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Highway
93 2024
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BlueBelle
is all loaded up and ready to roll and so am I. Since I retired in December
2022 I've now got the luxury of not having to do 'compression touring' -
squeezing in long days of 800 to 1,000 miles just to get where I need to
be. |
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So today
I am taking a leisurely 'stroll' down the Natchez Trace and will overnight
in Natchez. The sky looks a little dark but the sun isn't all the way up
yet. |
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I get amused when I hear riders
say -
'The Trace is okay, it's just
boring.'
Having spent more time riding
on the 'non boring' interstates than I care for, I'll take the 'boring'
Trace over the slab any day of the week. There's no semis, few 'Susie
Cellphones' or other rolling dangers. Traffic, especially during the week
is pretty much nonexistent. And you are basically traveling a two lane
road that is isolated for the most part by wonderful woods and fields.
Ah, just my kind of 'boring' ...
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I figure
I'll stop in Collingwood just off the Trace for a bite of breakfast since
there is a gas station there with a really good deli inside. |
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And I am not disappointed as
the dear ladies behind the counter direct me to some wonderful breakfast
sandwiches. |
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The Trace as it heads south
crosses both the Tennessee River and ... |
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Tennessee Tombigbee
Waterway, a manmade canal of sorts that runs for 234 miles connecting the
Tennessee River to the Tombigbee River near Demopolis, Alabama. It is a
175 foot deep cut that gives the Tennessee River commercial traffic an easy
way to get to the Gulf of Mexico without using the Mississippi River. |
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I always enjoy the various wild
flowers that are in bloom along the Trace this time of year. |
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Some sections have received
brand new pavement - so new they haven't got the lines painted yet. As a
general rule, the Trace is usually kept in good roadworthy condition. |
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In places, you get to ride through
what I call 'tree canopies' where the trees from either side of the roadway
form a picturesque arch over it. |
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It sure looks like I'm fixing
to hit some rain, but I see some light blue so I will chance it. I'd rather
do that than 'bake in a bag' if I put on my rain gear. |
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Top to bottom it takes about
9-10 hours if you keep reasonably close to the speed limits and don't tarry
long at the gas stops. I grab a picture as I have done before of the southern
Trace sign. |
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Supper is easy as I have found
a great BBQ place in downtown Natchez during my previous visits. The city
proper has some incredibly beautiful architecture lining its streets and
byways. |
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Pig Out Inn is down near the
river and they do a mighty fine job of preparing all types of barbecue. |
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I have to laugh when I see the
'Easy Rider' poster from the original movie. I remember when it first came
out and what a shock the ending of it was. |
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I place my order for ribs and
they have them up and ready for me in no time. |
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Last time I was
down here I stayed at the Red Carpet Inn so it gets my business this go
around also. It's nothing fancy, but it's reasonably priced and the rooms
are in good shape. |
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I get BlueBelle all tucked in
for the evening right outside my room door. |
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It's been a very quiet, peaceful
day with only a little bit of cooling rain at the end. With a belly full
of great pig meat, it does not take me long to get all tucked in and into
the land of a belly full of sleep. |
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