Day 2: 132 Miles
Starting location: Bowling Green, Kentucky – 67 degrees
Ending location: Meriwether Lewis Campground – Natchez Trace Parkway – 72 degrees
Weather: Grey overcast
Roads: Dry
We had a blessedly quiet night and awoke to a foggy morning. I put on my coat to take Dottie out for her potty walk, and low and behold, the temperature had risen about 10 degrees since I went to bed! I took the coat off, breathed in the soft humid air, and walked Dottie in the field to do her business in short sleeves! What a blessing in December!
Making my morning coffee in the AeroPress, I remembered Sally asking me about the inverted method, so decided to give it a second try. I botched it all up when I flipped the container, and spilled the entire thing all over the counter and myself. (Don’t feel badly, Sally, please. This was operator error.) I still find grounds periodically. Where do they hide? I will stick with the upright method for now; and have dubbed the incident the “Inverted Coffee Battle”.
Cleaning up the mess had taken quite a bit of time, so I decided to forgo the oatmeal and just grabbed a granola bar for the road. After filling the gas tank at the corner stop, I needed to stop at Kroger. My spray bottle for rinsing dishes had stopped working (this saves boatloads of water which is my most precious resource in Clarice); Dottie did not have a nylar bone (God forbid!); and, I had used a lot of my paper towel supply with the mess. So, after picking up those items, we hit I-65 towards Nashville following just after the rush hour traffic.
The drive was non-eventful and finally after a little more than an hour (76 miles), we arrived at the northern terminus of the Natchez Trace Parkway!
Starting the Trace
Heading south on the Trace, there are stops about every three, or even less, miles. One of the most iconic stops on the Trace is the first one heading south. It is this double arched bridge which goes over TN-96 highway. Now, when I see a bridge like this, I want a river; but, it was just a road.
What Exactly is the Trace?
If you are like me, you may never have heard of the Natchez Trace. While, clearly it is a beautiful drive through natural scenery from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi; why does it exist? It’s not a mountain range like the Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s not a pilgrimage like the Camino de Santiago. There are some beautiful rolling hills, but no mountains and no spiritual meaning, per se.
The Trace is literally an ancient roadway that has been used for centuries. Yes, really, CENTURIES! More to come on the centuries, part in a subsequent post. It was used to move people, mail, slaves, Native American’s being forced from their lands, goods, Pioneers and even armies. When you walk on the trace, there is the sense that you are connected to the ancestors of the land. It is quite moving.
Our next stop on the Trace was Garrison Creek which is named for a nearby 1801-02 US Army post. Since Dottie and I needed to stretch our legs, we took a short hike to an overlook.
Relearning History on the Natchez Trace
As we stopped at the various pull outs and read the signs, one thing became very apparent. It was time to learn some American history in more detail. While, I had taken my US history in high school like every other Rockford student, it really wasn’t very interesting and I did not retain that much of it. Honestly, Mr. Bolt was pretty boring. I find it more interesting now, and want to learn more about it.
The next stop, was about the War of 1812. I had to look up why we even fought this war. The main reasons listed were maritime rights and the US’s desire to expand. Here is what the monument says in relation to the Trace.
There are many rivers that intersect the area throughout the Trace’s path. Since travelers would need to cross these rivers safely, the Gordon family made an arrangement with the Chickasaw tribe to run a trading post and ferry on the Duck river in the early 1800’s. It was on Chickasaw land. They built a home at the location finishing in 1818; and it is one of the few remaining buildings on the Trace. Sadly, John Gordon died shortly after it was finished. His wife, Dorthea, remained until 1859 when she died.
Jackson Falls
One of only two waterfalls along the Trace is Jackson Falls. To give you some idea about how many stops I made before the falls, the northern terminus starts at milepost 444 (it goes down to 0 in Natchez). The falls are at 404.7. So, approximately 40 miles and all the topics above. There are some I did not include or this would be terribly long.
On the hike to the falls, I ran into some remaining flowers! They are a little worse for wear, but the first flowers I have seen since starting south. These are under a ledge and well protected from any frost that might come.
Trail of Tears
One of the tragic pieces of US history is how we treated the Native Americans. The Cherokee people were forcibly moved from their native lands in the southeast to the west (Oklahoma) over several different routes. One of the routes taken was down the Natchez Trace Trail.
Meriwether Lewis
If I had not had enough history yet, I spent the night at the Meriwether Lewis campground. This is the area where Lewis, of the infamous Lewis and Clark, died. Interestingly, the body is entombed here, the building where he died still exists, but there does not seem to be any indication of how he died in the signage. He was spending the night in the Grinder House and this is where he died.
Using our wonderful search tools on the internet, here is a link to an article on History.com that is helpful. The short story appears to be suicide. I guess we all get depressed at times.
It is intentional that the memorial is broken at the top. This signifies that the person buried here had their life cut short.
Love hearing about your travels and seeing your pictures! Looks like you’re enjoying it!
Thanks, Sue! Having a blast!
Love your posts! And appreciate the photos and history:)
I love the historical anecdotes, flower photos, and even the aeropress inverted incident! Thanks for writing these and sharing your journey! Miss you. Sally
Thanks Sally! I’m so glad you are enjoying the writings. It’s too funny, but I am still finding the occasional coffee grounds!
Miss you, too!
It is fun to learn more about history, and see pictures. Have a safe and fun trip. Happy New Year 2022!!