270.6 miles, 19.6 gallons, 13.8 mpg
Natchez Trace State Park
We were able to get quickly hooked up and on our way at about 9:30 am. Our next stop was halfway between Memphis and Nashville. It would have taken close to 4 hours to get to Memphis, so in keeping with our 3-hour driving rule, I picked this place as a potentially fun place to stop. The trip was uneventful, but the route was beautiful and tree-lined once we left Nashville.
The campground is about 11 miles from the highway, and the roads were good. Our spot was full of hookups, a pull-thru, and right next to the bathrooms, which we decided we would try to use as much as possible to save us time dumping. Though the temperature was about 91, the sun was incredibly hot even when we were under the awning, enjoying a beer after setting up.
We had no cell phone coverage, so we visited the visitor center. Along the way, we checked out some of the lakes and lodges they had available at the park. When we arrived at the Visitor Center, we did not find much besides a small wildlife exhibit aimed at children. I could not find anything about the Natchez Trace, and so after asking a ranger, we were told that this park was on a “spur” of the Natchez Trace trail and that there were no visible parts of the trail. The bottom line is that they just used the name. I had been studying the history of Natchez Trail over the last couple of days, so this did not surprise me.
Merriwether Lewis Monument
When we got back to the truck, I had cell phone coverage, so I started looking for places to visit around us. I found that the Natchez Trace Parkway and the grave and monument to Lewis Merriweather were only a little over an hour from us. We jumped in the car and headed that way. The route took us through some rather narrow roads for half of it, but it was a fun route, and we also found ourselves crossing the Buffalo River, which we learned was the same one that we rafted while in Arkansas.
When we got to the Merriweather Lewis monument, we found that it marked his grave and that many other small markers showed others buried around him. A small reconstructed cabin, Grinders Stand, nearby had some displays inside, but it was locked up with no hours posted. I was disappointed because this was where we could have gotten an NPS passport stamp. The Natchez Trail was marked and well-worn, and hikers still use it. We drove down the Parkway a couple of miles and stopped at some roadside information boards discussing the Iron Works in the area.
Hohenfelds Steak House
We decided to eat at a popular steakhouse restaurant near Hohenfelds before returning. We arrived at about 4 pm, so there were few people there, but the local townspeople did not take long to arrive. I had a pork chop with baked potato, and Lisa had a Cuban sandwich with sweet potato fries. Both were excellent.
Before heading back to the campsite, I also picked up some hydrocortisone and moisturizer at a local drug store to help a sunburn I had gotten at Tammy’s. I took a shower at the shower house, applied the medication, and we settled down and watched a DVD I brought. I found the movie boring but Lisa liked it.