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An Afternoon on the Natchez Trace Parkway {Day Trip from Memphis: Part 2}

Stretching 444 miles from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville Tennessee, the historic Natchez Trace Parkway takes travelers on a journey through history; from Native American burial mounds to Civil War sites to lush nature trails and sweeping vistas.

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[This is the second in our series of posts about our day trip to Tupelo, Mississippi from Memphis, Tennessee. To read about our adventures in Tupelo, please visit Part 1.]

After spending the day in Tupelo, we decided to make our way back to Memphis via the Natchez Trace Parkway.

What is the Natchez Trace Parkway?

The Natchez Trace is an ancient trail that stretches 444 miles, from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee, and takes travelers by everything from Native American burial mounds to Civil War sites to lush nature trails and green, sweeping vistas.

The original Trace path was carved by migrating prehistoric wildlife making their way between prairie lands and the Mississippi River. Later, Native American tribes picked up the Trace, and in time everyone from conquistadores, trappers, and boatmen to mail carriers and militia was using the Trace as a primary trade route through the region.

The Natchez Trace Parkway follows the path of the original Natchez Trace. Established as a National Park in 1938, the Parkway has since been designated an “All American Road & Scenic Byway.” (A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six “intrinsic qualities”: archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The Natchez Trace qualifies in all six.)

Traveler Notes: Mr B and I drove the 50-mile section of the Natchez Trace that connects Tupelo with US-72 W in Alabama. In terms of driving time, taking the Trace versus driving directly back to Memphis from Tupelo added about an hour and a half to our trip. We also spent at least three extra hours exploring the stops along the way. Taking the byway was totally worth the extra time and effort: my only regret is that we didn’t have more time to spend taking in more of the route.

Mile 266.0 – Parkway Visitor Center and Headquarters

We got on the Natchez Trace Parkway as we left Tupelo, stopping first at the Parkway Visitors Center and Headquarters, where we got an overview of the Natchez Trace and picked up some brochures and a map. [Specifically, we highly recommend picking up a Natchez Trace Parkway map provided by the National Park Service, which details each of the mile markers and stops along the Trace. We found it invaluable.]

Inside the Visitor Center you will find a park Ranger-staffed information desk, a small book and souvenir store, an auditorium, and a museum about the Natchez Trace. The Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center has an orientation film and a number of informative interpretive displays as well.

Official Natchez Trace map [PDF], showing the entire length of the Trace from Mississippi to Tennessee.
Mississippi to Alabama map [PDF], which includes all of the sites in this post.

Mile 269.4 – Old Trace & Confederate Gravesites

This was our first stop on the Natchez Trace. There is a short, relatively easy uphill walk from the parking lot to the Unknown Confederate Gravesite.

Much of the Old Trace had been abandoned by the start of the Civil War. However, the war did leave its mark on the Trace as it did upon the rest of the South. The soldiers marched, camped and fought along portions of this historic old road.

– US Dept of the Interior, National Park Service

As we walked the short path to these thirteen “Unknown Confederate” graves, I felt as if the very air around us was vibrating. It was probably just my imagination (or possibly those relentless Southern mosquitos).

That these men died on the wrong side of history is not up for debate here. Nevertheless, these thirteen graves stand in silent testament to the sacrifices made on every side in deadliest war in American history.

These thirteen men (boys, more likely) were someone’s son, or father, or brother, or lover. We don’t know how or why they ended up in this remote clearing far from home, nor do we know what was in each one’s mind and heart. We will never know. All we know is that these thirteen did not survive the fight.

Mile 275.2 – Dogwood Valley

Flowering dogwood is a common small tree throughout the eastern United States from Maine and Michigan south to Texas and Florida. Here the Natchez Trace passes through a small valley with an unusual stand of large dogwood trees. An easy 15 minute walk takes you along a sunken portion of the Old Trace and through the small wooded area named Dogwood Valley.

– US Dept of the Interior, National Park Service

Dogwood Valley provided us with another short, easy hike. I didn’t get any good pictures of the landscape; mostly because I was busy chasing this darn butterfly – who would not hold still for me no matter how much I pleaded with him!

Mile 278.4 – Twentymile Bottom Overlook

There are a multitude of swamps, streams, and rivers along the lower regions on the Trace, and Twentymile Bottom is one such wetland. This particular stop struck Mr B and I both as a bit anticlimactic: as visitors from one of the greenest corners of the US, this spot was just another vista, and an overgrown one at that. Pretty, yes, but not particularly life-altering.

Traveler Notes: If you are driving a larger RV or pulling a trailer, you might want to consider skipping this stop. The overlook is at the end of a short road with no loop at the end, making it difficult for larger vehicles to turn around.

