Natchez Trace/ Davy Crockett State Park

4/13 Took a nice picture of the sunset from our site at Seven Points Campground last night. Yesterday was a “10” and today is another “10”. Drove through Nashville to get on the beginning of the Natchez Trace off of route 100. What at beautiful drive! They finished this parkway in 2001 that runs along the old Indian trail from Natchez to Nashville over 450 miles long. We were just driving today the first 100 to the Meriwether Lewis Historic Site where we planned on camping. There are so many hikes, stops, view points along the way as well as a tobacco farm and old traces of the original trace. Beautiful views of farms along the way – reminds me of the Blue Ridge Parkway but without the big trucks! This parkway is only for cars and campers – no commercial trucks at all. We were the only ones traveling from North to South but the campers are still headed back north from their winter in the southwest. So many Canadians. We stopped at the Meriwether Lewis campground (32 sites) around noon and boy were we lucky. This campground is free (one of three on the parkway) and they were paving one of the two loops so campers could only camp in the first 15 sites. I have read before that the “snowbird” Canadians drive up the trace heading home and that they take most of the sites sometimes even doubling up and even saving sites for their friends. There were only three sites left and fifteen minutes after we were settled five other RVs rolled in. Two of them could not fit in the remaining two sites so they moved on. All sites were taken within fifteen minutes of us getting here yet during the rest of the day others kept on driving through – 10 of the 15 sites were Canadians. George and I had a good laugh! Nice people to talk to and some just stay here or at the other two campgrounds on the trace for a week or more before they move on. No electricity but there were restrooms and water spigots throughout the bigger loop. It is free and very peaceful! One camper told us that they do have an overflow area that is a big parking lot with water, restrooms and picnic tables.. George really enjoyed the drive today once we got on the trace – so relaxing!

4/15 Continued down the Trace this morning first stopping at the Meriwether Lewis site where he is buried. Lewis was murdered outside an Inn at the age of 35 while he was traveling to DC and the case was never solved. You can still see some of the foundations for the Inn. While driving we saw wild turkeys, an armadillo and a beautiful big owl flying from tree to tree. Left the trace and headed for Lawrenceburg, TN to stay at Davy Crockett State Park. Davy owned and ran along the banks of the Shoal Creek a powder mill, a gristmill and distillery. All three were washed away in floods in 1821 and that is when he decided to move west. At the park there are bike trails and one can ride along Shoal Creek where Davy Crockett worked. In August, there are Davy Crockett Days which is a big festival. This campground has a big lake, boating, fishing, swimming in a pool, fishing, a nature museum, and a great restaurant. Heading back on the Trace tomorrow morning going through a section of AL, MS and then heading back into TN.