October 23, 2014. Day 3 on Natchez Trace, in the Deep South

CAMPGROUND:  Piney Grove Campground. Part of the Army Corps of Engineers.  On a man-made lake.  Large, woodsy sites. Laundry. Clean, nice bathrooms with showers.  Dish-washing sink with hot water (although sexistly located in women's bathroom).  Campfire ring plus stand-up grill.  Electricity and water at each site.  Cell service.  PBS reception on TV.  We have the loop to ourselves.  Definitely 5 stars out of 5. All for $11/night.....we splurged and spent an extra dollar to get a site right on the lake.  :-)

LOCATION:  About 50 miles north of Tupelo, in northern Mississippi.  On backroads, with no nearby towns.  

WEATHER:  Sunny. Highs in 60s

We leisurely drove about 100 miles south on the Natchez Trace, stopping to look at historical sites along the way.  There isn't too much traffic.  We took a few short hikes and had a sardine/cracker picnic at one stop. 

One stop was Meriwether Lewis's home and grave (Lewis as in explorers Lewis and Clark fame)

Another stop was Davey Crockett Park.

The road cut through about 30 miles of a corner of Alabama, then we were in Mississippi.  We had to take a detour through some back roads.  We came along a cotton field....looks like snow!

George saw a sign saying "free turnips" so picked some for dinner.

We had a hard time finding this campground, as its location was not clear on the map.  We stopped at a flea market for help.  We ended up going down the wrong road.  It was unpaved with untidy trailers and mangy dogs chasing us.  We finally found someone to ask.  George talked with the woman.  He said I wouldn't have understood her at all...strong Southern drawl.   We were able to turn around and then found the campground.  We will stay here for 2 nights.

DINNER:  Stir-fried rice with leftover chicken.  George wanted boiled turnip greens.  Since they have a strong smell, I made him cook them outside.  He really liked them, served with vinegar.  We will eat the turnips tomorrow.