Mile 286.7 – Pharr Mounds

According to the National Park Service, Pharr Mounds is the largest and most important archaeological site in northern Mississippi. Built by Native American tribes 2,000 to 1,800 years ago, Pharr Mounds is a complex of eight mounds, spread over 90 acres. The mounds, or artificial hills, were built to either hold structures or for burial grounds.

You can only see three of the mounds from the parking lot, and there are no trails out to the mounds. The highest mound is only eighteen feet tall, while others have eroded to the point where it may be difficult to even identify them as hills.

Traveler Notes: This stop has a large parking lot, two picnic tables, some good interpretive information, and a public restroom facility (plumbed).

Mile 308.4 – Cave Spring

Cave Spring, a combination of a cave and a sinkhole, was a particularly interesting stop on our journey. Originally formed by underground water eroding the limestone to create a long room and corridor, the cave weakened over time until it collapsed.

An 800-foot paved path leads you to the mouth of a low cave entrance. Signs warn visitors that the limestone cave is dangerous and will eventually collapse; however, Mr B braved it for this picture because he’s just that kinda guy.

Mile 308.8 – Bear Creek Mound

The village site was occupied as early as 8,000 B.C. by hunters who stayed only long enough to prepare their kill. From the time of Christ to 1000 A.D., migratory people of this area practiced limited agriculture. The nearby fields and streams offered an abundance of nuts, fruits, game and fish. These people shaped this mound and built a crude temple on its summit to house their sacred images.

– US Dept of the Interior, National Park Service

Traveler Notes: You can easily walk from Bear Creek Mound to the Mississippi-Alabama state line.

Mile 308.9 – Alabama-Mississippi State Line

Between Mr B and I, we have visited nearly every state in the United States. Until this trip, however, neither one of us had ever set foot in Alabama, so we decided to document the occasion.

Obviously, I was the first one in Alabama, because I had to get there first to take this picture of Mr B driving across the state line form Mississippi. (Not that anyone is keeping track or anything. 😉)

Mile 317.0 – Freedom Hills Overlook

Freedom Hills is the site of a short, steep trail that leads to the the highest point on the Natchez Trace in Alabama. There are two benches along the way for resting, and a third bench at the top of the hill.

When Mr B and I took the hike, we took our “good camera,” but both left our cell phones in the car for some reason, so we had to get very creative when it came to taking a picture of the two of us at the top. We jury-rigged a makeshift camera sling in the fork of a tree, and after I set the timer, I had to run down so that we could capture the memory. Let’s just say that it was a challenge and it took more than one try. So while this picture isn’t the greatest and the lighting is terrible, it represents a fun memory for us.

I imagine that this place – along with the entire Natchez Trace – puts on an amazing show of color in the fall.

Mile 320.3 – Buzzard Roost Spring

Buzzard Roost Springs was the last stop we made before getting on Highway 72 for the last leg of our Day Trip from Memphis to Tupelo. It was a peaceful, relaxing way to end our brief tour of Natchez Trace Parkway.

Originally called Buzzard Sleep, the name was changed to Buzzard Roost in 1801 by Levi Colbert, a renowned Chickasaw chief. The spring was a water source for the Colbert house which also served as an inn and stand for travelers on the Old Natchez Trace. Travelers who stopped here remarked that its a good place for they were well received, well fed and kindly treated.

– US Dept of the Interior, National Park Service

Levi Colbert left behind a gripping legacy. As one of six sons of a Scots father and Chickasaw mother, Levi was in unique position between the two cultures. Both Levi and his brother George became prominent interpreters and negotiators, striving to foster peace with the US government while also maintaining the integrity and interests of the Chickasaw people and their culture.

Traveler Notes: If after, visiting this stop, you find yourself wanting to learn more (as I did) about the Chickasaw people; and more specifically, about the Colbert brothers and their intriguing story, you might want to check out Chickasaw Chief George Colbert: His Family and His Country.

Take Highway US-72 W back to Memphis!

Learn more about the Natchez Trace

Visit the Scenic Trace Website
Explore the Natchez Trace Interactive Map
Download the Natchez Trace Visitors Guide

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Freedom, Justice, Honor, Duty, Mercy & Hope {Pearl Harbor}

July 21 By Renée ♥ 9 Comments

Highlights of our visit to the USS Bowfin, Pacific Aviation Museum, and the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor and a good story about an honorable man.

All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.

―Winston Churchill

After visiting the USS Arizona Memorial, we spent the rest of our day touring the other museums and exhibits in and around the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument. The first of these, the USS Bowfin, shed additional light on my dad’s wartime service as a submariner.

USS BOWFIN

Known as the “Pearl Harbor Avenger” because of nine successful war patrols following the initial attacks, the USS Bowfin submarine is now a floating museum. Guests are able to walk through the sub with a guided headset tour that details its patrols and describes what it was like to live submerged beneath ocean waters for months at a time.

