Going Home

April 3- April 15, 2014

We left Vicksburg, MS on April 3 and drove west on Interstate 20 through Louisiana to Dallas, TX. We picked this route since we had never driven it before. Interstate driving is very fast but not as interesting as back country roads. We wanted to make time and get home for some appointments.

We stayed in an RV park just outside Dallas so that we could visit our friends Liz and Charlie B. We had a fun evening visiting and catching up.

Up early the next morning and we continued driving west on Interstate 20 towards west Texas. It was flat, dry, and lots of oil wells, equipment and trucks.

Our destination was Monahans Sandhill S P. We called ahead and they said that they had some camping spots, but when we got there they told us all the spots were gone. We had never seen this before. They had rented out the camping spots to locals  for day use. They told us we could wait until 10:00 PM when they would vacate the spots and we could have what we wanted. Not likely.

So we headed south to Interstate 10 and reserved a camping spot at Balmorhea SP. It was a lovely campground that was surrounded with blooming flowers. We saw the same problem here in that they rented camping spots out for day use. Campers were turned away because there were not any available spots. However, the locals left around sundown and there were plenty of spots for camping. The rangers said the locals like the facilities in the campground and are willing to pay for the spot. Again, we have never seen this in any other state. Campers and day use people usually have separate areas.

The next day it was off to Las Cruses, NM and some wonderful southwestern food. After that we headed to one of our favorite campgrounds, Usery Mt County Park just outside Mesa, AZ. We had several days to visit with John and Sandra and soak up some sun.

We continued west on Interstate 10 and parked ourselves in Indio, CA. It had been lots of driving the last couple of weeks and we both had gotten colds, so we were ready to kick back.

The trip ended on April 15^th after 27 states and 8 months on the road.

Chattanooga, TN to Vicksburg, MS

3-28-15 to 4-2-15

We had 285 Tiffin motorhomes at the Rally in Orlando. We spent time in seminars, had techs come around and fix little things, and enjoyed the company of many of our fellow Rvers. We saw the hand writing on the wall and knew that 285 rigs couldn't all get out at the same time. So we got up early and were on the road by 6:30 AM. That allowed us to get to Atlanta early in the afternoon and we decided to push on. Big mistake. Terrible traffic because of construction, wrecks and Fri getaways. It took us over 2 hours to get through Atlanta and resulted in a 13 hour day. It was our longest day ever. Anyway we made it to Chattanooga, TN.

We visited the Chickamauga Battlefield where a fierce battle took place for the city of Chattanooga and it's vital railroad. Again there was a huge loss of life by both the Confederate and Union troops.

The National Park Service has done another wonderful job of portraying the battle. There is an excellent film that is shown in the visitor's center and then a drive through the battlefield with numbered stops with explanations.

It was strange to leave 80 degree weather in Orlando and then have a low of 32 degrees in Chattanooga.

We had to bring out our cold weather clothes, but it made from great touring.

We headed north to Clarksville, TN to visit my niece, her husband Dennis, who is stationed at Ft Campbell, and their 9 mo old daughter Claire. She is a cute as a button and such a happy girl. It was great fun to see them.

The next day we drove south and again through Nashville, TN and picked up the Natchez Trace. It is a 444 mile road that goes from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. It started as an Indian trail that connected the Chickasaw, Choctaw and Natchez tribes. It was later used by the early pioneers to transport their goods for trading in New Orleans. The road follows where the trace was originally located and there are segments of the original trail that you can walk along. We walked a section of the trace right by the cabin where Meriwether Lewis, of Lewis and Clark fame, died, probably from a self inflicted gunshot wound. He was just 35 years old.

The National Park Service runs and maintains the trace. There is a map with mile markers along the route detailing what had occurred at each point. It is very well done.

It was a beautiful drive as the dogwoods, redbud trees and daffodils were in full bloom. Plus, we had the road to ourselves most of the way. We stopped part way down the trace and stayed at a campground right on a lake.

On to Vicksburg, MS and the Civil War battle for the town of Vicksburg. Each of these major battlefields have many monuments dedicated to the men who died here. These NPS battlefields are similar to the one in Gettysburg. Great film and well documented drive through the battlefield explaining the entire battle.

The city of Vicksburg is located on the Mississippi River and has many antebellum southern mansions. Many of the mansions are now bed and breakfast hotels. We've enjoyed several meals at these historic mansions.