We were up early and decided to head out to Vicksburg, MS. Jewel knows our routine and spent time finding a place to hide.
She really dislikes riding in the MH but still doesn’t get that we can just pick her up and put her in the MH.
Vicksburg was 200 miles away so we weren’t sure if would actually get there because of the stops along the way. However, there were only two stops that interested us.
We passed along a very long stretch where the trees had been twisted and torn apart by a tornado that passed over the trail in March 2011. It cut a path of destruction in the woods for about 5 miles and appeared to be approximately 1/4 of a mile wide. Pictures could not capture the full extent of the damage.
Our first stop was Cole Creek, a short trail through a water tupelo/bald cypress swamp. The swamp with its cypress trees was quite interesting and reminded us of the swamps in the Florida Everglades.
After checking out the Cyprus swamp we continued on. The trace is 444 miles long and the majority of stops with trails and actual buildings to explore are closer to the the end of the trace where we started in Nashville, TN, and then at the beginning of the trace in Natchez MS. In between there are fewer stops but many roadside signs explaining what had been at a particular location. In some locations a really good imagination is required. Because there were fewer stops we were making good time and believed that we would get to Vicksburg earlier then planned.
Our next stop took us to the Tupelo Baldcyprus Swamp.
I must say the 1/2 mile around this swamp was very beautiful and ethereal. The water had a coating of green algae that reflected green off the trees. Just spectacular!
There were no restrictions on dogs so we took Jewel with us for the hike. As we were walking we could hear loud voices from the other side of the swamp. Ron had noticed large turtles sunning on a log so we thought the people were trying to get the turtles’ attention. We didn’t realize until we got to the opposite side of the swamp that what they were really trying to get to respond were alligators. OOPHS! Not a wise idea to have a small dog running loose with alligators in the water.
The people at the edge of the water were actually antagonizing the alligators by throwing sticks at them. Each time they threw a stick the alligators would jump up to grab it thinking it was food. I felt bad for the poor things – they should have been left alone in peace in their natural habitant.
We decided to get a CG in Vicksburg and while Ron was fueling the MH in Jackson I called the CG I believed he had decided he wanted us to stay at. There was a miscommunication , on my part, and I booked a CG near Vidalia LA, not Vicksburg. DARN, now I had to call them back claiming stupidity because we were in Vicksburg. Fortunately they took pity on me and didn’t charge a penalty fee for cancelling. LOL
Ron was not happy with me but in the end after scurrying around I did find a great site in downtown Vicksburg at the Ameristar Casino, Hotel and Campground. We secured full hook-ups on a nice cement pad for only $21.50 per night.
Ron drove 200 miles and was tired from the heat and humidity. Our dash AC is not working – something we didn’t have checked after the accident. Who would think of AC in January??? I guess we should have because it does get hot in the front from the sun in the windshield and the engine heat. YUK!
We turned the house AC’s on, took showers to cool off and planned on staying in for the night. Around 7 PM Ron suggested we check out the Ameristar Casino that is an old paddle boat so we took the free shuttle offered by the CG.
We walked around the casino and in less then 90 seconds I lost $5.00 in the slot machine. Gambling done for the night and year! We stopped at one of the nightclubs listening to a very good band and watched a large group of local people dancing. We did cut up the floor ourselves but really enjoyed people watching. The group of people were quite elderly appearing to be 75 and over but were having a great time dancing and making some moves we have never seen before.
I had a desire for a single slice of pizza but unlike the casinos back home they had only two eating venues – a fancy restaurant and a buffet. Pizza sounded good to Ron so we took the shuttle back to the CG and got our car. I plugged in TomTom and we were off to Pizza Hut .7 miles away. Of course the road system is weird so it actually took us 5 miles of twists and turns to get there but it was well worth it. The pizza was great.
We were back home by 10 PM and ready to make plans to tour around Vicksburg in the morning. A good day overall and a very good evening, too.
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