Driving The Natchez Trace Parkway – Destination For Coffee?

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I Forgot My Coffee

On my way to Jackson Mississippi for some work experience I realized that I had left my mug of coffee in the microwave.  So I stopped about fifteen minutes south of Tupelo Mississippi at the Pontocola One Stop.  Interesting place to stop, building looks like it is on its last decade of which their are a lot of in Mississippi.

Regardless Of The Looks Of The Place

The coffee was decent and it was reasonably clean.  It is not however a destination coffee location for our Saturday morning coffee stops as their are no amenities such as chairs to sit in and so forth.  Other than munchy type stuff their is no food for the morning crowd, although the counter person said they had hamburgers and a few other items starting at 11:00AM.

In Closing

The Pontocola One Stop is located about 100 yards off of the Natchez Trace Parkway mp252IMG_5372 on Pontocola road, has beer, soda’s and a minimum of other items barely sufficiant to serve the local populace.  Coffee is good but the station across the street has more character.  At any rate I can not call for a drive destination coffee stop due to lack of facilities, which is unfortunate, not a bad place to visit all things considered.

Riding The Natchez Trace In Mississippi

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Riding The Natchez Trace In Mississippi

I got out today even though it is cloudy and fairly cool today. I wanted to test out my new Nolan N90 helmet. It very comfortable on this ride which only lasted about an hour around a coffee stop about 15 miles south of the Natchez Trace Parkway HeadQuarters. I bought it fairly snug but it will loosen up as I can feel it getting better as I ride.

The Natchez Trace Parkway

The parkway is one of the best rides and covers 444 miles from Nashville Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi. It is mostly a straight highway limited to 50 miles per hour with sweeping curves. The road itself is in excellent condition and commercial traffic is not allowed. You will see bicicles and hikers along the road so give them a wide clearance as the Rangers will enforce the law giving them half a lane clearance.

HeadQuarters And Office Complex

The picture included is at the head quarters of the parkway and in Tupelo, Mississippi. It is within 40 miles of being at the center of the parkway and there are a multitude of facilities available with in a mile of the office. There is tourist information available and rest room facilities. The Park has a map handout the identifies other locations along the park for overnight accommodations, food,and gas. You will need this as you can not see or pass through any towns or cities if you stay on the parkway, although you will be passing next to several.

Looking Forward to Longer Rides

I work out of the Tupelo area and will be travelling the full length from here going both north and south visiting the many wayside stops. I will cover the information and ride as i go. Right now the bike is running good and ready to go, just waiting for a little more break in the weather.

Cold Weather Ride

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WE had a break in the cold weather here in Mississippi and I took the time to warm up the scoot. Actually was warm while in the sun but once you got into the shadows the cold returned instantly. Still it was a nice respite from the cold weather and I enjoyed a good warm lunch at the Country Store a few miles south and east of Tupelo, Mississippi. Lunch was great and I tanked up on coffee which was excellent. Everything worked well on the ole’

bike and I sure will like it when the weather actually changes and gets back to Mississippi weather, make that warmer weather.

Cypress Swamp

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I finally am getting back to my blog.  I found that the blog was not a good way to show a lot of pictures.  I have though found that using Picasa is fairly easy to do and I can disseminate a lot of pictures in a relatively short time.  So if anyone out their wants to look at a lot of pictures from Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama plus a few other states please follow the url at the bottom of this post.  I will eventually put it in the sidebar but right now there is no gadget that works properly for viewing Picasa pictures.

Here now is a couple of pictures from the Cypress Swamp album and these were taken just last week.

 The swamp itself is on the Natchez Trace Parkway about twenty miles north of Jackson, MS.  It is just off of the Pearl River and at the upper end of a large lake which has up to fifteen foot alligators in it.

 Supposedly their is an alligator in this swamp but I have not seen it yet.  I have seen water moccasins swimming in the water.

These are cypress starting a new cycle.  Sandy says the one on the right is an indian maiden.  The short one looks like a turtle is trying to stick its head out.

For the rest of the pictures follow this:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=101786227012803220284&target=ALBUM&id=5839817250563293489&authkey=Gv1sRgCPi0vvvXx9GbtwE&feat=email

The Old Natchez Trace

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This roadside pull over on the Natchez National Park at approximately mile post 222 shows some of the original post road as it was.  Obviously it has been cleared so you and I can walk along it.

Originally it was used by the Indians to travel from the lower Louisiana delta area up to the Nashville, TN area and farther north.


 These pictures, as good as they are, do not show how dense the forest and underbrush can be. 

 Maintaining this 500 mile wilderness road in the early 1800’s was a difficult if not hopeless task.  Consider for an instance that those old travellers had to endure insects, snakes, and other animals along with the heat and humidity that at times in unrelenting.  Those of us who endured Viet-Nam would understand what they went through.

As you look down the trace notice how it is sunken, and also the large trees growing on the edge of the ten foot wide trench or roadway that is cleared today.

The sunken part was caused by the thousands of travelers, the rain that made passage next to impossible in some sections.

Northern end of the Natchez Trace Parkway, food and friendship

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 The centre of down town Lieper’s Fork.  Everything you would need to live in this small Tennessee town.  Excellent food, friendship, and a band every Friday and Saturday night.  Restaurant serves food as in a cafeteria style, on plastic foam carry out type boxes.  There is though, ample seating, again cafeteria style.

One of the local roads in and out of Lieper’s Fork

 A local off road vehicle capable of negotiating any type of terrain.  Notice the extra water mounted on fender to keep cool.  Also frying pan for roadside rest and vitals, will also help fight off the bears.

 Another view of the vehicle showing the special anti slip steering wheel.  Please also notice the washtub for baths and such also doubles as a container for salt curing when needed.   Trash can, tool box, and back seat for the lookout.

Still in use after all these years.

Somebody’s back yard.

Couldn’t find Barney Fife but the sheriff driving it had a big belly!

Talked to the Sheriff at the store, nice fella.  He thought we might be aliens

All fun aside he was a cool sheriff, gave us a lot of information on the local color.  Very interesting.

Snow Pictures In Tupelo Mississippi

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Many of the older citizens of North Mississippi call this winter one of the worst in memory.  

What I know is the snakes are not out and I feel comfortable going for hikes on the many trails around the area.

This Picture was with the flash raised and made an interesting composition.  When I first took the picture I thought that all I had were spots from the snow flakes.

These pictures were taken with a Canon PowerShot camera, at dusk with lots of snow in the picture along with a slight haze.

I thought it might be a little to dark but they actually came out fairly well.

My driver patiently waiting while I muck about in the snow taking more pictures.

This is just the start, by morning we should have close to seven inches.


  
Car going slow. 
Probably for the best.  Mississippians do not drive well in the snow.

Cypress Swamp Middle of Winter January 2011

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These pictures were taken just before sundown, light low and so pictures are a little washed out.

This one has my wife just before we start out on the walk about.

This is a bald cypress tree and can live in deep water for long periods.  It takes root in the summer when the swamp is nearly dry and afterwards can survive in deep water.  

Eventually Black willow, Sycamore, and Red Maple will take over in the next hundred years.

Ferns that are growing on the trunk of this bald cypress.

What looks like beaver runs and probably muskrat.  Also this swamp has alligators but I have not seem one. 

Hope you have liked these pictures.  You also shoould compare them to an earlier blog here that is this swamp last summer late June 2010.

There are swimming things in the water but I have not been able to get a good look, hard to see and hide under the scum and other stuff.