From East To West (10/22/22)

 Paul and I have driven across the United States literally more times than we can remember- and since we weren’t in a rush this particular time, we got out the maps and plotted a course that took us through areas we had not spent much time in.

The first part of our journey took us down the Natchez Trace Scenic Byway.  This road is 444 miles long- it starts near Nashville, TN and continues south to Natchez Mississippi. We have driven it once before, but it rained the entire time, so we didn’t stop much and didn’t see much.  This time the weather was great.

We drove all the way up to the northern terminus, to start there, because we wanted to check out the Loveless Cafe restaurant for breakfast. It gets great reviews, and it was extremely busy, with a 45 minute wait to be seated, but we felt it was more of a tourist attraction, so we wouldn’t bother going there again.

Once we were on the parkway, we stopped when anything caught our interest. The brochure suggests that you take a couple of days to drive the road, enjoying the history, and the fact that there are no houses, billboards, or anything else to detract from the scenery, and that’s what we did.

There are many short hiking trails, and a few long ones, along the parkway- there are also 3 free campgrounds.  This byway has been a road for so long that the original travelers, native Americans and early European settlers, either walked it, or rode it on horseback.  Several of the hiking trails are along the original “Trace”.

We spent our first night at the Meriwether Lewis ( of the famed “Lewis and Clark expeditions) Campground. It is named for him because he died here, under mysterious circumstances, and is buried here.

It’s an interesting story, which I “googled” when I had time. Short Version: After his expeditions, Lewis became governor of Louisiana- during the course of which, he fronted the War Dept money for some projects.  Before he could be repaid, his rival sent letters to Lewis’s superiors, accusing Lewis of fraud.  The mail being what it was, Lewis’s correspondence was too slow reaching his superiors, and he was denied the funds for the projects.  Once his creditors heard, they called in his notes, leaving him essentially penniless.

That’s the background to why he was buried here.  He was on his way to Washington DC with his journals, proving he was not a fraud. The night he stayed at the Griner Inn at this location, the innkeeper heard gunshots, investigated, and found Lewis, dying from gunshot wounds.  It was unclear if he was murdered, or he committed suicide.

Two years after his death, his estate was reimbursed for the expenses he was owed.

As we headed south into Mississippi, the scenery changed from northern woodlands to southern wetlands. One of our walks took us through a swamp.  Instead of pine trees, there were cypress trees.

 

Although they look like normal woods, the leaves are floating on water.

For our final night along the trace, we stayed in a state park In Tishomingo, MS.  There we hiked a 2 mile loop that started at a swinging bridge.  It was just one more example of the excellent work done by the CCC in the 1930s.

Moving westward off the Trace, our next major stop was Poverty Point World Heritage Site. Based on archeology, the first inhabitants lived here about 2000 BC. There are a series of “mounds”. They were built in a specific pattern, and were probably used as residences, and for rituals.   

 

What amazed me was the amount of “trinkets” (circa 2000 BC)that were discovered when they excavated.

Looking for another stop along our route to El Paso, we decided to stop in Carlsbad, NM to explore above ground in the area of Carlsbad Caverns.  We spent one night at the Elks lodge, where, during a conversation with locals, we learned about a nearby hiking trail that leads to a waterfall.  We decided to spend a second night so we could hike to Sitting Bull Falls.  It ended up being a very short walk, but the waterfall was awesome.  There are actually quite a few waterfalls here, fed by a spring. The whole area was gorgeous.

The following day we headed to the National Park. Our plan was to drive the scenic drive and do some short hikes along the way but we learned that the scenic drive, as well as most of the hiking trails, are closed due to flood damage.  Ah well.  Our back up plan was to drive further south and hike to Smith Spring.  Along the way, we came across some bighorn sheep.  This is the most bighorns we have ever seen in one group.  I counted, and there are at least 40 just in this picture.

Smith Spring is actually located in nearby Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  It is a short 2 mile loop, with a spring about halfway through the hike.  The shade was welcome after hiking in the sun.

I was going to finish this post by saying our “final stop” before getting home was…… and then I realized we had 3 final stops.

The first final stop was a 2 day stay in El Paso to check on Paul’s mom, who is doing pretty well for her age…

The second final stop, after we left there, was Hatch New Mexico, where we have been trying to visit because Hatch Chiles are the only ones we will use for our chile Rellenos, and they happen to be in season.  We left with a bunch of fresh chiles.  We actually watched them being roasted.

Our Final final stop was in Casa Grande to see some friends before we got home.  The rain was nonstop, but it was warm out, so we caved in and didn’t worry about getting wet.

And then we were home.  For a few days.

