Dreamtime

Today was a short-mileage day. There are two different parties east of here who I would like to meet up with, and I was within striking distance today, but neither is ready for me yet. I'm sitting in a hotel room in Jackson, Mississippi, booked for two nights, and I'm going to work a full day tomorrow. Tuesday I'll continue my travels.

As promised yesterday, I went back to downtown Natchez, extremely quiet on a Sunday morning, and took some photos. I started with the symbolic one, the little Ninja on the east side of the mighty Missippi. Vidalia, Louisiana in the background.

That shot was taken "Under the Hill," at the foot of the Natchez bluffs. Looking the other way on the road that steeply descended the bluffs, you can see the majesty of the Mississippi as it disappears into the misty upstream distance.

A lot of the downtown buildings are serving mundane purposes these days, but the architecture still catches the eye.

The very oldest building in the town is still serving its original purpose: King's Tavern.

The distance from Natchez to Jackson is only about 100 miles; maybe 120 with the extra turns I took today. But almost all the distance was covered on the Natchez Trace.

I don't know who came up with idea of constructing a 440-mile parkway along the ancient Native American trade route from Natchez to Nashville, but it was a hell of a good idea. This is a dream of a road. Although civilization is all around you, you would never know it. The National Park Service acquired a ribbon of land along the whole route, left the mature forest intact, and built a road down the middle. There are no intersections. Every road that crosses, from dirt road to interstate, is separated from the parkway by bridges. You would never have to hit the brakes if you didn't want to – but you will want to. There are numerous historical and natural exhibits along the trail. The speed limit is 50 and the parkway curves constantly as it rises and falls, with no sharp curves and no steep hills. It's almost hypnotizing in its beauty and smoothness. It's a wonderful road that gets you to thinking about the bison, the Native Americans, the Kaintucks that made this trip. If you find yourself within a day's ride of the Natchez Trace, make it a point to get there.

Sunday nights in the South, restaurants are often closed. I am going to chase down a non-chain one that is open somewhere, have a good dinner, retire early, and rise to pound out some technical publications.