Our route home was southeast through Houston, Louisiana then north through Baton Rouge to Mississippi. We spent an afternoon in Bayou country to get some real Cajun food. Stopped in Breaux Bridges, La. and hit a couple really nice antique stores and asked for the most authenic cajun restaurant in the area. We were sent to Poche's about 5 miles away. Authenic it was....located in the back of a small meat market we shared a plate of dirty rice, crawfish gumbo, etouffee, cracklin, boudin sausage.
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| Poche's Market & Restaurant |
Heading north into Mississippi we made 2 strategic decisions: the first was to stay in our first hotel in Jackson, MS and the second to take the Natchez Trace Parkway. The motel decision was primarily to ensure we were able to see Game 8 of the World Series and order a Dominoes pizza!!! Although a little disappointed with the outcome of the game (Donyce and Vic got us rooting for the Texans) we were thrilled staying in a nice warm and roomy hotel.
The Natchez Trace, managed by National Parks Department was recommended by a friend and is similar to the Skyline Drive in Va., but not as hilly and windy. The entire length of the parkway is 444 miles but we got on about one-third up. The 2 lane highway with a speed limit of 50 mph was perfect for a stress free 3 day drive. We barely had anyone in front or behind us on the road. Alot to see and just at the tail end of foliage color, it was an excellent decision. We made numerous stops along the the way and camped at nice spots. The first night we stayed at Davis Lake operated by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (got to use the Golden Pass for $13 fee & full hookups). It was beautiful and as we pull into our spot and began to set up, the folks at the next site yelled over and invited us for a fish fry. There were about 9 couples from around Miss. and Tenn. who meet several times a year at this campground. Great people who made us feel so welcome. They had delicious fried fish just caught from the lake, hush puppies, french fries, cold slaw, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie. What a feast and we shared backgrounds over a blazing fire into the dark. Janice made friends with a guy with an enormous telescope and moon-star gazed for about 45 minutes. She came back in a mesmerized state and excited about the cosmic sights she viewed.
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| Great area for star gazing |
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| New friends at Davis Lake |
As we wrote before our quick stop in Nashville to visit the Petitts, then from here on our mission was home still about about 3 nights away.
We pulled into our driveway at about 4pm on Thursday. After 71 days on the road and 10,816 miles we have alot to reflect on; what would we do differently, our most memorable experience, favorite attraction and part of the country, what we should left home, or where else in the country we may want to live part time. One thing we both know is we were blessed by the Lord the whole time with safety, great weather and life changing experiences which we wouldn't trade for anything.
Thanks for following our journey. Here's a few pics that didn't get posted.
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| Old Town Las Cruces New Mexico |
 Las Cruces Home to Billy the Kid |
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