On to Mississippi (06-20-18)

It wasn’t long before we felt the difference between the trailer and the camper.  With temperatures soaring to over 100 degrees every day, our travel days got longer than we anticipated.  It’s hard to justify stopping at 3 pm if you are going to sit in a camper and listen to the AC run as it tries to cool the place down. In that type of weather the trailer is much nicer.

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Hiking is best done as close to sunrise as possible when it’s this hot out. I am not great at getting up and out that early, but I am trying.








We had to re-think our meals for the first few days as well- it was too hot to grill outside, and too hot to cook anything in the oven. In addition to that, we had not done a great job of “downsizing” the fridge and freezer contents.  We have had to try and eat whatever takes up the most space.  With the high heat, and a crammed freezer, the food is not staying frozen.  So, we had soup for dinner. Ugh.

Jackson, Mississippi

Our first stop in Mississippi was Jackson, the state capital. We headed over to the archives and spent a full day and a half looking through books and records.

Although we are researching Porters, when I need a break I look for Kings.

It’s amazing how tiring it is reading books and documents all day. We were happy we found a spot in the local state park so we could relax at the end of the day.

Once we had exhausted the archives, we didn’t want to just run off to our next destination, so we scouted around for hikes and other things to do. There are many museums in Jackson, some of which are free of charge, but we don’t like art museums. We decided that the Agriculture and Forestry Museum would be interesting, so we checked it out.

I am not really a museum person, so I like unusual museums and/or I try to find something of interest to me in a museum.

The Ag museum was billed as a “living history” museum but there were no active demonstrations and it was really quiet when we were there. Still, at $5 per person, we are easily entertained. ( Crank call I made as a teenager: Do you have Prince Albert in a can??? Then let him out.  I had no idea what Prince Albert even was!)

My two takeaways from the museum? Mississippi supplies 62% of all the catfish in this country, and in 1910, when the “horseless carriage” was coming of age, Mississippi only had 10 miles of stone paved roads, so the state resisted the movement.

The State park we were in boasted a “nature trail”. Usually when that term is used, its a short, sometimes not very interesting, walk. But we needed some exercise, so off we went.

This particular trail was pretty good- 3.5 miles into the “bayou”, up and down stairs, it had several platforms for watching wildlife and quite a few plaques explaining what we were seeing.
It made a great outing before we left for our next destination.

Meridian, Mississippi

Meridian is where Paul loses the Porter name, so we knew we would spend a few days at least, combing through whatever records we could find. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much. Paul’s great grandfather was born in Meridian, but it was during the civil war, and General Sherman came through here and destroyed many of the buildings, and therefore, records.

After a frustrating two days, we had nothing.The only positive is that we gave it all we had, and feel like if there was something to find, we would have found it.

One of the websites we use is Findagrave.com. In addition to using it to find burial information that YOU need, you can help other people by taking pictures of graves that they are interested in. Although we didn’t find any graves of Paul’s ancestors, we did find a gravestone that someone else was interested in.

Our research exhausted, we looked for other diversions. I had chosen the RV park we stayed in based on the fact that they have a pool, and I could swim. Unfortunately the pool was being renovated, so it was empty.

That  led us to Bonita Lakes Park for our exercise- a town park that is very close to where we were staying.  We mapped out a 4 mile hike around one of the lakes, and got there as early as we could, to beat the heat and humidity. This trail is what I call a twofer.

It had nice views, and also had exercise equipment along the trail. With the humidity so high, we didn’t bother with the equipment, but it was nice that it was there. This is actually an incredible park, with something for everyone.

While driving around Meridian, Paul had noticed a museum that he was particularly interested in. The Meridian Industrial Heritage Museum is housed in the Soule Steam Works factory.

This family owned factory built steam engines for over 100 years before going out of business in 2002. They were the major employer in Meridian for many years.

I literally laughed when I saw the sink set up in the locker room. It looks very  much like the sinks in the parochial school I attended in first grade.

It wasn’t the best museum or tour we’ve ever taken, but it is a small town.

 

Meridian MS (12-01-12)

Spending time in the “deep south” has been an interesting learning experience.  Having grown up in Boston, there was really only one war as far as we are concerned- the Revolutionary War. 

Spending time in Mississippi and Alabama (even though it’s not a lot of time) I see how proud the people in these states are to be from the south. 

There are many places where the confederate flag still flies, including inbedded in the Mississippi state flag.

A plaque in one of the many confederate cemeteries reminds people to remember that these soldiers paid the ultimate sacrifice, and fought for something that they believed in.

