Alabama COE to Natchez, Mississippi

It was a different ride from Wind Creek State Park in eastern Alabama to Prairie Creek Campground COE between Montgomery and Selma, Alabama. Very rural, small towns, but great roads for travel.

What seems to be in the middle of nowhere is actually a very nice Corps of Engineer campground on Prairie Creek which ties here directly into the Alabama River.

Another beautiful view.  Fish were jumpin'.

One fisherman in front of our site was excited to show us the large fish he had just caught.

Even the spiders liked our site.  Hanging from the Spanish moss.

This heron used the river markers as perches and flew from one to the other looking for food.  This section by our site was also a favorite for a kingfisher who loudly skimmed the surface and did quite well with fishing.


Saw this strange grasshopper at Prairie.

Kind of looked like a grasshopper designed in the 1930's------like the Chrysler Building style.


But really, looks like a leaf.

I never get tired of what the southerners and westerners see as important parts of a COE campground.  This little building is well built with good sized windows and screens for the bugs.

Close to the boat launch.







Yes!! You have it. A very neat and well cared for fish cleaning station.

Heading west towards the Mississippi border, the next stop is Foscue Creek Park at Demopolis Lake.

This is a very nice site on Foscue Creek which connects to the Tombigbee River.  The Tombigbee connects with the Alabama River--south of Prairie Creek--and eventually empties out into Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

We met some very nice volunteers at Foscue, including Glenn and Caite who had just retired and are just beginning their RV adventures and volunteering.

They mentioned that there are a number of huge boats and barges that come through Foscue and the locks.

This Coast Guard tug is available for all kinds of work. If you enlarge the picture--just click on it--you can see a whole stack of channel markers on the barge.





Jan and I have been pursuing Corps of Engineering campgrounds and also , at least, taking a look at state parks.

Our next stop required a little travel away from the main routes.  We crossed into Mississippi on Route 20 and then headed north to Okatibbee Lake and Twiltley Branch Campground.

Again some very nice people working in these parks.

A long ride into the sites from the entrance.  But the sites are nicely placed on the lake.

These corps parks serve as great resources in the communities.  We always see fishermen and boaters.  Also, a number of the parks like Foscue and Twiltley have Day Use areas that are well used by families for everything from walking to picnicking and playgrounds.

Twenty miles back to Route 20, a popular trucking road,  and a short ride to Roosevelt State Park.

Roosevelt is slightly east of Jackson, the state capitol, and close to the highway.

This is an older campground.  There is a newer section that is closer to the highway.  We are happy to have this nice view and a very level site.

Mississippi state parks offer a senior discount.  We were pleasantly surprised to find our final cost for the night was $14.91.  Most other states have been charging close to $30 per night--or more--and will also add on a day use fee of up to $7 or more.
This was also a full hookup site.


This is recommended to all!  A trip through Jackson is what you would expect on an interstate passing through a capitol city.  Very, very, very busy.

And then you turn on to the lower end of the Natchez Trace Parkway.  And---no traffic!!!

A country two lane road with few curves and a relaxed speed limit of 50 mph.  Wow!

The Natchez Trace goes for 444 miles from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi.

It started as a buffalo trail, and was then well traveled by Indians.  The settlers from Kentucky and the Ohio valley would boat their goods downriver on the Mississippi to Natchez. After selling their goods, they would also sell their boats for wood(it was too difficult to try bringing the boats upstream).  Then they would hike the Trace back home.  Click on the picture to the right to read about the last place for provisions on the trek north.

There are some interesting stops on the way to Natchez.

Mount Locust was an old style plantation--not large or fancy --as well as an inn for travelers.

These are some pictures of the inside.  Very simple rope beds, but very comfortable rooms.  These rooms were for the family.  Inn guests first camped outside on the ground and then would stay in a small outbuilding for 25 cents per night--includes food.

Very basic furniture and dishes.  What more do you need?








Compared to some other early 1800 homes that we have seen in South Carolina and on the Blue Ridge, this one is quite fancy.  Note the well made brick fireplace and mantel.  All kinds of tools in the back room.
Also, outside, were a number of brick cisterns to save precious water in times of drought.

