2010 Natchez - Day 2

On Tuesday morning, we woke up early and cooked a full breakfast at the campsite. We enjoyed frozen blueberry waffles (cooked in the toaster oven I had brought from home), grits, eggs, and ham all washed down with cold milk and orange juice.

THEN we all hopped into the truck and set off into the wilderness to find the "ghost town" of Rodney, MS. There was a virtual geocache that I was determined to find. We had asked a ranger how to find Rodney, MS and he replied, "Rodney? Good luck!" But then he located it on an old map and said to take Hwy 553 to Church Hill Road and follow it back towards Rodney.

There was a marker in front of this church that said, "CHURCH HILL - Named for Christ Church, oldest Episcopal organization in state, dating from 1790's, becoming parish, 1820. Sometimes called "Maryland Settlement". Seargent Prentiss taught school in this community."

Hubby wasn't as enthusiastic as I was about finding the virtual geocache at Rodney. It might have had a little something to do with the flat tire we got while driving all those little back woods country roads. I probably could have been a little better prepared to hunt for Rodney by using Google maps or something to plan my route....since it's no longer on the Mississippi state map.

After about 2 hours of driving around, we stumbled upon the Natchez Trace Parkway and then found Hwy 61. We ended up finding ourselves at The Old Country store on Hwy 61 in Lorman, MS where we stopped to use the restrooms. Built in the late 19th century, Old Country Store was, in fact, and old country store. Today, it is a country restaurant serving a classic Southern buffet. Since we had decided that we would no longer be eating out, it was extremely hard to resist caving in to the scrumptious smell of Southern Fried Chicken that permeated the building while we were there. I think I gained 10 pounds just sniffing the air around me!

To get there, you would take Hwy. 61 N from Natchez to Red Lick, MS and park in front of what you would swear is a part of a movie set depicting Mississippi in 1920. This building is no movie set, or even a modernized, made-to-look-old building. Walk up the steps to the creaky wood porch and admire the old sign rusting on the building's side. Open the doors and step back in time.

Once you've enjoyed lunch, take the service road directly in front of the building and turn left instead of the right to get back on Hwy 61. You will then turn left onto Cemetery road which will later turn to Rodney Road where, if you follow it to the end, will lead you to the ghost town of Rodney, MS.

The old town of Rodney was incorporated in 1828, and was noted for its high level of culture, county fairs, and business activity. Rodney once contained 2 banks, 2 newspapers, 500 people, and 35 stores. Cottonseed development, river boat landing, riverboat taverns, and high literacy made Rodney a leading rivertown. Spared disaster during the Civil War, Rodney declined following the change in channel of the Mississippi River and tragic fires which occurred in 1852 and 1869.

We nosed around the Old Presbyterian Church and cemetery, took a photo of the old Masonic Lodge, and then wandered down the road and over a pasture to the First Baptist Church of Rodney.

Rodney Presbyterian Church - Chartered in Jan 1828, as the Presbyterian Church of Petit Gulf. Shelled by the gunboat "Rattler" when Federal sailors were captured by Confederate calvary while attending Sunday services, Sept 13, 1863.

Oh, church, where are your people?

Masonic Lodge

First Baptist Church of Rodney, MS

After spending some time in Rodney, we headed out to find Windsor Ruins (yes, there's a geocache there too!) where my girls learned all about dandelions.

Windsor Ruins was built by Smith Coffee Daniell II, who completed construction in 1861. Daniell owned 21,000 acres of plantation land in Louisiana and Mississippi. Ironically, he died in April 1861, only weeks after completing his mansion. His wife and children continued to live at Windsor but were left to suffer the loss of much of the family's holdings during the Civil War.

Windsor's basic style was Greek Revival but with added details borrowed from Italiante and Gothic architecture. The house contained 23 rooms, with an above ground basement, two residential floors, and an attic. An ell-shaped extension on the east side, attached to a single row of columns extending from the main square, contained the kitchen, pantry, and dining room. Rainwater stored in large tanks in the attic supplied two bathrooms. A cupola, from which the Mississippi River could be viewed, was centered on top of the roof. The family would also signal Confederate Troops from the cupola to alert them to Union troops location.

The mansion survived the Civil War only to be destroyed by accidental fire on February 17, 1890. All was lost except for the columns and the ironwork. One flight of stairs from Windsor is now installed at Oakland Chapel on the campus of Alcorn State University. All of the Daniell family's photographs and drawings of the mansion were lost in the fire. In 1991, historians discovered a drawing of Windsor sketched in 1863 by a Union soldier in Major General Ulysses S. Grant's army.

Descendants of the Daniell family donated Windsor Ruins to the state of Mississippi in 1974. Today the site is administered by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

We looked around, found the geocache that I knew was there, wondered if the capitals at the tops of the columns were wrought iron or cast iron, and sat down for a lunch of ham sandwiches, potato chips, bananas, cookies, and kool-aid before deciding to call it a day and head back to the campsite.

We had a dinner of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, and got to know some of our camping neighbors before turning in for the night.