One of the quotes in a museum really struck me- it was the thoughts of a southern lady about slavery. This is what Kate Stone of Madison Parish, LA, whose family owned 150 slaves, thought about slavery:
 “…my first recollection is of pity of the negroes and desire to help them.  Even under the best owners, it was a hard, hard life:  to toil six days out of seven, week after week, month after month, year after year, as long as life lasted; to be absolutely under the control of someone until the last breath was drawn; to win but the bare necessities of life, no hope of more, no matter how hard the work, how long the toil; and to know that nothing could change your lot.  Obedience, revolt, submission, prayers-all were in vain.”

It’s a totally different perspective of the Civil War, here in the south. Being here somehow makes it more personal, less of a history lesson and more of a peek into a different culture.
One of our stops along the way was Meridian, which was once the largest town in Mississippi. For our purposes it’s history began in the mid 1800's, when Paul's ancestors showed up on the town's 1860 census.
Meridian is where he lost "the scent" in his quest to discover his family history.

He knows his great grandfather was born here, but not much else.  We spent two days going through old records and realized it would take weeks to sift through everything there is, so we tried to look at the most likely places to find information about weddings,  and deaths.  Unfortunately the Civil War started during the few years that his family lived here, so official records are hard to come by.

Between bouts of researching, we enjoyed the small town of Meridian.  We walked some of the long trails in the local park, and were impressed with the amenities. Along the trail there were fitness stations, allowing for a complete workout all in one outdoor setting. There were multiple trails, some as long as 5 miles.

We also happen to be in town during the evening Christmas parade, and got to watch Santa’s float meander down main street. It put me in the Christmas mood, and soon thereafter, we got out the Christmas decorations. That’s as far as my mood took me though, so the decorations have been sitting on the couch for the last few days.  Paul did put up the outside lights and has already gotten more than a normal amount of compliments. 

The Siege of Vicksburg (11-28-12)

41% of the continental United States drains through the mighty Mississippi River. It has long been a major conduit for trade goods and raw materials, and continues to be one today.  During the Civil War of the 1860s, it was also used by the Confederate army to move munitions and troop supplies.  Abraham Lincoln knew that he needed to split the confederate army apart by gaining control of the Mississippi River.  By the end of 1862 he had gained control of most of the major towns along the river- except for Vicksburg, Mississippi, a very difficult town to conquer.

   

   In addition to the benefit of being on the river, Vicksburg has the advantage of resembling a natural fortress. It sits high on a bluff surrounded by deep trenches, making any enemy approach, whether by land or water, virtually impossible.
Abraham Lincoln sent General Ulysses S.Grant to take Vicksburg, telling him that “Vicksburg is the key.  The war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket.”
For months, Grant tried multiple approaches to capture Vicksburg and all were reasonably easily rebuffed.  He tried a full frontal assault, a multi-pronged assault, and even dug tunnels, loading them with explosives to blow up the confederates and clear the way for his men.  Nothing worked.  What DID work was patience.  Grant eventually surrounded the city and waited.  Within 6 weeks, the soldiers and the townspeople faced severe illness and starvation. On July 3, Grant met with General Pemberton, commander of the Confederate side, to discuss surrender terms. After much negotiation, Pemberton surrendered on July 4, when Grant met his terms of parole for the confederate soldiers in Vicksburg.
Upset with the timing of the agreement, for many years the citizens of Vicksburg did not celebrate the 4th of July.  The date of surrender was not a coincidence, however.  Pemberton chose that time frame because he felt he would secure better terms for his men on Independence Day.
The battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg occured at almost the same time, and both had significant impact on the outcome of the Civil War.  

  We took an auto tour of the battlefield, with many stops along the way where we could dial a number on our cell phone and hear a short blurb about why that spot was significant.  I liked it when we  got to each spot where  an actual battle took place because I could visualize it. The blue plaques represent the position of Union soldiers and the red ones (at the top of the hill) represent the confederate army.

Its scary how close together they were.

One thing we noticed were all the trees there were in some areas. Where there were rolling grassy hills, it was easy to imagine the past, but in the areas with trees, we wondered if they had been there at that time or not.  It sure would have made things more challenging for everyone!

It turns out the trees were not there.  They were planted years later by the CCC to help with erosion problems. 

In recent years they have started the process of returning the land back to what it was.

Once we’d had our fill of the Civil War. we headed to the Lower Mississippi River Museum, which teaches about life in and around the Mississippi River. This is a brand new museum whose main attraction is “The Mississippi IV”, a retired Army Corp of Engineers work boat.

There will be a lot of interactive displays once the museum is finished, including a simulator, aboard the Mississippi IV.

I love the parking signs around town!