We had been on part of the Trace a number of years ago in Tennessee.  We will have to see about more of the middle section in the future.

The Trace fell into disuse after the steamboats began their trade on the Mississippi.  Jan and I needed to remind ourselves that in this early time there were no roads linked to Natchez. It was a river town.

At the end of the Trace we opt for another Mississippi state park.  Very nice and close to the city of Natchez.

Natchez is now a tourist town.  But in the antebellum age, it was a cotton town. And all of the cotton owners built their mansions in town to be close to the social and business activity.  This one is the Rosalie, right on Canal street which is on the bluffs with a good view of the Mississippi.

 From just beyond the Rosalie on the bluffs, there is a great view of the Mississippi and the bridges connecting Mississippi to Louisiana.  Jan and I had a great dinner right at the corner by the casino steamboat.
Jan had wonderful grilled shrimp and I had a marvelous catfish plate topped with mushrooms and shrimp. The restaurant was the Magnolia Grill and we were the only ones there at the time.  So-- a great view of the river.

That last picture was from the river walk that goes for quite a ways along the bluff.  This view is looking north.  That boat in the middle of the river is a rather large barge.  That gives you an idea of how wide the river is at this point. Jan and I were remembering our stop much further north in Minnesota.  That was in Itasca State Park where we walked across the Mississippi at its beginning.

This is Stanton Hall. another beautiful antebellum home.  Now it is home to a restaurant and museum with tours.  Natchez is a fairly small city with a spreading suburban community. As an historic city it represents many parts of American development.  There is the early river trade before and after the Louisiana Purchase.
There is the importance of cotton as the southern product. Natchez had more millionaires per capita before the Civil War than any other city in the United States.The destruction and changes from the Civil War.  The destruction caused by the boll weevil to the cotton crop after the war--and the Depression age that followed.  And then the resurgence of such towns when they reinvent themselves as tourist and business centers.

Close to the Stanton Hall are these two brick houses.  In the 1800's the one to the right was the main house for the owners.  The small on to the left was the kitchen--to keep the fires away from the main building--and the servant quarters.

This picture is from right in front of the Magnolia Grill after our dinner.

We did not realize we would have such a view, so this picture is credited to our cell phone.

What to do after Natchez?

Cross the Mississippi, of course!

This time, we are on Route 84, heading for Alexandria, Louisiana.

From Alexandria, we head south into the Kisatchie National Forest.  We are staying at Kincaid Lake Campground.  Not all National Forest campgrounds are created equal.  This is a great one!

The huge storm that invaded Alaska , sent its cold all the way down here to middle Louisiana.  We indicated to Alison that two days ago we had about the same temperatures as Livermore Falls in Maine.
Our high was 43 degrees and the low about 26!!!

But--no snow and we are getting warmer!!!

Heading West

Twin Lakes Corps of Engineer is on Hartwell Lake,  a large lake of 56,000 acres that borders South Carolina and Georgia.  The nice thing about this campground is that 89 of the 102 sites are waterfront sites.

Early morning offers a water view with steam rising.





Getting away from the busy roads of the east, we find it enjoyable to look for "red" roads.  These are roads on our AAA maps that are marked in red and are called principal roads.  We will also use dark black roads that are through roads on the AAA maps.  In this case we followed a black road to Petersburg COE in Petersburg, Georgia.  A very quiet road with small towns along the way.  Petersburg is on J. Strom Thurmond Lake, a 70,000 acre lake with 1,000 miles of shoreline.  When you look at a map you might think that Hartwell Lake and Strom Thurmond are the same. But Hartwell is north and Thurmond is the larger body of water to the south. This large lake means that many campers also bring boats for water sports or fishing.  Right now, it is mostly fishing. The campground information indicates good fishing for largemouth bass, bream,crappie,catfish, and striped bass( yes, that is fresh water striped bass for you New Englanders.)