On to day 3.

2010 Natchez - Day 1

Our family decided to take a spring break vacation this year. We didn't know exactly where we wanted to go but we did know that we didn't want to spend a lot of money. So, we decided that we'd go somewhere close to home but far enough away that we'd FEEL like we're on a vacation. So, we chose to go to Natchez, MS.

We arrived at Natchez State Park around lunchtime on Monday, March 29, 2010. We set up camp right away, had a bite of lunch, and began exploring. We sent The Teen out to gather up some firewood. We stayed in Campground B, Campsite #29 which was conveniently located near the bathhouse. We were also blessed (NOT) to have a streetlight right at our campsite. It didn't work for the first 2 nights but then the rangers apparently changed the light bulb and it gave us plenty of illumination for the remainder of our stay.

The bathhouse featured 2 sinks, 2 showers, and 3 toilets. It also had a Coke machine ($1.25 ea!!!) and one washer and dryer for all our dirty laundry ($1.00 ea per load). The showers were cleaner than most bathhouses that I've been in but it could have used a little more scrubbing.

Our campsite

Natchez State Park Lake

The girls and I expanded our exploration around the lake and out to the nature trail where my research had shown me there was a geocache to be found. After walking.....and walking....and walking some more, we hunted all over for that elusive geocache. I finally located what looked like the hiding spot but couldn't find the treasure. After much frustration, and poking sticks into holes, we returned to the campsite tired and very hungry.

Hubby decided that we should have a "celebration" dinner out, instead of cooking all those wonderful groceries I had packed up. We chose to go to the Cock-of-the-Walk in downtown Natchez. I wondered what "Cock-of-the-Walk" meant and after reading the menu, I learned,

"Keelboatmen and Flatboatmen carved Natchez-Under-the-Hill into their destinies from all points on the Ohio river and the upper regions of the mighty Mississippi. This brawling, brawny, bawdy breed keeled or poled their way downriver to sell their sassafrass, tobacco, and peltry at the Natchez landing.

These boatmen continuously engaged in the most outlandish kinds of fighting. From gouging out eyes to biting off ears to rough and tumble fisticuffs, claiming this kept them physically tough to keel, pole, bushwhack, or cordelle their boats on the arduous journey back upriver.

The toughest man aboard each boat was called the "Cock of the Walk" and to signify his rank among his peers, he wore a red turkey feather in his hat.

It became an unwritten custom that one red feather must challenge another the moment they met, thus the arrival of a large fleet meant many a bloody fight in Natchez-Under-The-Hill."


We feasted on cornbread, mustard greens, fried catfish, shrimp, and chicken all washed down with sweet, southern tea. Yum Yum!

Flippin' Cornbread!

Though the food was good, the service and cleanliness of the restaurant begs improvment. It was also overpriced just a tad....(saying that sarcastically). For the 6 of us to dine here, we had to dig deep in our pockets for $125 buckaroos!!! As a result, hubby decided that we needed to stick with the original plan of eating at the camper and packing our lunches with the groceries we purchased specifically for this trip. Yeah, I know, he's not such a bright camper sometimes. :D

After we ate, we went for a little walk on the Natchez Riverfront, where we introduced our little Buddy to some visitors from Spain. Later on in the trip, I would be surprised at how many foreign visitors were in Natchez this spring!

A historical marker at the site reads, "NATCHEZ: First settled by French, 1716-1729. Lasting growth came with Britain, 1763-1779, and Spain, 1779-1798. Cotton and trade made it commercial and cultural captial of the Old South."

Another marker at the same site reads, "SPANISH COLONIAL NATCHEZ, 1779-1798: Following acquisition of the Natchez District in 1779, the Spanish founded the City of Natchez ca. 1790 to serve as the capital. Under Governor Manuel Gayoso, the city was planned and surveyed by John Girault in a typical Spanish grid plan around a central plaza and church with a common, on the bluff of the Mississippi River."

See this "look"? I get this everytime I point a camera in his direction....If he catches me. :D

Moving on to day 2.

2009 Paul B. Johnson - Day 2 (Camp Shelby)

When we got up early Wednesday morning, the weather had turned on us. It was overcast and cloudy with a cold drizzling rain. We decided to check out the 1 mile nature trail anyway since it wasn't raining too hard yet. It was a nice walk in the woods.

Then, we were a little at a loss as to what to do on this rainy day. But it was nearing lunch time and we found an indoor play place at a McDonald's in Hattiesburg. We ate lunch, enjoyed some hot cocoa and let the kids run off some steam.

Kangaroo is such a grinner!

Little Bird is victorious over something!

After lunch we headed back towards the campground. On the way back, we passed a sign pointing to the Armed Forces Museum located at Camp Shelby. We followed the signs, went through the checkpoint at Camp Shelby, and followed some more signs to find the museum. We went in, visited the bathrooms first, and then began our tour. The exhibits are set up kind of like a maze, I guess. This is a great place to spend an afternoon if you're interested in the military history of our country. Lots of information to read and exhibits to see.

