Natchez Trace

May 1st - 6th, 2003

Trip Statistics:
Time Traveled - 6 Days
Miles Traveled - 2114
Accommodations -
Gas -
Food (Estimated) -

  I will not be specific about the entire ride because some of it was business related. Actually, ALL of it was business related except for the route I took and my method of travel.
  I have heard rumors about Natchez Trace National Park for some time. A lot of riders like it, while others say it is boring. It is a two lane, two way road with signs warning "No Commercial Vehicles Allowed". In the North, it is a road through the woods, but the woods give way to lakes and cotton fields as you travel south. I like it well enough to schedule an official CR ride on it next year on Memorial Day weekend. Any other time would be too cold or too hot...I believe.
  The road stretches for about 450 miles from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi. A lot of the road parallels the old Trace which is a well worn path through the woods. The Trace is a story about people on the move, of the age-old need to get from one place to another. It is a story of Natchez, Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians following traditional ways of life, of French and Spanish people venturing into a world that was new to them, and of people building a nation. 1733 French maps show Natchez Trace as a Indian trail running from Natchez to the Northeast.
  When I first got on the Trace just outside Nashville, I did not know what to expect. As I accelerated along the first few feet of the road, I was amazed at how well it was kept. A lot like a manicured golf course. Later, I would encounter mowers every 50 miles or so busy trying to keep up with the grass. The curves are gradual and for the most part you can see around them, which gives you confidence you are not entering the apex too fast. You will feel like you can look around a little while riding, unlike riding some of our real curvy roads here in the mountains. The road surface is smooth from Nashville to Jackson, Mississippi where I got on I-20 west to Dallas. I returned by riding north on the Trace on my way home.
    I am not going to give a lot of the lesser details. I want to reserve them for telling when I ride the Trace again...with you!