Tom and Ginnie's Blog: New Orleans via Vicksburg and Natchez, Hot Springs and home

We made a dash away from St. Charles, arriving in Natchez, Mississippi after driving two days. Our first night was spent in a familiar campground in Memphis, Tennessee named T.O. Fuller State Park. This was our third stay there, always just staying overnight. It's a nice green campground with showers, laundry facilities and free ice. We've never ventured in to Memphis, just finding that its at a cross roads on our travels between Florida and Kansas or our now home in Arkansas going east to Tennessee and Virginia. The second day we drove to the Natchez Trace State Park, about 15 miles outside of Natchez. I had no expectations for Mississippi parks, but was surprised to find the park to have a very nice campground and shower house. We had a shady site with lots of space between us and our neighbors. Very nice campground. We were there for five nights and did some sight seeing driving up and down the Natchez trace parkway between Natchez and Vicksburg several times.

Natchez Trace Foot path

'Here's a pic taken of the original Natchez Trace. The path is worn down from all the traffic, thousands upon thousands of feet did this. The soil is easily eroded, as it is Loess, windblown dust from the ice age. Apparently very fertile, but erosion is a real problem, for agriculture in this area.

Old country Church

Church Interior, in use until 2010

We visited Vicksburg, taking in the Vicksburg National Military Park, the site of the siege of Vicksburg during the Civil War. Frankly, not being civil war buffs, I was getting bored until we stumbled upon the USS Cairo. This was a flat bottomed gunboat sunk by the Rebels and raised from it's watery grave a few decades ago. The state of preservation is remarkable. Touring the boat and related museum were highlights of the Military Park.

Bayou Signette State Park in Louisiana was an easy drive from Natchez and we arrived on a Tuesday and had reserved for five nights, meaning a Sunday departure. We were joining another aliner rally, this time sponsored by our home group, the LOKAT's (Lousiana,Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Texas). A few couples had arrived early and we got acquainted right away. Another couple from Arkansas joined us Wednesday to tour the Garden district in New Orleans. Thursday we spent most of our time visiting with other aliner folks and Friday joined two other couples to take the ferry from Algiers across the river to the French Quarter. We walked around a bit, checked out Cafe du Monde (long lines), and one of the group mentioned a fried chicken place that she had seen on the Food Network. We stopped at a tourist info place and the person there said it was within "walking distance". Off we went... turns out to be three miles and one of the guys (not me) came close to passing out from dehydration. I sunburned my feet, and then we stood in line to get in the place for two hours! Of course we all agreed this was the best fried chicken we ever ate. We got a $15 cab ride back (6 people and off the meter) to the French market and walked verry slowly back to the ferry for the ride back to our cars.

Garden district

Garden district, reminds me of Savannah

Our tour group

The line to get in - 2 hours long

Hot Feet

"America's best Fried Chicken"

I failed to mention the "genuine Cajun Dinner" we were served as part of the aliner rally. The sponsoring couple included a third generation Cajun who used his Mother's recipe to prepare a chicken and sausage gumbo for us. The menu included Jambalaya, Gumbo and Potato Salad (Potato salad, Cajun?). When dinner was served, a serving of potato salad was placed in the center of our bowls of gumbo, and we were advised to take a bit of potato salad with every spoonful of the gumbo. Who knew? It was delicious!

After all the fun we had in New Orleans, we pulled out Sunday morning and headed toward Hot Springs, Ar. We went a bit over half way, making our way to the south east corner of Arkansas and spent the night at an Arkansas State Park, Chicot Lake. Monday we rolled in to Brady Mountain Recreation area, a Corps of Engineers campground in the shore of lake Ouachita a few miles outside of Hot Springs.

House Boats

From our Campsite

View from our Campsite

We arrived at Brady Mountain Monday afternoon and toured Hot Springs Nation Park Tuesday. We met Howard and Cindy, fellow rally participants from New Orleans for breakfast Wednesday morning. Howard and Cindy had joined friends and family and were camped within the National Park. After finishing a late breakfast, we returned to the campground where we lazed the day away reading and loafing. Thursday morning we were up early, hitched up the camper and returned 209 miles to home. As we arrived, our letter carrier drove up and told us there had been a dead possum on our front deck, and vultures were eating it! The next morning (Friday) as I was typing this, I heard a lawnmower running, and looked out to find our neighbor cutting the grass for me. What a guy. Now all I have to do is repair the lift mechanism on the bed in our camper, wash and wax it, before putting it away and tend to more yard work. That's it for this trip.