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January 4, 2006
Road Trip Report, Day 2
9.5 hours, 420 miles
We said goodbye to the strange-smelling Best western Richmond Suites in Shreveport at about 8:45am and got on the road. I'd had a fitful night's sleep and felt something like a cold coming on. All night long I dreamed of getting stuck in Shreveport for really convoluted reasons.
The drive across Louisana on I-20 was pretty unremarkable, but the good sight-seeing started the second we hit the Mississippi border -- the gorgeous, wide, break-taking Mississipi River. We crossed into Mississippi at Vicksburg and stopped at the very nice Visitor's Center and snapped some pictures.
From there we drove on for about an hour to Jackson, where we had lunch at Char, a nice restaurant listed in Fodor's. It's really nice on a road trip to have a real meal in a restaurant. I'm glad we're not rushing this drive.
At Jackson, we got on the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway. Allison drove while I napped, and we stopped and had an amazing half-hour walk around the Cypress Swamp. Took lots of pictures there. The silence and stillness of the swamp was relaxing, and its beauty, even in winter, was inspiring. I'm on dial-up now, but pictures will be forthcoming.
Later on down the road, we stopped in at the French Camp, where a French trader names Louis LaFleur had set up the first trading post on the Trace. Bought some honey at the gift shop and Wandered around the grounds for a little while. With 90 miles to our destination, we anxiously got back on the road.
We arrived in Tupelo just after 6pm. We're staying at a cozy little B&B here called The Mockingbird Inn. We're in the Bavaria room, which is very nice. We're resting now and about to go get some dinner. I'm feeling much better -- maybe I'm not getting sick.
Tomorrow morning: visit Elvis' childhood home, then get on the road toward Nashville and on to our next stop, Bardstown, Kentucky.
Posted by ljh at January 4, 2006 9:11 PM