on our way....hopefully we won't be on the interstate long.
flat fields forever
Big John (in front of Big John's grocery, of course) in Eldorado, Illinois.
dainty clouds - often better than looking at the dry, dry landscape and poverty ridden countryside in Illinois & Arkansas. (Large grain fields in Missouri were being watered by huge irrigation systems and looked much better. I enjoyed seeing the homesteads...often a newer home and the old family home on the same farm.)
copper dome of the court house in Osceola, Arkansas (neo-classical architecture)
English Tudor architecture in Wilson, Arkansas.
I don't know the name of this beautiful pink flowering bush (nearly trees really), but they are EVERYwhere across these southern states.
We stayed the night in West Memphis, Arkansas. I don't recommend it. Just kidding...this wasn't our "resting place." The Best Western we were in was nice enough, but the area was VERY...blighted, dead, scary (well,hard to describe!).
We saw several of these tents scattered throughout the South. Bill commented,
"They're probably used for tent revivals." NOPE! We saw one open and it was for selling fireworks.
The next day we picked up on The Great River Road again (it is billed as a national scenic byway!). We spent most of the day on gravel roads, some interesting sites...some downright scary areas...and, of course, no cell phone service.
We "visited" the W.G.Huxtable Pumping Plant, said to be the largest pumping plant of its kind in the world. It prevents floodwater from the Mississippi River from moving into the St. Francis River Basin. There were a few trucks in the employee parking area so we assumed someone was there, but there were no other visitors and no visitor's area. We just drove through the grounds.
...however, IF we hadn't gone back there, we would have missed seeing this raccoon family running for the water. Papa & Mamma were in the lead (in the pic) & two babies were running like crazy in the back (I couldn't get them on camera (: --- they were really cute.
We spent "a long time" on narrow gravel roads in the St. Francis National Forest...no other travelers...just 2 bulldozers with drivers who had to pull in the blades so we could pass. By the grace of God, we came out where we wanted to be but we had no idea where we had been or how we got there!
We really enjoyed our late afternoon visit to the White River National Wildlife Refuge. The Visitor's Center had an awesome walk-through diorama with stuffed wildlife (sorry, Lydia) and a "night center" where we identified nearly every one of 20 or so night wildlife sounds. AND this is the truth...there were NO other visitors there (around 3pm) and the information desk had a sign saying "Ring bell if you need service." There was even a small gift shop, BUT no human being there. It was hard to believe.
We drove into Louisiana ... some nice homes, some ghettos, empty shops, large school with all the windows knocked out of it, a lot of Sonics, and in Tallulah, Louisiana we crossed a bridge over a creek with a metal Christmas tree in the middle of it!...lights still hung on it. Honest! ...and we drove out of Lousiana.
We crossed the Mississippi again and spent the night in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Very pretty around there...whew!
A new day...and we spent it all on the Natchez Trace Parkway. Lovely...simply lovely.
walks on trails...
the Ross Barnett Reservoir on the Pearl River
the geese enjoyed it too...
...a cypress swamp
...lily pads
...Indian mounds
...a bird on a pole
...a land tarpin on Red Dog Road
...miles of hand-hewn wooden fences
...a walk to a fresh-water stream on the Natchez Trace.
It's great to walk in the same areas as Lewis & Clark and honor their memory.
...Pickwick Lake off the Tennessee River
...and the story of Chickasaw George Colbert who operated a ferry & once charged Andrew
Jackson $75,000 to ferry his Tenn. army across the river.
We met a group of bikers who had ridden 105 miles today,,,not too much for bikers, I guess...but half of their number were blind! Now, that was impressive :)
also, met this guy and wild turkeys, cranes, hawks,,,no eagles :(
glad to visit this old McDonald's ... spent the night at Franklin, Tennessee (some beautiful countryside and homes around there.
next day, we drove home via the interstate. Nashville skyline through bird-specked windshield.
..home via blue sky and pretty clouds...
...and home looked good :)
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