We saw some of the beautiful homes and buildings in Galveston and captured this photo as we headed for the ferry.
Something else we captured in a photo, was the amazing sky. (This had to be taken through a dirty windshield)
After crossing the bay, we headed for the Texas border north of Port Arthur and entered into the state of Louisiana. We have always loved travel in this state. We learned several things from our Google searches as we drove along. One was the origin of the name of the Po-Boy sandwich, and another was the background of the old saying, "Root hog or die".
The sandwich name grew out of the Depression era when two brothers who worked on the streetcars, made this food for out-of-work men and would call to the kitchen, "Here comes another poor boy!" The sandwich took on the name. The other was a saying that was an encouragement to self-reliance and originated when farmers would release their pigs into the woods with the send-off...root hog or die!
We saw it over on old store in the countryside of Louisana.
Just to give you idea of our travel, let me say that we rarely use Interstates, spend some of our time listening to all kinds of music, and google any thing we find of interest to us. One such place was a working cotton plantation, open for tourist to see what this life. Is like.
The plantation store now with a gift shop look.
We didn't stop long here since a main goal was to drive the length of the Natchez Trace Parkway.
For many years, I had heard of the parkway that is 444 miles and goes from Natchez, MS through the corner of Alabama and ends in Nashville, TN.
The Trace has been a passable route used for over 10,000 years and speaks the history of early man, pioneers, soldiers, Native Americans, travelers, and now tourists. It bisected the homelands of the Natchez, Chicksaw and Choctaw nations. In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson designated it as a mail route between Natchez and Nashville. It was established part of the National Park system in 1938. Today it creates a greenway from the bluffs of the lower Mississippi River to the foothills of the Appalachians in Tennessee.
One of the oldest buildings in Mississippi, built in 1780 and is one of the last inns or "stands" on the Trace.
Along the Parkway, signs inform the driver of historic sights ahead. Here, we stopped at a place that had been an Indian village and saw what remains, the burial mounds.
Another interesting place is the Grinder House, pictured below. This is the site where Merriwether Lewis (of Lewis and Clark fame) died, some believing his death a suicide and some think it a result of
a robbery.
When stayed at a beautiful campground along the Trace, at Jeff Busbys site, and completed our drive the next afternoon in Nasville, Tennessee. We had a night booked in a campground and hoped to stay for the weekend but could not get an extra night. So instead of a day in Nashville, we decided to move along to Lexington, Kentucky and visit the Kentucky Horse Farm and Park. It was a must do as we went through the lovely countryside of Kentucky. We shared my birthday meal along the way at a place called Chasers, and the visit to the Horse Farm was one of my gifts!
I was a horse-nut during my early teens. The love of horses is something I share with my daughter and granddaughters!
One of the champions we got a chance to meet.
Bubbles and Squint, asleep with his mother watching.
In the Kids Barn. Guess Who!😍
And a very moving tribute to the great Man of War!
The next few days, we travelled into Ohio from Kentucky and headed to a special birding experience, Warbler Week at Magee Marsh. We booked for a week at Maumee (pronounced like Mommy) Bay State Park, not far from the marsh.
So here we are today, waiting out a very rainy day and hoping all the little birds that have flown so far can get some restoring food and rest on the shores of Lake Erie. We too are able to get a nourishing meal of corn and shrimp as we sit in our warm and cozy home.
Next week, we will leave this area and head into Pennsylvania for our first visit to family since November. We will all be together on Mothers Day with our wonderful "mom"! Latona and I are grateful for each day, and look ahead for the blessings of seeing our families and friends! Love and hugs!
