First, I apologize that I did not take any pictures with my ipod and have none to post for the 2nd weeks journey and you will have to wait to see the pictures I took with my camera later.
Secondly, I am a bit frustrated with Weebly as I had written most of this post and it crashed and everything was lost. But hopefully this new post, with a different direction, will be better. :-)
Secondly, I am a bit frustrated with Weebly as I had written most of this post and it crashed and everything was lost. But hopefully this new post, with a different direction, will be better. :-)
After the very enjoyable weekend of visiting with friends and family, I left Jackson and headed in a general westerly direction toward my final destination of the Grand Canyon. Along the way I will stop at as many historical markers and sites as I could stand and continued to stay off the interstates as much as possible.
I started from Jackson towards Louisiana via the Natchez Trace Parkway. This beautiful drive actually runs all the way from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. I have traveled this road many times while I lived in MS but never grow tired of this relaxing scenic drive. Even though I have stopped at all the markers and sites on the parkway before, I stopped again to refresh my memory. At the Locust Stand I received a personalized tour from a volunteer (I was the only person braving the cool rainy morning). I did not stop in Natchez itself as I have toured the town and some of the many antebellum houses, but definitely recommend taking time to explore if you have never been.
From Natchez I drove across Louisiana, again stopping at markers along the way, and into Texas. My stop for the night was just outside of Rusk at a campground at the Railroad State Park. This park runs a working railway from Rusk to Palestine; however, the train does not run in January or February - so I guess another time for the train journey. As I paid for my campsite I asked the volunteer if it was supposed to rain that night and she informed me that it was only going to turn bitter cold. I prepared my tent, put in all my warm gear and burrowed in for the cold night. At around 4:00 a.m. it became too cold to stay in the tent any longer and as I exited the tent I was very surprised to see a thick layer of slush on my tent! I cranked up the heat in the car for about 30 mins and then slept the rest of the night in the car.
The next day I left my campsite with frozen fingers from taking down my sleet soaked tent and headed towards Waco with the understanding that my tent camping on this trip was over. From Waco I headed north to Abilene and from there I will continue west.
The stretch of road to Abilene reminded me so very much of western Kansas and it reminded me how much I missed my God-parents. It was hard to believe that it had been almost a year since they both passed. As I made my stop in Abilene for the night my heart pulled at me to continue north to Kansas. I knew a good nights sleep would reveal the answer to me in the morning.
The next morning I packed up my car and headed north. Along the way to Woodward, Oklahoma I made some stops at a few museums about the pioneers and the plains indians, and of course those roadside markers.
In the morning I headed to Kansas with a few stops before Kinsley. I made it to Kinsley around lunch time and at my PBJ at my God-parent's graveside and then went out to the family farm, the only place I call "home." From there I headed east to Fort Larned for a self-guided tour of the fort. I continued east and stopped to see my dad in Salina, but he was not home and continued on to Manhattan to my daughter's house, where I stayed for 4 days.
It was wonderful to visit my daughter and her family. We visited the zoo on Saturday and attended a bridal show with another daughter on Sunday. Overall a very enjoyable weekend with family.
I started from Jackson towards Louisiana via the Natchez Trace Parkway. This beautiful drive actually runs all the way from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. I have traveled this road many times while I lived in MS but never grow tired of this relaxing scenic drive. Even though I have stopped at all the markers and sites on the parkway before, I stopped again to refresh my memory. At the Locust Stand I received a personalized tour from a volunteer (I was the only person braving the cool rainy morning). I did not stop in Natchez itself as I have toured the town and some of the many antebellum houses, but definitely recommend taking time to explore if you have never been.
From Natchez I drove across Louisiana, again stopping at markers along the way, and into Texas. My stop for the night was just outside of Rusk at a campground at the Railroad State Park. This park runs a working railway from Rusk to Palestine; however, the train does not run in January or February - so I guess another time for the train journey. As I paid for my campsite I asked the volunteer if it was supposed to rain that night and she informed me that it was only going to turn bitter cold. I prepared my tent, put in all my warm gear and burrowed in for the cold night. At around 4:00 a.m. it became too cold to stay in the tent any longer and as I exited the tent I was very surprised to see a thick layer of slush on my tent! I cranked up the heat in the car for about 30 mins and then slept the rest of the night in the car.
The next day I left my campsite with frozen fingers from taking down my sleet soaked tent and headed towards Waco with the understanding that my tent camping on this trip was over. From Waco I headed north to Abilene and from there I will continue west.
The stretch of road to Abilene reminded me so very much of western Kansas and it reminded me how much I missed my God-parents. It was hard to believe that it had been almost a year since they both passed. As I made my stop in Abilene for the night my heart pulled at me to continue north to Kansas. I knew a good nights sleep would reveal the answer to me in the morning.
The next morning I packed up my car and headed north. Along the way to Woodward, Oklahoma I made some stops at a few museums about the pioneers and the plains indians, and of course those roadside markers.
In the morning I headed to Kansas with a few stops before Kinsley. I made it to Kinsley around lunch time and at my PBJ at my God-parent's graveside and then went out to the family farm, the only place I call "home." From there I headed east to Fort Larned for a self-guided tour of the fort. I continued east and stopped to see my dad in Salina, but he was not home and continued on to Manhattan to my daughter's house, where I stayed for 4 days.
It was wonderful to visit my daughter and her family. We visited the zoo on Saturday and attended a bridal show with another daughter on Sunday. Overall a very enjoyable weekend with family.
Though I have changed my original plan of destination, I am happy that I did. A friend asked if I was going down memory lane. There were times when memories would flood into my mind but that was not the intention I had set out for. My heart just yearned so strongly to go to Kansas that I could not refuse it. Perhaps it was a need to get back to something familiar, a reconnection to my roots.
I am enjoying my road trip and many of you know how much I detest driving, but the driving I have been doing on this trip has been so very enjoyable, and I find it strange myself. I think it is the perpetual motion of the last 6 months that just keeps me wanting to go on and on, never stopping. I think I have an underlying fear of stopping for too long but I know at some point I will have to make that decision, at least for a while.
I am enjoying my road trip and many of you know how much I detest driving, but the driving I have been doing on this trip has been so very enjoyable, and I find it strange myself. I think it is the perpetual motion of the last 6 months that just keeps me wanting to go on and on, never stopping. I think I have an underlying fear of stopping for too long but I know at some point I will have to make that decision, at least for a while.
RSS Feed