Again, most campsites have water views like ours.  Also, most have water and electric and are pullthrough sites.  Jan and I had camped in another COE park near here in 2009 called Winfield COE.  Again, huge sites, but now closed in the fall.  Petersburg is the only COE campground open on Strom Thurmond this time of year.  Another nice campground in the area is Mistletoe State Park.    In 2009 we almost missed out on a site because we missed the Augusta Masters Golf Tournament by only a few days. Augusta is about 25 miles south. The following link is an entertaining one for golfers. Augusta golf . the link opens differently each time with a new short video and then goes to the golf page.

If you do visit these lakes after September, realize that most of them lower the water levels for the winter. This is needed to allow work on docks and other shore facilities.  There are still wonderful water views around the parks.

Heading west, the obvious route is the Interstate 20 towards Atlanta.  As we head west, it is sometimes curious to note that there are not always direct roads to places you want to go.  However, in this case, around northern Georgia, it seems all roads lead to Atlanta. Really!!!   If you look at a map, you can see at least 9 major highways leading into the hub called Atlanta.  If you ever have the occasion to drive around Atlanta , you will know that gridlock can happen at any time.
So!!  This time we head south from route 20 on route 44 to route 16 and-------you guessed it-- avoid Atlanta all together.  This quiet road takes us to Jackson, Georgia and the Indian Springs State Park.
These sites are very level and large.  Very few people in the park, but they have a list of activities through the winter and seem to be active on the weekends.  An old Creek Indian spot enjoyed for the healing waters, it was a resort area in the 1800's.  Thought to be the oldest state park in the nation.  More information at this link.Indian Springs Info.

After Indian Springs, Jan and I continue southwest to the Georgia border and West Point Lake COE in West Point, Georgia.  This lake cover 35 miles along the Chattahoochee River along the Alabama, Georgia line.  Like other large lakes in the area, the irregular shoreline measures over 525 miles, providing many opportunities for fishermen.

 A large number of campsites again and most have water views like this one.  Notice how Lady Blue has room for a number of friends.  By the way, the site is not concrete, but a hard pack white gravel.  Extremely level.  More info at this link West Point Lake.

Into Alabama, we follow route 50 to 280 and over to Wind Creek State Park. In Alexander City, south of Talladega and southeast of Birmingham on Lake Martin.

This is a huge lake and a giant campground with 626 sites and many of them with a waterfront view.  We will note that, although it is chilly today, we are much warmer than what we see for temperatures up north.

 We almost missed it!!!  Jan and I were enjoying the site, when Jan saw an orange glow out the window. She ran to the calendar and sure enough, it was the full moon.  How nice of them to give us this perfect spot!

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Heading west through southern Virginia, the weather forecast indicated that this would be a perfect time to jump up on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Before doing so, Jan and I make a stop at Salthouse Branch COE campground on Philpott Lake in Henry Virginia.

A very nice campground with some very helpful hosts.




With a calm wind, the reflections show some nice colors in the lakeshore.

Getting to this campground, we were on Route 220 , coming through Martinsville on a Sunday. Signs said "watch for traffic backup on race day", but no backup. So we thought, "Ha", no problem.  Off we go on the exit to get gas.   Right into a traffic backup, right into the gas station which was at the racetrack. All kinds of people in the street, crossing the highway.  Well!!!!!!
Turns out, the race was just beginning at the Martinsville Speedway Nascar Sprint race.  And some guy named Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally won the grandfather clock winner's trophy that he had wanted since childhood.  Follow this link to the story. Dale Earnhardt story.

The Blue Ridge Parkway runs for 469 miles along the crest of the southern Appalachians and links two eastern national parks, Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains. Jan and I jump on in Meadows of Dan, Virginia at milemarker 176.  The speed limit is 45mph which is plenty for car or small rv.  The above view is typical with the elevation going from 649 to 6,047 feet.  Our trip was mostly from 2,000 feet to 5,000 feet.

Along the road are also a number of tunnels, most of them in North Carolina in the higher elevations.

The park is popular almost all year round, except for the winter.  Parts of the park road are closed in winter weather with no road services.  The spring season is very popular with a great number of rhododendron and other flowering shrubs. But the fall foliage season is probably the most popular.  We are here just after the peak color, but there is still plenty of color at the lower elevations.

