Evans Escapades in Four States

We were rolling out of Atlanta by 8AM

which is awful, awful  early for us,

with an overnight stop planned in Montgomery for. . .you guessed it!

The Alabama State House. . .very nice

and then on to the River View RV Park in Vidalia. . .

right across the Mississippi River from Natchez. .

.

but. . .it seems as though we’ve entered the rain belt. . .

now truly. . .that is not a complaint, because after the drought of the past few years,

this entire area can really, really use some rain. . .

but it does sort of put a “damper” on sightseeing. . .if ya know what I mean?

   

a driving tour won’t be so bad. . .you know you’ve truly arrived in the South

when the spanish moss is dripping from all the oak trees. . .so beautiful. . .

a view of the Mississippi River from Bluff Park

the American Queen Paddle Wheeler was in port on her way from New Orleans to St Louis. . .

the Isle of Capri Casino is in the background. . .

back in the day, when I used to read 4” thick novels about southern plantation days,

I remember reading stories and descriptions about the sordid, Under the Hill area of Natchez. . .

no self respecting citizen would ever be found down there. . .

it seems pretty innocuous these days. . .not much there at all.

Fire destroyed several of the original buildings, and I believe

I read they have been trying to revive the area with tourist shops. . .

didn’t seem to me to be much going on. . .but then again,

we have arrived when tourist season is winding down. . .

  

The Natchez Trace Parkway begins in Natchez. . .so I wanted to see that.

Our intention in 2011 had been to start at the beginning of The Trace,

and explore most of it. . .due to the severe flooding of the river that spring,

we rerouted our trip. . .so when we return for the Annual Spring Pilgrimage

of the Natchez Mansions. . . perhaps we can  explore more of The Trace then. . .

a lady at the Visitor Center highly recommended the lunch buffet at the Historic Eola Hotel. . .

and boy was she right on the money. . .delicious. . .the best cornbread dressing I have ever had. . .it had shrimp in it. . .delicious. . .

and all the southern eats to go along with it. . .including Sweet Tea. . .life is good!

Friday, Nov 1

on to the next destination. . .we’ve made it through Georgia, Alabama, and into Louisiana

in less than a week’s time. . .coming up today. . .TEXAS! 

close enough to see some of the kinfolk. . .Uncle John and cousins
Karen, Lynn, and Justin with their grandaughter Cara. . .

  

thanks for driving over from Shreveport for a visit. . .loved getting our hugs!

it surely was great that Justin had a basketball game scheduled in Longview,

Saturday, Nov 2

Our longtime friends, the Clarks, have built a new house in Longview. . .

so of course we needed to see that. . .I was so excited to see them

and to visit, that I forgot to take a single picture. . .just crazy. . .

Sunday, Nov 3

Sunday gave us the opportunity to see on of our “adopted” girls. . .

Tamara and a couple of other girls stayed with us during their

Bible College summer break way back in the day. . .goodness. . .

since we’ve seen her last, she’s become Mommy to four precious angels. . .

so wonderful to have lunch with her and Michael, and the rest of the family!

Monday, Nov 4

Monday and Tuesday brings us to Granbury

to see our precious Aunt Barbara. . .

she belongs to Dave really, but I claim her as my very own. . .

She came over to see our “castle” and have chicken tortilla soup. . .

what a wonderful afternoon. . .

We’ll see her again today before we head out in the morning for Austin. . .

Mr Jaden (our newest great nephew) was scheduled to put in an appearance

on Nov 4th. . .but he’s decided to take his time. . .so perhaps today, Nov 5th. . .

We were planning to see him at home. . .but if he keeps up this

lollygaggin’ around, we may visit him in the hospital on Thursday. . .

either way, it will be great to get our hands on him. . .

and to see his Mommy and Daddy of course. . .

and Grandpa, and Grandma, and the other Grandma. . .

and all Jaden’s aunts and uncles

. . .see. . .

family reunion. . .one way or the other.

See you in Austin. . .

Janice and Dave

more pics

Natchez Album

Alabama State House Album

Evans Escapades–We must live a boring life

We have friends who write RV Blogs almost every day about the exciting things they do. . .museum tours, hikes on the beach, wonderful places to eat. . .so I’m trying to come up with something exciting to write about. . .you know. . .just to let everyone know what we’ve been up to.
Sorry to tell you. . .our life is just not exciting.  I mean, we are never bored. . .we love anything and everything, so just going on a hike is an adventure that we thoroughly enjoy. . .but it’s just not spectacular.
Nevertheless, for the sake of friends and family, I will share a few pics, so you will know where we are, and what we are up to. . .here goes. . .

