Natchez Trace

We are so excited to be back on the Natchez Trace Parkway. No billboards, no McDonald's, no Wal-Mart - just 444 miles of American history and God's glorious creation!

We spent the last two nights at Columbia, Missouri, taking care of boring stuff like getting the oil changed, doing laundry, and buying groceries. 

But we're happy to be back on the trace today. Here's a few things we've seen so far.

 

This is a part of the old trace, used by deer, native Americans, pioneers, lumbermen returning home to Tennessee after selling the timber they'd floated down the river to Natchez, and Jackson's army during the War of 1812.

You can't see it, but there is a deer at the far end of the trail here.

Pretty moss covered rocks on the trail to Jackson Falls.

                                 

A little cave on the trail to Jackson Falls.

Jackson Falls.

This is the Gordon House, built in the early 1800's. This family ran a trading post and a ferry.

Scenic view from Baker Bluff Overlook.

War of 1812 Memorial. It commemerates the many soldiers who never made it home from the war, and were buried in unmarked graves along the trace.

Turkeys. I've never seen so many turkeys! Dozens of 'em! We've also seen lots of deer, including a doe with two adorable fawns. Back in Franklin, we even saw a mama duck leading her children across the road.

 

This is the Double Arch Bridge over Birdsong Hollow.  Isn't Birdsong Hollow a pretty name?

The view from on top of the bridge.

We are staying at Tishomingo State Park in Mississippi for a couple of days.  The woods here are so beautiful.  I keep expecting to see woodland fairies, or at least leprechauns, playing among the ferns and flowers in the woods! 

 

Travel Day

Today is a boring travel day, so here's some random photos feom the last few weeks to entertain you.

while we were in Oklahoma, We drove to Vinita one day for lunch.

Several years ago, my sweet Uncle Charles gave us his two quarter horses. He had trained the mama horse, Miss Spider Barr, himself, but he had never trained her daughter, who he named "Vinita" - so of course we couldn't pass up the town named Vinita!

My Cowboy trained that little filly himself, and still rides her in Team Ropings.

There's not a lot to see in Vinita, but this cool car was parked at the restaurant where we ate.

Route 66 runs through Vinita.

In Missouri we visited the Boone homestead, where Daniel lived near his son the last two decades of his life.

I never knew he had ever lived in Missouri.

His son's house. Where Daniel died.

Squire Boone's house. Squire was Daniel's younger brother.

Oh, this was cool! This is at Lost Valley Lake Rv Resort. It's an air filled bouncy trampoline -y thingy. The kids at the resort loved it!

One of the lakes at Lost Valley Lake.

We hated to leave this place today. John James Audubon Museum at Audubon State Park, where we've been camping this past week. He lived in Henderson, Kentucky for several years.

We saw several barns and other buildings with quilt designs in Ohio County, Kentucky.

We aare traveling through some beautiful country right this minute. I'm posting this from my phone. 

Back in WiFi Land!

Been without a good wifi connection the last couple of weeks....can you imagine? I did have 4G on my phone, IF I sat in the middle of my bed and held my phone in the exact right spot. 

So here we are in Henderson, Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from Evansville, Indiana.  Yesterday we went to Meskers Zoo in Evansville.  I promised the grandgirls pictures of animals, so here ya go, Indigo and Blue Jay!

Lion

Turtle

Camel

Peacock

Porcupine

Tapir

The zoo was very pretty, with wonderful landscaping.  But we walked forever to see just a few animals.  We were only there about an hour and a half, but between the heat and humidity, the hilly path and the distance we walked, it felt like forever.

We bravely went on towards our next destination, though.  New Harmony, Indiana was started in the 19th century as a religious commune.  It only lasted a couple of years, then another group of idealists bought the whole town and tried to create their own Utopia.  That lasted a little longer, about 10 years, before it also flopped.  But the town still exists, and it's a nice little community, though no longer a commune. 