When he was still with us, I once took a tour with my dad of the USS Blueback, a submarine anchored at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry [OMSI] in Portland. At the time, Dad shared with me a little about his daily life as a submariner, and one thing really got my attention.

Like most vessels of the time, his sub used a sleeping arrangement called “hot-racking” (also known as hot bunking), which is the practice of assigning up to three (usually low-ranking) crew members to a single bed or “rack” to reduce berthing space, with each one having a different assigned bunk time. A crew member would work his duty shift, and then return to lie down on a rack immediately after it was vacated by another crew member who had just left for his duty shift. (Thus, he lay down on a “hot” rack.)

Dad said this hot-racking system often caused trouble and frustration (who’da thunk?); however, his assignment as a Torpedoman’s Mate [TM] offered an interesting berthing alternative: apparently TM’s often slept in empty torpedo tubes!

Just the idea of living underwater on a sub sets my mild claustrophobia on edge, and then to sleep in a tiny tube? Thanks but no thanks.

Exhibits aboard the USS Bowfin include an impressive collection of submarine-related artifacts such as submarine weapon systems, photographs, paintings, battle flags, original recruiting posters, and detailed submarine models, all illustrating the history of the U.S. Submarine Service.

PACIFIC AVIATION MUSEUM

The Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor on Historic Ford Island occupies two hangars and the Ford Island Control Tower that still bear the scars of our nation’s aviation battlefield. Our experience at the Pacific Aviation Museum began in Hangar 37, a 42,000 square foot former seaplane hangar that survived the December 7, 1941 attack. When we arrived, we first watched a short movie that covered the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

The hallway leading from the movie to the exhibit area is lined with photos of what life was like in the Islands before 1941.

Upon entering the exhibit area of 25,000 square feet, the first thing we saw was an authentic Japanese Zero in a diorama setting on the deck of the Japanese carrier Hiryu at dawn on December 7th.

Also in the hangar is a light civilian plane that was airborne and shot during the Oahu attack. Other exhibits include an actual B-25B Mitchell similar to one used in the Doolittle Raid on Japan in April, 1942, and an authentic F4F Wildcat, featured in a Guadalcanal diorama that tells the story of the “Cactus Air Force.”

The second hanger making up the Pacific Aviation Museum – Hangar 79 – is an 80,000 square foot seaplane hangar. It’s blue glass windows are still riddled with bullet holes left by the Japanese attack.

During the war it was a maintenance and engine repair facility, filled with fighters, bombers and patrol aircraft that were based in Pearl Harbor or en route to the front lines. Today, it holds modern jets and historic helicopters.

USS MISSOURI (“Mighty Mo”)

USS Missouri became one of the world’s most famous ships when Japanese and Allied representatives attended a ceremony aboard ship in Tokyo Bay to sign the formal document of Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945.

As we entered the concourse approaching the USS Missouri, we were greeted by a larger-than-life statue of Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet during World War II. Nimitz was on deck and signed for the United States when Japan formally surrendered on board the Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. I was touched by the quote that graced the podium upon which his statue stood:

They fought together as brothers in arms; they died together and now they sleep side by side…To them, we have a solemn obligation — the obligation to ensure that their sacrifice will help make this a better and safer world in which to live.

―Chester W. Nimitz

The ship has a plaque in its deck to commemorate the exact spot where the table stood with the surrender document that was signed to bring World War II to a close.

During our tour, we heard one story about the Captain of the Missouri that will stay with me, because it reflects an honor and humanity that far transcends its circumstances. (Or as my dad would say, he was just a good man doing the right thing.)

On April 11, 1945, a 19-year old Japanese “Kamikaze” pilot attacked the Missouri and struck the side of the ship. The ship was not badly damaged, but fire erupted and the deck was covered with debris. As the crew was cleaning up, they discovered the pilot’s body among the wreckage and prepared to wash him overboard. It was then that Captain William M. Callaghan, Missouri’s commanding officer, intervened.

Captain Callahan ordered the body to be prepared for a burial at sea. Further, as it was customary to shroud the body of a fallen soldier in the flag of his own country, he asked the crewmen to sew a Japanese flag to drape over young man’s body. After the flag was created from a sheet and red signal flag, the crew then gathered. A Marine honor guard fired a salute, and then a bandsman stepped forward and sent the lingering notes of “Taps” adrift across the sea.

Senior Chaplain, Commander Roland Faulk, then stepped to the head of the burial detail and concluded, saying simply: “We commit his body to the deep.” The burial detail tilted the flag-draped body and lowered the weighted white canvas shroud over the side and watched as it disappeared into ocean depths below.

