Weekend Update
Most Sundays I wake up and want to do nothing. Laze around. Pick through the NY Times. Play endless games of Letter Linker. This Sunday I woke up restless. I wanted to pop up and go somewhere. I bugged my husband into coming along.
So we drove through Warner Park, out Highway 100, and hit the Natchez Trace. Man that place is beautiful. A winding tree-lined road that looks as if the world never touches it. The trees were barely into fall colors, with only hints of yellow and red here and there, but the light was different. Not that harsh summer light that hurts your eyes, but crystal sharp and clear yet soft. Even though the landscape was mostly green it looked like fall.
And there were sights. We’d turn a curve and see two oblivious fawns grazing as if no one in the universe would hurt them. Around another curve, a group of wild turkeys wobbled and skittered away. Ever see a wild turkey? A first for me. I don’t think I'd seen any kind of turkey unless it was bagged and tagged by Butterball. Not the prettiest of birds, but then we all can't be swans...
And there were sights. We’d turn a curve and see two oblivious fawns grazing as if no one in the universe would hurt them. Around another curve, a group of wild turkeys wobbled and skittered away. Ever see a wild turkey? A first for me. I don’t think I'd seen any kind of turkey unless it was bagged and tagged by Butterball. Not the prettiest of birds, but then we all can't be swans...
Later a flock of huge, black vultures flapped into the air as we drove by. And as we were about to turn off the Trace we saw a hawk gliding in the sky above us. Not what I see everyday.
Sheesh, I sound like Outdoor Girl, or a shill for the Department of Tourism. So, okay, I was impressed. Wasn’t hard to be.
Labels: Natchez Trace, Sunday drive, Trace Parkway
6 Comments:
Annie, I love, Love, LOVE the Natchez Trace Parkway. I traveled up the entire parkway last spring (all 444 miles). I want to write a kids' book about a Trace journey so it was a research trip. There are some amazing sights along the way.
I'm afraid to ask but what's letter linker?
BTW, I grew up in an undeveloped area, and no, it doesn't get old.
Rae Ann, I'm envious of your trip. Sounds like your kids book would be terrific. I'm hoping to get another trip out of my husband. Maybe to Tupelo. How long did it take you to do the whole 444 miles?
Letter Linker, W&C? It's kind of like Boggle solitaire. It's one of the games on the att.net home page.
And I'm glad to hear it doesn't get old...
Annie, we started in Natchez and traveled for 2 days, then left the Trace and spent the night at home, then re-entered and finished the trip. We stopped at a lot of the sites so I wanted to take our time. The Tupelo visitors center is extremely interesting and the park rangers have lots of good info. If you get the chance, go to Jackson Falls, just 40 mile from the end of the parkway in Nashville. It's a nice day trip.
Thanks for the tips, Rae Ann. I'll check into Jackson Falls. Would love to see your kids book when its done...
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