Note: This post contains nine (9) photos. Photos by me (Bruce) taken with a SONY alpha 6400 or Google Pixel 6 Pro unless otherwise indicated. (Photos by Linda taken with a Google Pixel 6.)
SUNDAY 29 October 2023 — NTNP 12 of 14 — Natchez MS and Vidalia LA
Our truck and trailer backed into our wooded Boondockers Welcome parking spot at The HatchPad Off The Trace in the Farmhaven area of Mississippi. No epic views, but a lovely, quiet spot in the woods that suited us just fine. Our hosts’ house is farther back in the woods at the end of the driveway. While not really visible in this photo, there is a shed to the right of their house with a washing machine and a dryer. We were invited to use, and took advantage of the opportunity. (Most commercial RV parks have laundry rooms, so we made use of those when available when needed.)
Today we completed our north to south transit of the Natchez Trace National Parkway at the south terminus in Natchez, Mississippi and then on across the Mississippi River to the River View RV Park & Resort in Vidalia, Louisiana, immediately across from Natchez. In total, we drove all but about 10 miles of the 444-mile-long road, and that was only because a 10-mile stretch in/near Tupelo, MS was closed for construction/repairs.
Another view of our truck and trailer in our BW parking spot. Barely visible near the center of the right edge of the frame is the electrical box where we were allowed to hook up to shorepower.
While not an “epic” trip, in comparison to some of the national scenic roads we have driven, it was a wonderful journey at a leisurely pace with light traffic and a nice mixture of scenery, culture, and history. I mean, we took nine (9) days to pull our trailer from one end to the other a distance that we could easily have covered in two (2 days,) even with the trailer, or one (1) day without it. But not on the NTNP, of course, which has a maximum speed limit of 50 MPH, with lower limits in some places. No, this trip was an intentionally “slow roll” and was a kind of “bucket list” item that we had been trying to do for a while.
Natchez, Mississippi as viewed from Vidalia, Louisiana across the Mississippi River. Most of the “downtown” area is to the left of the bridge. The River level was very low. The sand bar in the foreground is usually underwater and not visible.
As much as we would like to have the ability to dry-camp, our rig is only capable of doing that comfortably for a very short time in a very narrow temperature range. We have two solar panels on the roof, but we do not travel with a generator, and our battery system is insufficient to run big loads. We have propane for cooking, refrigeration, hot water heating, and forced-air space heating, but the last three appliances use DC power to run their control circuits, and the fan in the forced-air furnace is a real energy hog, precluding it’s use in cold weather precisely when we need i. At the other extreme, we have two heat pumps which function as air-conditioners for cooling or can heat the rig efficiently in cool weather as long as it’s not too cold. But they are 120VAC devices, and they still use a lot of power/energy. Making the rig truly off-grid capable is something we discuss, but have not reached a conclusion on whether we will undertake the necessary modifications and upgrades.
There was a very nice walkway that went along the River by our RV park. It extended up to and beyond the bridge, so we went for early evening stroll.
A closer view of the bridge with part of Natchez, MS visible on the horizon.
A barge being pushed (upstream, from right to left) by a tugboat (which seems backwards) passes under the bridge, being careful to stay in the center of the River in order to have sufficient underwater keel clearance.
Just beyond the bridge (on the north side) was the Vidalia Convention Center, a very nice-looking facility.
A selfie by the Vidalia Convention Center with Natchez, MS in the background. I think the reason I never smile in selfies is that I am concentrating on framing the shot and also trying to remember to look at the lens, something both of us seem to have difficulty doing consistently.
Our site at River View RV Park & Resort on the western shore of the Mississippi River in Vidalia, Louisiana across the River from Natchez, MS. And no, the name of the town has nothing to do with the onions, which get their name from Vidalia, Georgia.
While we were done traveling the NTNP with our travel trailer in tow, we were not quite done exploring the Trace, which I will cover in the post for tomorrow and the next day.
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