Phase Two- Day One

No, this is not the first day since we restarted the trip by car. It is actually Day Ten. But it is the first that I can say was truly enjoyable due to the rehabilitation of my back and right leg. Jana has nursed me back to health and two long walks on the Shiloh battlefield (12 miles total) has helped get the kinks worked out. Today we biked the Shiloh car tour (10 miles), and I can say with gusto, " The stoker is back!"

The advantage of traveling by car rather than by bicycle is that we can truly be spontaneous. After a real southern lunch in Adamsville, TN (smothered chicken, corn, lima beans, fried okra, corn bread) we set off for the next destination. Our plan was to make it to Dover, TN site of another famous Civil War battle, Fort Donelson. We set off on TN Route 22 heading north. However, once underway, a peak at the map showed that if we changed course and went southeast, we could visit the Natural Bridge of Tennessee, and get back on the Natchez Trace Parkway. So off we went.

Well we turned onto US Route 64 and where the Natural Bridge was supposed to be was road construction. Could they have wiped out a natural wonder to widen the road? Or did they decide they could not compete with the Natural Bridge of Alabama, and so closed it out of shame? We will never know.

The Natchez Trace is a national treasure. Along its 444 two lane miles, from Nashville to Natchez, is a sampling of the history of our country. We have seen Indian Mounds that are relics of a civilization that existed 500-2000 years ago, and remnants of a more recent Chickasaw Village. The Old Trace was an Indian trading route that was later used by settlers traveling from Tennessee to the Mississippi River. There are still places where the old path is visible and cleared so that we can truly walk in the footsteps of history.

Today's stops included a 19th century iron ore mine and pig iron forge and ironworks. A little further up the road is the place where Meriwether Lewis met his unfortunate demise. After completing his expedition with William Clark, President Jefferson named him to be governor of the southern portion of the Louisiana Territory. Unfortunately, Lewis suffered from a mental disorder, perhaps depression, and his final years were a frustrating race to publish his expedition journals before the darkness set in permanently. Lewis lost that battle and eventually committed suicide in a home along the Natchez Trace.

Before calling it a day, we stopped at a lake in a Wildlife Refuge along the Trace. Who would expect to find an Amish man and boy (perhaps his son or grandson) fishing on the banks of a lake so far from any town or community?

Instead of landing in Dover for the night, we have discovered an unusual community called Hohenwald ("high forest" in German). The town was settled by Swiss and German immigrants.  A few years ago, this town of perhaps 4000 residents, decided to go green, really green. There is quite a bit of expertise here in the areas of green farming, gardening, home building, and energy conservation. They are even developing a town currency to encourage barter and buying locally. We will explore the area further tomorrow. So far we are very impressed by the beauty and history we have found in Tennessee.