When the summer heat was arriving in Central Florida, Brian and I were heading out for our 2018 Summer Adventure. The theme this year was the Natchez Trace Parkway...ending with Family Time in Ohio.
In typical Florida summer style, it rained every day the first week. We made a couple stops on our way to the Natchez Trace Parkway. The first stop was at the Ho Hum RV Park in Carabelle, Florida. With a name like that, I couldn't resist. The campground was fine for a couple days. We got to see a lot of the area despite the rain. I found a great place for fresh steamed shrimp...yum. We drove over to St. George Island, toured the quaint vacation town, checked out the state park and spent some time on the beach. I enjoyed the diverse natural beauty of the area...inlet, barrier islands, beaches, marshes. I definitely want to come back and spend more time in the area.
The next stop was the Davis Bayou campgrounds on the Gulf Island National Seashore. The campsite I reserved looked great on paper...but when we drove up...oh my. It was narrow with a difficult angle to back into...and lots of overhanging trees. Despite his initial objections, Brian backed the trailer in on the first try...my hero. I like state park camping because of the surrounding nature...but this was a bit much.
It rained a lot during our brief two-day stay. I did enjoy the hiking trails and I want to come back to kayak in the bayou.
Natchez, MS
Before we started on the Parkway, we spend a few days at the Riverview RV Park on the Mississippi River...walking along the river...watching the barges.
Natchez is the oldest settlement on the Mississippi River...packed full of Southern history and hospitality. We toured an antebellum home (the Longwood), had some great pulled pork (Pig Out Inn) and took a tour of the Frogmore Cotton plantation.
Natchez Trace Parkway
The Natchez Trace Parkway is a national park road that is 444 miles long from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN. It follows a trail that was used by travelers in the early 1800s, travelling by foot or horse. Merchants would float their goods down the Mississippi River. Before the steam engine, these merchants had to travel back north by land. The Trace was the popular route and could take a month to navigate home. Today the Trace is packed with history and natural beauty.
The Parkway is easy to drive. There is no commercial traffic (trucks), it is two lanes, steady 50 mph speed limit and very little traffic.
In typical National Park style, there are well-marked turnoffs for the many points of interest...natural ( overlooks, swamps, waterfalls) and historical (Emerald Mound Mount Locust home, Meriweather Lewis National Monument) and every mile is marked with an attractive mile marker.
Nashville, TN
Our trip on the Parkway ended in Nashville, TN. We stayed a couple days at the Grand Ole RV Resort. The owners were very nice and helpful...and the campers were friendly...but I couldn't get over the train noise. There are train tracks within 100 yards of our campsite. And a train came through almost every hour (day and night). There were no crossings nearby, so no horns, but the noise of the train was enough. While in Nashville, we visited the Parthenon and the Opryland Hotel...both large-scale attractions.
Also while in Nashville, we spent an afternoon at Andrew Jackson's home, The Hermitage. Jackson was the 7th US President and his personal and professional life were full of controversy...Indian relocation, dueling, bigamy, slave ownership.
Family Time in Ohio
The second purpose of our summer adventure was to spend time with the family in Ohio. We stayed at a nice city campground in Stow, Ohio...Silver Springs Campground. All the years I lived in Ohio, I never knew this place existed. The campground has limited amenities, but I enjoyed calling it home for a couple weeks. It was close to family and friends, had nearby hiking trails, a bike path and geocaches.
When we are in Ohio we like to get the family together for a long weekend. This year we spent our family weekend on Kelley's Island in Lake Erie. I picked this spot because we had a summer home there for a few years. It was great to see the familiar sights on this quaint, old-fashioned island...the state park, the winery, driving around in a golf cart and the ferry ride to the island.
Three of the grandbabies were with us on Kelley's Island. It was fun to spend time with each of the babies, but it was a blast to see them with each other. Here they are giving us a concert on their piano play mats.
We also got to meet Matt's son, Nik. The count is 3 grandsons and 1 granddaughter. Evie has her work cut out for her.
One the way home, we stopped in Jackson Center, Ohio so we could take a tour of the Airstream factory. Most of the online reviews of the factory tour were favorable. I enjoy factory tours and am interested in how things are made. However, Brian and I were not impressed. Too many people, too loud to hear the guide and what I did hear was not interesting.
We also toured the Ohio Caverns near Jackson Center. I have been through lots of cave and cavern tours...and enjoyed them all. I find every stalagmite and stalactite fascinating...and I try to take a picture of each one of them!
Many of the places we visited this year we left wanting to return...Natchez, Florida Panhandle, Davis Bayou, Nashville. But eventually it was time to head home...even Lizzie was ready.