Captain Callaghan, we were told, later reflected that he looked at the pilot simply as a man serving his country, the same as anyone in military service. He was doing his job. Moreover, he had served honorably and paid the ultimate price, and he deserved to be treated with the respect due a warrior.

At the conclusion of this story, we were shown the footprints, now permanently fixed on the deck, where the crew stood. The dents from the April 11, 1945 attack remain on the Missouri‘s hull to this day.

In closing, I leave you with two thoughts: First, these words from General Douglas MacArthur, excerpted from the speech he delivered at the Surrender Ceremony on the Missouri that marked the end of World War II.

It is my earnest hope – indeed the hope of all mankind – that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past, a world found upon faith and understanding, a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish for freedom, tolerance and justice.

And finally, a metaphor, found growing out of a small break in the deck of the USS Missouri.

♥ Peace

Tickets to tour all of these sites are available at the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites Visitors Center.

In Memory of Gallant Men {Pearl Harbor}

July 20 By Renée ♥ 11 Comments

Highlights and reflections on our visit to the USS Arizona Memorial at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument at Pearl Harbor.

{Part 1 of 2}

The average age of a serviceman stationed at Pearl Harbor during World War II was nineteen. Do you remember what nineteen looks like?

Sailors on the beach at Waikiki 1945| The Good Hearted Woman

My Dad [age 17, standing on the right] with his buddies at Waikiki – 1944

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My dad enlisted in the Navy in 1943, twenty months into The War, on the day he turned seventeen. After completing basic training, he was assigned as a Torpedoman’s Mate on the USS Searaven, a submarine stationed out of Pearl Harbor.

The image above, taken on the beach at Waikiki in 1944, puts it all into perspective for me. Those faces were with me every minute we spent at Pearl Harbor, and colored every moment of my visit there, because while Dad and his buddies all lived through the war, so many faces as fresh and alive as theirs did not.

They were so very young.

USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor | The Good Hearted Woman

The Shrine Room in the USS Arizona Memorial.

The World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument consists of nine historic locations in three of the westernmost United States: California, Alaska, and Hawaii. Of these, five are located within Pearl Harbor itself: the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Oklahoma Memorial, the USS Utah Memorial, and parts of Ford Island and Battleship Row.

Before taking our scheduled tour of the USS Arizona Memorial, Mr. B and I took some time to walk around the monument, which includes a number of interconnected sites.

The Remembrance Circle lists every sailor, marine, soldier and citizen known to have died on Oahu on December 7, 1941, besides those listed on the USS Arizona Memorial itself. As I read through the list of civilians who died, I found myself thinking of all the living that was lost: the girls James never got to kiss…the sunlight that never fell again on Alice’s face… the young mother who never got to hear little Eunice tell her she was the best mommy in the world. It broke my heart.

The tour of the USS Arizona Memorial includes a compelling 23-minute film on the history of the politics, the people, and the attack on Oahu. After viewing the film, we boarded a US Navy operated boat for a short ride to the USS Arizona Memorial.

The USS Arizona Memorial is built over the remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona, the final resting place for many of the 1,177 crewmen killed on December 7, 1941, when their ship was bombed by the Japanese Naval Forces. This loss of life represents over half of the Americans killed during the worst naval disaster in American History.

Some 500,000 gallons of oil continue to slowly seep out of the ship’s submerged wreckage, nearly 75 years after the attack.

Like many who tour the USS Arizona Memorial, our experience was reflective and somber. Mr. B is a six-year Navy veteran, which brought it all even closer to home for both of us.

Dear Lord,

Lest I continue
My complacent way,
Help me to remember that somewhere,
Somehow out there
A man died for me today.
As long as there be war,
I then must
Ask and answer
Am I worth dying for?

~ Poem Eleanor Roosevelt kept in her wallet during World War II

Just 355 USS Arizona Memorial crewmen survived the attack. During our tour, we were touched to learn that since 1982, the U.S. Navy has allowed those survivors to be interred in the ship’s wreckage upon their deaths. Following a full military funeral at the Arizona memorial, the cremated remains are placed in an urn and then deposited by divers beneath one of the Arizona’s gun turrets.

The Tree of Life, a sculpture designed by architect Alfred Preis, symbolizes rebirth and renewal, and serves as a reminder that we are all interconnected. This piece stands in front of the Road to War Museum and the Attack Museum, near the entrance to the USS Arizona Memorial tour. The same symbol is found on the side panels of the Shrine Room in the USS Arizona Memorial.

[In Memory of Gallant Men, Part 2 ]

If you are planning a trip to Oahu, Pearl Harbor should be on your itinerary. We strongly recommend getting your tickets for the USS Arizona Tour well ahead of time. For more information, including USS Arizona Memorial ticket information, please visit The World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument on TripAdvisor.
^{Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they do help keep this site up and running. As always, all opinions and images are my own. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!}