Florida Day 25

March 23

No biking, limited hiking, lots of beautiful driving

Woke to a beautiful, misty morning and started the Trace (we decided to leave the visit to the town of Natchez for another trip).

First stop was the Emerald Mounds, built 1,000 or more years ago for ritual purposes. Interesting, there were cow patties on top of this quite high hill and mound. Disrespectful cows!

A nice stop at the Mount Locust stand. These homesteaders' houses became inns for the Ohio Boatmen. We learned a lot about the Trace and how the footpath was used by these boatmen who floated barges of goods down to the Mississippi and had to walk back on these original Indian trails. Really set the tone for the rest of the visit. And it was a beautifully restored site:

We walked part of the original Trace and noted how “wet” and uneven it was. It was also perilous with bugs and snakes and marauders.

We ran in to a couple from St. Mary's, ON who were at the state park; they have two great dogs, Murphy and Duke. We saw them a few times at stops on the Trace, especially at the Mississippi Crafts Center where Terry and I did some shopping and the men commiserated over the service at Sicard's RV!

We learned about Loyalists going to “West Florida” and not just Canada. Neither of us remember that.

Paul thankfully named the blossoming Dogwoods that line the Trace and the Sweet Gum trees that yield the spiky cones we see all over the ground.

We headed to the Jeff Busby free campground on the Trace and got a lovely spot, had beers with Paul and Terry and enjoyed the quiet and stars (and later Barred Owls calling and incredibly bright fireflies shining).

Here's the view from my chair.