Camping at Fontainebleau State
Park
http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/ifontaine.aspx was perfect as was cycling 2 days on the Tammany Trace (a rails to trails trail) http://www.tammanytrace.org/. Our campsite was only a mile from
the trail. Saturday took us thru the small town of Abita Springs where their brew pub is right off the trail and at 18 miles in, it was a perfect place to stop for a snack and a drink.
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| Tammany Trace rails to trails |
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| a cemetery along the route-so many above ground burial vaults due to the high water table |
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| a sampling of Abita Springs beer |
We rode 31 miles on Saturday and 21 miles on Sunday before heading off on a cloudy and drizzly morning towards Mississippi in search of new adventures and new trails.
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| riding the Tammany |
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| a bridge along the Tammany |
Entering Mississippi
on back roads on an overcast Sunday morning appeared mystic with no other traffic and the thickly tree-lined roads with masses of moss-covered branches. By early afternoon we found our way to Hattiesburg, the home of U of Southern Miss and the beginning of another riding trail, the Longleaf Trace http://www.longleaftrace.org/. Temps have been in the low to mid 70s with standing water everywhere. It is so green and lush, with some very tall trees and beautiful rolling hills. We stopped for gas and some shopping and were told that 2”
of rain had come through this morning, but to our surprise, we had missed it
all.
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| rolling green hills |
We camped at the Okatoma RV park in the heart of the
Mississippi Pine belt, 20 miles out of Hattiesburg,
preparing to ride the Longleaf on Monday and Tuesday.
Mid morning, after the lifting of a heavy fog, we drove about 10 miles and
easily found the trail head in Sumrall and took off for a leisurely day in the
saddle. This being the 2nd
rails to trails in 2 days, we’re hooked! No road traffic and very light bicycle traffic—how lucky we are to
drive, park and ride…even Gravy is happy as the summer heat and humidity hasn’t
fully set in yet.
Tuesday we rode in the opposite direction starting from where we ended the day before and enjoyed the Longleaf just as much as the Tammany. Both days of riding totaled 53 miles (a far cry from our ride across America days, but still nothing to sneeze at). Since we have no driver with us, we are taking out and back rides.
We found a campground just 1/2 mile from the Longleaf in Bassfield, MS and when we asked how much it was to camp, the manager of the park didn't know a nightly price, she told Buddy 'it was $400/month, but go ahead and hook up and we'll check with the owner'--they did and we ended up paying $13.50 for hook ups and hot showers!
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| along the Longleaf |
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| views from the trail |
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| camping not far from the trail head for $13.50 |
After 4 days of riding these beautiful rails to trails, we headed west towards the Mississippi river (again) and to the town of Natchez which sits high on its' banks. We were pleasantly pleased with what we found in the oldest European settlement on the mighty river. Natchez started out as an Indian haven, then the French came in and brought with them slaves. Soon to follow were the English, Scottish, Spanish, Irish and the Italians. Cotton plantations popped up and Antebellum mansions lined the landscape. Today's Natchez illustrates roots from its' past. We took in their 2 mile self guided walking route boasting many of the towns Antebellum style homes.
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| the Mighty Miss from Natchez |
the self guided walking trail
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| downtown Natchez |
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going my way?
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| old news clippings on some of the self guided tour maps |
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| more clippings |
We then made our way to the Natchez State Park, just 12 miles out of town, readying ourselves for the Natchez Trace Parkway, 444 miles of a natural travel
corridor from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville,TN, designated a unit of the National Park System. http://www.nps.gov/natr/index.htm.
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