They have figured out how to cash in on their origins though.  Guided walking tours through the old buildings are $12 a person.  Any other day we might have opted for the tour, but we were already tired, and it was still hot hot hot, we just decided to do a drive by.  We did get a few pics.

This is a modern addition to the town.  This little park is called The Roofless Church.  Interesting

If we'd taken the tour, I could tell you what these old buildings were.

 

 

 

Today seemed like a good day for air conditioning, so we went to a movie.  Saw the Lone Ranger.  And all I've got to say about that is, it's NOT the Lone Ranger I grew up with!

 

Moving out tomorrow.  Headed to Tennessee, I think. 

 

 



More Har-Ber Village

More Har-Ber Village Antique Museum. We were totally fascinated with this place, and spent about a half day there.  Thought I'd share more pictures, since we've mostly just been hanging around the trailer this week. 

 

First, I have to tell you that I had a wonderful text message conversation with my youngest (almost 9 years old) grandgirl, Blue Jay, today.  She said she went swimming at a friend's house last night.  Also, she thought it was very funny that couldn't find her phone, and it was right there on the ottoman all the time.  Silly goose!

 

I love modern technology.  I really don't think we could travel the way we do if we couldn't keep in touch with the kids by phone, text messages, and e-mails.  Blue Jay also sent me a few pics of herself, and insisted I send one of myself to her.  I miss those girls so much.  Along with their Mama, and their Daddy, and their Uncle Tippin. 

 

And then there's the rest of our family.

And dear friends.

 

Anyhow, on to the photos.  Before I talk myself into packing it all up and going home!

 

This is still only a small portion of the photos we took.  There were over 100 buildings and exhibits, crammed full of antiques.

There were several little cabins, furnished as they would have been in the 1800's.

 

I liked this one.  I have a quilt like this that my great-grandmother made. 

 

One of the fancier rooms.  Cowboy's mother used to have a piano sort of like this one. 

 

 

 Salt shakers.  Rows and rows and rows of saltshakers.  My grandmother used to collect saltshakers.  I thought she had a lot, 'til I saw this collection!

 

I love this little girl's sewing machine.  

 

There were a couple of cabins filled with quilts.  This was one of my favorites.

 

For some reason, Blogger won't let me add any more photos right now.  Guess that means I will have to do one more post about Har-Ber Village later.  And then I have to tell you about driving down a portion of Route 66 today, hunting geocaches.  Oh, a blogger's work is never done!

Grove, Oklahome - Grand Lake of the Cherokees

 Bear's Den Resort, Grove, OK

It's been a lovely, lazy week so far - my favorite kind.  So here's what we've done:

Sunday - Drove from Branson, Missouri to Grove, Oklahoma.  I hate traveling on Sunday, because we usually miss church when that happens.  But sometimes that's just the way it works out.

        - Bought groceries.

Monday - Did the laundry. (Oh, what an exciting life we lead)

Tuesday - Went to Har-Ber Village Museum (more about that later - lots of photos)

Wednesday - Yummy catfish dinner, geocaching with the Cowboy

Thursday (today) - House cleaning day.  Oh, and Cowboy hurt his back.  No, it wasn't a tricky geocache that did him in, nor a big fish, nor an accident while working on the fifth wheel.  He pulled a muscle while putting on his britches.  At least, we hope it's just a pulled muscle.  He really is hurting.  Not that it's kept him from fishing.

Anyway, we wanted to go to Har-Ber Village last year when we were here, but it was just too dad-blame hot.  So glad we finally got to go.  Acres and acres of log cabins and other buildings crammed full of exhibits, mostly from the 1800's. 

The only bad thing was that most of the exhibits were behind glass, which caused a terrible glare in most of the photos.  Here's a few that didn't turn out too bad.

 

 





 

 

We are always amazed at the wonderful museums we find in these small towns.  Quite often, we enjoy them more that the big city ones.  This one had more "stuff" than any other museum we've ever seen.  Very interesting exhibits of Oklahoma history.