Port Gibson, MS to Natchez, MS:

November 2, 2014

Now I'm glad my teacher made me learn to spell

We made it! After a leisurely breakfast with Bobbye & Phil, our B&B hosts we got a late start on our ride giving time for temperatures to bounce back from an overnight frost. Surprisingly I didn't notice damage to any ornamental plants.

The Parkway was beautiful again and the terrain was perfect for tandem riding. At least it would have been perfect if we could coast the bike. I developed the technique to keep the chain from tinkling against the rear spokes when going fast down hill by using the brakes to slow us while at the same time pedaling to speed us up, thereby putting tension on the chain. Of course this also means we pedaled up hill, we pedaled downhill and we pedaled on the level for 47 miles.

Our first stop of interest was the Emerald Mound.

A diagram showing the construction of the mound.

It was hard to grasp the size of the mound, built by a basket of dirt at a time.

From below it seemed like we were approaching a huge elevated football field.

Standing on top the mound looking down on the tandem which was parked up on the first level.

Archaeologists concluded the mounds were probably built for cicic ceremonial/religious purposes. Standing on top of the mound one could imagine watching modern civic ceremonial/religious events such as football games.

Inn's on the Trace were called "Stands". Only one of 50 still remain. Mt. Locust still remains.

This building evolved from a family residence to an inn. One anomaly was the difference between the slave cemetery and the family plot. The former had one unmarked stone although more than eight people were buried.The family plot had engraved stones with groomed plots.

There was no mile marker "0" for a picture.

These folks met us about 8 miles before the end of the Parkway and waited for us to finish to take our picture and then guided us through Natchez to the river to take our picture there.

Cold and a little wind burned we celebrated with a photo overlooking the Mississippi River.

Wensel House, our B&B was located in the historic part of Natchez. In this picture I was impatiently waiting for a horse drawn buggy full of tourists to come down in front of the home so we could take an interesting picture. However, there were apparently too many historical places to talk about on just this block and I didn't want to wait any longer.

Of course, after we had given up waiting and were no longer in position for the shot we wanted, the horse and buggy pulled down in front of the home.

Ron and Mimi Miller operate the B&B and both have had long careers focusing on history with a particular interest in what they called "Decorative Fine Arts". Consequently they were well prepared to help us appreciate the history of the city, the house and even the furnishing in the home. Ron suggested we go to a restaurant which was a 1/2 mile walk from the B&B and insisted on driving us there.

On our way to a restaurant in the " Under the Hill" section of Natchez which used to be the seedy section of the city we just missed sunset over the Mississippi River.

The sun had set but the colors were stunning.

Outside the restaurant I was able to frame a portion of the Natchez-Vidalia bridge. Not a bad picture for a cellphone camera.

Today's ride: 46 miles (74 km)
Total: 492 miles (792 km)

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