kentucky. We stopped for a sandwich in Tennessee and found out that there was a BBQ restaurant a couple of miles away just across the Kentucky border so we rode there for our Kentucky picture. Then we continued on and found a state park just before Paducah. We stayed there for the night and were entertained by fireflies. It was still hot and humid but much nicer than the weather in Mississippi. There was also a laundry there and we took advantage of it to get all of our clothes clean again. Tomorrow we should be in Kansas and we may catch up with the rest of our group.