2. Natchez Trace

2) Natchez Trace

No Traffic On the Trace

The ride down was uneventful. We had no problems at all. Riding to New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) was a straight forward ride. We did not take the Interstate system very much, we used, as much as we could, local roads. We even, for a long stretch rode the Natchez Trace. The Trace is a road with a long history and a beautiful ride. If you ever get a chance, ride the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Natchez Trace. It’s a great way to go from north to south or vice versa.

Colbert's Ferry Ran Near This Picnic Spot. Bridge in Background

We stopped to see the George Colbert Ferry, a nice spot and there is lots of history all around. He was a half Scot, half Chickasaw Indian Chief and he charged people to cross the Tennessee River but also guaranteed safe passage across. He once charged Andrew Jackson $75,000 to ferry his Tennessee Army across the River. Colbert’s Stand (Inn) was used by travelers on the Trace.

Meriwether Memorial

We also took the time to talk to a worker at the Meriwether Lewis Memorial.  On Oct. 11, 1809 Meriwether Lewis was found dead on the trace. Some believe he killed himself… you can do some detective work and find out the true story behind the memorial that was erected in his name on the Trace.

Ah, the Natchez, it has so many memories, going way back. This road started off as a path used by American Buffalo travelling from the flat areas in the south to the Salt Licks further north. The Buffalo set it up, laid it out. They used the low ridges to have a safer passage from predators, afraid of being caught in the valleys where they could not see danger coming. 

It then became an Indian Trail, used for hunting but also for trade. It was a walking trail at first. The layout of the road is very, very natural. Not much modern development happens along the way. Modern roads use a different approach of travel, cars are better in the valleys, but the Buffalo had their natural instinct to rely on.

Walking the Sunken Trace a Few Years Ago

The road became ‘famous’ when European settlers in the Ohio Valley

shipped goods down the Ohio River and then the Mississippi River. The settlers would build a raft out of good timber, load it up with pottery, woven goods, hides, etc. and then float it down the rivers, going ever south. Once they reached Natchez, (a few went as far as New Orleans) they would sell all their stuff, including the trees they used to build the rafts. Now having their pockets full of money they needed to walk or ride back north. Yes, the only good ‘road’ was the Trace, the Natchez Trace. But it was not a walk in the park. Robbers, thieves, etc. knew, too that those people now had money and highway robbery was very common then. Imagine a lonely guy walking north, pockets full of

Riding the Old Original Trace

money and totally alone in nothing but woods, swamps and wild life. There was no guarantee that this man would be able to walk back to his home in the Ohio Valley, or even as far as Pittsburgh, PA. The Natchez Trace alone is 450 Miles long (720KM) from Natchez to Nashville, a long way to walk back. It was a dangerous road to travel on, it even is dangerous in some spots if you ride a motorcycle on the OLD Trace. 

We rode part of the ‘OLD’ Trace. It is a

Beautiful Ride on the Old Trace

section with gravel, mud, sand and it can be rough riding.  Not good if you don’t ride an off-road motorcycle; kind of dangerous, too if you need gas. Make sure you are gassed up before you go this way.

Carol and I prefer this kind of riding. To sit on the small seat on an Interstate for hours on end does not appeal to us, we like the local flavor; we believe we see and experience more of the ride. We do this wherever we go. It is one of the reasons we prefer to ride alone and not with the Club. To ride as a very large group is

The Cypress Swamp

not enjoyable for me. Anything over 4 motorcycles is already a crowd. Carol and I are like a team now; we know what each other might do, what the other prefers, where they prefer to stop, etc. We have established a kind of routine that we follow. We stop after a certain time to have a washroom stop, we get gas when Carol’s bike is about 3 bars and we keep in touch while riding via the intercom system we have in the helmets. The Trace really is a mild, relaxing ride if you stick to the tarred road. 
 

Does He Look Like He Enjoyed the Ride?