All along the route are many turnouts for the wonderful vista views.  Also , are many historic stops and historic homes or buildings.  This is the cabin of "Aunt" Orelena Hawks Puckett.  She lived to 102 years old and was a midwife, delivering more than 1,000 babies.  The last delivery was in 1939, the year she died.

As the elevation increases, the color dims.  But the views are still spectacular!

Jan and I spent two days on the Blue Ridge, for more than 230 miles.

On weekdays after peak color, we enjoyed a very peaceful drive.  Little traffic and plenty of parking at most of the scenic overlooks.

Where do those stairs go, Jan?

Interesting, some of the history near here.

Some of us remember the song as sung by the Kingston Trio and that the song was the number one song in 1958. But we could never relate to you that it was based on a true story of the murder of Laura Foster in 1866 in North Carolina. Remember, you can click on pictures to enlarge.

This link will take you to that Kingston Trio hit
"Tom Dooley" by The Kingston Trio

There are national park campgrounds on the parkway and also some private campground just off the parkway.  The national park campgrounds are dry camping( no hookups). We found that most sites just fit Lady Blue at 24 feet.  But, there were some larger trailers and motorhomes in the parks-only a very few.

The charge for camping-senior pass--$8 per night.
This was Julian Price Campground.

The camping was comfortable.  You might want to know that most of the sites were not quite level.

Also, you might want to know ahead that there was no phone or internet signal at the campgrounds we stopped at.

Doesn't Lady Blue look "at home"?

Our second day will take us to Mount Pisgah at 5,000 feet. Most of the day will be at 4 to 5 thousand feet with many sharp curves and steep hills---often at the same time.

But----those views!!!

The Blue Ridge Parkway was first conceived in the 1800's , but the first construction began in 1933.

Jan is walking under the Linn Cove Viaduct which was part of the final construction in 1987. This bridge snakes around Grandfather Mountain without damaging the mountain itself.

I'm including this stock picture of the viaduct.  We could not stop for a picture, but here, you can understand why the bridge is something of an engineering marvel.

This link will give you a little more information.
Wikipedia article on Linn Cove Viaduct

Also, along the route is a popular stop with a little hike to the Linville Falls.









Lady Blue is having such fun!

But , she also needs these stops for a little rest now and then.  These roads are steep!

Also along the way is the Blue Ridge Music Center.  We had stopped there back in 2009.  That would have been on the first day and we were tempted, but not this trip.  They feature music history of the region and usually live music every day.

Our end destination this trip is Pisgah Mountain and the Mt. Pisgah campground.  Right across the street is the Mt. Pisgah Inn and this wonderful view. Yes, the scenery in the background looks great too!!!
Mt. Pisgah was part of the Biltmore estate and the city of Asheville and the Biltmore Estate  is only about 25 miles or so back north off the parkway.  We had visited there in 2009 as well.  We were tempted to stick around for the beginning of the Christmas season at the estate in about a week.

We were so lucky to have a good day for this view at the Mt. Pisgah Inn.  Even at the end of the season, the Inn was quite popular with individual travelers and small bus groups.  We went to the restaurant for an evening dinner and had to wait for a seating---no reservations--first come,first served.  It was quite enjoyable. Jan had a grilled salmon and I had pork chop with apple chutney.  All that with a nice California meritage wine and creme brulee for dessert.  A must stop!!  Also, nice to have a short 5 minute walk home in the woods.

If you visit, you might also have one of these rockers to sit in while you wait to be called to your breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Jan and I sat in some rocking chairs to the left and waited for ours.  The Inn and campground were closed a few days later for the season.  They closed a day early due to a large early snowstorm that was supposed to dump 6 to 10 inches of snow on the mountains.  As I write this, a good section of the parkway is closed due to weather.

It was a very easy trip off the parkway and south to Twin Lakes Corps of Engineer Campground in Pendleton, South Carolina.  Just a few miles from Clemson University, it is a wonderful campground with very large campsites and a number of them with lake views. A little pricier than some, this is still only $13 with our Senior Pass. And all sites have electric and water.
For any readers who might want more information about the Blue Ridge Parkway,this link will take you to the park homepage.
Park Info  You might want to click on the photos and multimedia as well as the history section.