Along the Natchez Trace, MS

Cave Spring - Along the Natchez Trace, MS

Saturday, May 12 -Trace State Park, Tupelo MS - 180.2 Miles Today, 1621.7 For the Trip

I've missed gardening - I have a large vegetable garden in Oswego that I grow lots of squash, tomatoes, peppers, and about every other vegetable I can do in the climate, but because of traveling, haven't been able to do for the last two years. I got a chance to "dig in" yesterday - Cathy bought some tomato & pepper plants so we planted them. Have to say I like Oswego's soil better. Her garden is in the typical red clay soil in the area. Although she has worked stuff into it, I now really appreciate the rocky loam of my garden.

Another "new" thing - I met my first fire ant. Now I had always thought that they were big ants like our local carpenter ants. Well, they are only big by reputation. This little red ant crawled across my fingers & when it got squeezed between them I learned why they are called fire ants. Wow, I can't imagine what running into a nest of them must be like - it hurt!

I survived, the plants are in & for dinner I was treated to pizza at the Mellow Mushroom restaurant in Huntsville, an interesting place that serves hundreds of micro brews. Both the beer & the pizza were great.

This morning I headed for the Natchez Trace. I have always wanted to drive it, but wasn't planning to on this trip because I was heading to Florida after Cathy's. Since I'm running late, I decided to skip Cedar Key and head more directly to The Woodlands, TX to see my sister in law.

My GPS decided to take me off US 72 for a tour through many of Huntsville's housing developments, then back on US 72 after getting the other side of the city. I have a feeling the aviod highways setting is causing the problem, but only the GPS (and Garmin) knows.

I only made one stop on the upper part of the Trace to photograph Cave Spring, and reached Trace State Park around 12:45. I called Don, the person that wanted to look at the Escape, and he and Cheryl met me at the campsite in the park. It started to rain while they were there & we all reminisced about the joys of tenting in the rain. After they left the rain got heavier, but now (about 5:30) it has stopped. It did drive away the tenters in the site next to mine, but they left a smoky fire...

There are some more photos of the Cave Spring & the campsite at today's LakeshoreImages page. (By the way, the reservation through Reserve America worked fine, although the organization at the park is pretty basic. As I entered they gave me a sticker for the window and waved me on - no map, directions, instructions, etc.)

Time for thinking about dinner.  Till tomorrow -