We made lunch for Dad and my brothers on Father’s Day weekend. . .then headed out. . .

Started up the Natchez Trace Parkway at Jackson MS. . .here’s more on those adventures.

not sure why the Duke’s of Hazzard Vehicles were parked on the side of the road in Leiper’s Fork, on the Natchez Trace, but it was interesting, so we took a picture. . .

and ended at the Terminus Bridge in Nashville. . .we didn’t drive every inch of it. . .but we drove enough to get a good feel for the experience.   I certainly would not want to have walked that almost 500 miles through the woods. . .

Enjoyed meeting up with our good friends, the Portman’s who came all the way from Houston to spend the week with us. . .actually they love Franklin TN so much. . .any excuse was a good enough reason to be there. . .

and they were right. . .

it is a beautiful little town!

even the birds were extra beautiful. . .

Spent a day touring Nashville. . .what can I say. . .it’s a big city, and the best way to see a big city is to take a tour. . .which we didn’t do. . .so I’m sure we missed lots.  We’ll come back some day when it’s a lot cooler. . .and spend more time exploring.

and of course, I must have a shot of the Tennessee State Capitol Building for my State Capitol Album

another shot for another album. . .this time my Bucket List Album. . .I would love to visit every National Park. . .all 247, or however many there are!

So what do you do at Mammoth Cave National park?
You hike. . .

and then you rest. ..
One little boy about four years old asked us why we both had sticks. . .I told him it was because we were old!

You enjoy the view. . .

hike some more. . .

Three and a half miles. . .uphill both ways.
Just glad I didn’t KNOW about the rattlesnakes ‘til we got back!

and of course. . .you MUST tour Mammoth Cave. 
There are all sorts of tours to choose from. . .but we chose a photography tour of Frozen Niagara. . .

It was really great. . .

unless. . .

You’re a little claustrophobic. . .
So that’s about it. . .all the excitement we experienced for the past month. . .
and, if you’re not bored to tears. . .
you can see the rest of the pics. . .here

On the Road of Retirement - A Day in Nashville

From Blogger Pictures

Dave and I have lived in our RV Full Time since 2003, when we sold the house and everything in it, and have traveled fulltime since 2009. Follow our tales by signing up to follow our blog, and check back often as we share the tips and tricks of living the lifestyle.

Join us on our FACEBOOK Ready To Go Full Time RVing Page. . .where you’ll meet lots of other RV’ers just like you. . .traveling and enjoying this great adventure.

Full Time RV Travel–Mississippi–Exploring the Natchez Trace

Sunday, we explored more of the Natchez Trace. . .nothing too exciting, but we love it, so we’ll share a few pics. . .

The driving part of the Trace is a beautiful two lane road. . .no shoulders. . .so we quickly decided not to pull the rig here. . .everything would probably be fine. . .but just in case something happened, where would you pull off to the side?

Hiking on a portion of the original Trace. . .okay, posing for a picture. . .one quick thing we found out. . .if you ask where the trail is, you are promptly corrected. . .it is called The TRACE!

A portion of the original, Original Natchez Trace. . .reminds me of the Big Thicket in Deep East Texas. . .

Hiking through the Cypress Swamp

Always prepared!

And as beautiful as the Pearl River was. . .you couldn’t pay me enough to water ski there! 

Can you say alligators?  Helloooo. . . .

And as always. . .God’s Magnificence is on display everywhere!

Enjoy more pics of the Natchez Trace

Natchez Trace Parkway featured in USA Today | Natchez Trace Compact

USA Today asked local experts to name one great scenic drive in each state and the District of Columbia in time for summer road tripping. The Natchez Trace Parkway was chosen in USA Today's “51 Great Scenic Drives.” ...

Publish Date: 06/09/2011 15:37

http://www.scenictrace.com/blog/natchez-trace-parkway-featured-in-usa-today/

From Blogger Pictures

Dave and I have lived in our RV Full Time since 2003, when we sold the house and everything in it, and have traveled fulltime since 2009. Follow our tales by signing up to follow our blog, and check back often as we share the tips and tricks of living the lifestyle.