On the Trace



From Janie:

 

October 25 and 26, on the Natchez Trace Parkway.

 

According to the National Park Service, The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444-mile drive through exceptional scenery and 10,000 years of North American history.  We rode about 165 miles of the southern part, from Koscuisko to Clinton, then Clinton to where the Parkway ends at Natchez MS.

 

Two lanes of pavement, no shoulders, no commercial traffic.  Few cars.  No dogs.  Beautiful scenery.

 

 Early morning on the Trace.

[Photo by Peter Doran]

Thursday morning, Jody and I rode 0.3 miles from the hotel, turned left and were on the Parkway, riding into morning fog.  It was cool, but not cold.  Quiet and beautiful.  We rode together for most of the day.

 

Jody and Janie, riding the Trace. 

[Photo by Peter Doran]

The pavement was smooth, the grades gentle and the curves constant.  At no place on the Parkway can you see for more than about a quarter of a mile.  That, combined with the low speed limit of 55, diverts all but casual traffic off the Parkway.  We saw some traffic near Jackson, but not much.

Jody, Janie and the morning fog on the Trace. 

[Photo by Peter Doran]

 

There are many working farms along the Trace.  We saw cattle, hay fields, horses, a few houses.  Occasional side roads.  Many historical markers and other informational signs and sites posted by the National Park Service.

 

Jody and his new friends. 

[Photo by Peter Doran]

 

Curious cow. 

[Photo by Peter Doran]

 

On Thursday, we rode for about 45 miles, then diverted to Canton, Mississippi, where Peter and I ate at the buffet then lounged in the sun, while Jody attended the local Rotary meeting.  We then got back on the Natchez Trace Parkway to ride the rest of that day's 75 miles ride.  Temperatures rose into the low 80's.  Jody and I rode an unsupported eight mile stretch which was closed to cars because of roadbed erosion under one of the lanes of the Parkway.  Peter and The Little Darkness had a quick detour around on adjoining highways, while Jody and I rode where only cyclists were allowed.  I got in the car after 67.25 miles, rode the rest of the way into Clinton.

 

Jody and I then went to the Visitor's Center, where we met a lovely couple working there.  They are probably ten or so years older than Jody.  The husband is a cyclists, so we talked about the Parkway, gave him the web address to this blog and hoped to see him the next morning.  His wife gave us her map of Louisiana when we said that's where we were headed.  Very friendly folk.  We looked for him on the Parkway the next day, but were probably down the road earlier than he was.  He had the luxury of waiting for the weather to warm up - Jody was looking at a 90 mile ride.

 

We had overcast skies on Friday, with the temperature hovering around 60 degrees.  Good riding weather.  I rode three separate legs, with Peter jumping me ahead and Jody chasing.  Ninety miles to ride, followed by a nearly four hour drive to New Orleans for a rest weekend.

 

We stopped at one of the roadside picnic areas for a quick lunch:

Where lunch was served on Friday. 

[Photo for my sister and her family]

 

We saw only a couple of spots of kudzu on the Parkway.  As we got farther south, we saw more and more Spanish Moss, which is not really moss, hanging in the air, draped on Live Oaks.

 

Spanish Moss in the Live Oaks

 

Along the Parkway, there were many places to stop and look and explore.  Along one stretch of swamp, there were several women painting outdoors.

Thinking of LaVerne.

[Photo by Peter Doran]

 

We've seen lots of Halloween decorations in the small towns and small cities we've passed through, and we would see more costumes in New Orleans over the weekend.  But nothing has rivaled the field of tall grass, cottoned with spiderwebs, glistening in the morning sunlight, that we saw along the Parkway.  Jody and I were flying along when Peter flagged us down to see this:

Halloween comes early on The Trace

[Photo by Peter Doran]

 

Two days of quiet, peaceful riding.  Mississippi at its most beautiful.  We also saw Mike Ehredt of Hope, ID, who is running across American in honor of Americans who have died in the war in Afghanistan.  He's pushing a stroller filled with flags, which he is leaving along the way.  We didn't get a picture (we didn't know who he was when we passed him), but here is a link to his website:  Project America Run. Very interesting project.

 

Janie and Jody, riding out of the morning fog. 

[Photo by Peter Doran]

A child born to a Black mother in a state like Mississippi... has exactly the same rights as a white baby born to the wealthiest person in the United States. It's not true, but I challenge anyone to say it is not a goal worth working for.
     ~Thurgood Marshall