December 4, 2015 - published Dec. 12/15 cause I've been travelling!
With a good sized cold front
moving through the area, I opted for another night in a state park where I had
electricity for the little heater I am carrying. Good thinking on my part, I
woke to frost on my windows…it had gotten just a little nippy out there during
the night. I, on the other hand, stayed warm and comfortable snuggled under the
duvet. Actually, I had to get up in the middle of the night to turn down the
heat.
Back through town on a rather
confusing expressway and I was back where I’d left off yesterday. I headed
south past fields that were white with frost but the sun was shining brightly.
The first stop of the day
brought me to the site of an ancient Chickasaw Village. Nothing left of course
but the NPS has blocked out the perimeters of what was once some of the
buildings. Again I’m impressed with the work that has gone in to not only
paving the Parkway itself but in finding and putting together the displays
along the way. Without them, it would be nothing more than a quiet peaceful two
lane country road.
Click on any picture to enlarge it.
I doubled back into town to
see the Tupelo National Battlefield site. Seriously, it has been my only
disappointment on the whole trip. I was expecting a rather large battlefield
complete with cannons et al. Instead, the site is smaller than most house lots,
has only 4 parallel parking spots on the street beside it. Note to any RVr’s –
park at the WalMart a block west and walk it, there’s no place for anything
larger than a regular vehicle around here.
A quick stop at WallyWorld
and I was back on the Parkway again.
A few pull offs at overlooks,
the location of the Chickasaw Nations capital, the Tockshish stand which was
the mid point for the early post riders and a mission house used for teaching
trade skills to the Chickasaw, the next pull off was called ‘Witch Dance’,
which intrigued me from the moment I saw the brochure for the Parkway.
Yes, I looked around, NO, I
didn’t see the bare spot…haha! Must be covered with fallen leaves at this time
of year. Interesting though!
Way back up the road, I had
been talking to a couple that were northbound on the parkway. In the course of
the discussion, they mentioned that I really should stop at the Bynum Mounds.
They were quite concerned about 3 dogs that were hanging out there. Said they
didn’t look like they were starving and they were really friendly but were
worried that someone had dropped them off. I suspected then that they weren’t
strays at all, just smart dogs. Pulling in to the mound site, yep, there’s the
3 dogs, playing with a couple of kids over near one of the mounds. Sure enough,
they follow the kids back to the car they were travelling in, out comes treats
for them.
The NPS property is sometimes
only 100 feet wide in places and in many areas is paralleled by county roads
and home to many farms and residences. I could hear traffic on the road through
the bushes. I wonder if the dogs’ owners knew what they were up to each day.
Let’s see, maybe an average of 50 visitors a day, half of which would give up a
cookie or part of a sandwich or, maybe, just maybe, have treats on board for
their own pets. Hmmm, no wonder the dogs looked well fed…they had it made in
the shade!!
I left the dogs to their own
devices and headed off to walk two more sections of the old Trace. I don’t think
I’d ever get tired of walking it…anyone up for a long hike with me??
Yes, it’s being restored,
although some parts will have to go right through small towns just like on the
Appalachian Trail. Some of it still has to be bypassed by road walks but there’s
more than a few passionate people working on right of ways, easements and
restoration.
And so, I arrived at the next
free camping area on the Parkway with enough time to relax in the sun for a
little while before doing the requisite chores and cooking.
Miles of the Parkway achieved
today – Wow – a whole 68.2 miles covered…moving right along at a fast pace.
Actually, the further south I get, the more miles there are between stops, in
some places a whole 4 or 5 miles!
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