The kiddos got to see what the inside of a bunkhouse might look like.

Have you every wondered about the dog tags and how they were made?

Well, there's a machine for that.

They may not understand every thing they see, but they sure were interested.

Some of the exhibits included sound effects, like bombs dropping and grenades exploding. Kangaroo wasn't too thrilled at all at this particular part!

There are also some examples of Trench Art. I never really thought about it before, but I guess if a soldier is stuck in a foxhole, he must find SOME way to entertain himself while waiting for the enemy. **shrug**

According to a placard next to this shell, "Many soldiers of the First World War passed the time between actions creating "Trench Art". The abundance of artillery shells and other expendable metal and wood provided all the raw materials necessary for the "cottage industry" to begin. Soldiers skilled in the creation of trench art could make a hefty profit in sales to less artistically gifted soldiers in search of momentos." Huh! Who'd a thunk it!?

As we exited the museum, there is a field full of helicopters and airplanes next to the parking lot. Since the rain had gotten heavier, we took time for only one picture. We'll have to plan another visit to see the rest of the stuff.

By the way, the museum offers a day camp during the summer for kids to learn more about our military.

2009 Paul B. Johnson - Day 1 (Zoo)

After our exciting Eagle experience, we resumed our travels to our original destination of the Hattiesburg Zoo. This little (and yes, it's little) zoo has been in existence for only 50 years. Situated on only 12 acres, it's really quite small but has beautiful exhibits! The animals look healthy and were all very active on this cool December afternoon.

When we first arrived, the children begged to ride the train. Well, what's a visit to the zoo without a train ride, huh? So, we caved and paid the $2 per person per ride fee. The zoo admission was cheaper!!! Only $2 for adults, $1 for children ages 4 - 12, and free for children under 3.

It only took us one hour to walk around and look at all the available exhibits. The winter decorations were still hanging around. Be sure to check out the beautiful playground at Kamper Park just next door to the zoo.

The very beautiful and active Siberian Tiger.

An unusual prairie dog.

Oh, look! Real prairie dogs!

A Gibbon of some sort. This animal actually "talked" to observers. Okay, so it was a gutteral growl but still....he communicated!

The kiddos!

This is the newest zoo resident, Jaguar. My sister and I kept trying to get a really good picture of him while he paced back and forth along the chain link fence. When he approached the end where my sister was standing, he began to make the turn for a return pass but stopped. My sister was so intent on looking through her camera view finder that she never expected what happened next.

Jaguar aimed his hind end right at her and sprayed her!! It was absolutely hilarious! Since the Jaguar is a very territorial animal, we decided that perhaps she had invaded his personal space, and he just didn't like it....

...either that, or he didn't care for that Fightin' Tigers shirt she's wearing!!

My camera was in still shot mode and I have no pictures or video of this spraying event!!! All I can do is hope that she'll forget the incident and I can return to the zoo with her for a repeat experience for which I will be prepared to catch on video!!! LOL

2009 Paul B. Johnson - Day 1 (Eagle)

Upon arrival at Paul B. Johnson state park, we unloaded the suburban and began getting settled into the cabin. We built a fire behind the cabin and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and then got ready for bed. We were all excited but super tired.

We got up fairly early the next morning and after a quick bacon and egg breakfast, we all climbed aboard our new bicycles and headed out for some geocaching and exploration. The bicycle riding became quite an ordeal due to the little rolling hills throughout the park. They aren't very steep but to small children on bikes with training wheels, they're huge mountains!

My poor girls completely forgot that the bikes came equipped with brakes! They attempted to coast downhill, losing control and performing the typical crash and burn stunt. As a result, the next 2 hours were filled with tears and declarations of "Idonwannaridemybikeanymoooorrree!" However, by the time we had returned to the cabin, they had changed their minds, said they were having fun, and wanted to keep riding.

My sister and I were exhausted from having to keep up with them! We managed to talk them into pausing long enough for some lunch and then we bribed them with some duck feeding and a trip to the Hattiesburg Zoo.


On the way to the zoo, we were blessed with a special treat! We had spotted a Bald Eagle flying alongside the highway! The observant driver that I am, I also spotted a handful of spectators standing on the shoulder of the road. They had also seen the eagle and were watching it. At the first available location, I was able to turn the truck around and go back to join the others in watching the eagle. As I pulled the truck a safe distance onto the shoulder of the road, I saw the eagle in the brush. One of the spectators approached me and said it looked as if the eagle had been wounded. He then asked if we had a cell phone (his battery had died) and could we call Wildlife and Fisheries, which we did. We were told that it could take up to an hour for someone to arrive!! We decided to wait, watching the eagle until SOMEONE showed up.


About 10 minutes after our call, a Hattiesburg City police officer arrived. He parked his car behind my truck, got out of it, and approached my sister and 2 other ladies who were standing on the road side watching the eagle and chatting. A few minutes later, a Forrest County sheriff's deputy arrived followed by a Wildlife and Fisheries truck. They all joined in a chat fest, I suppose they were discussing what to do. Meanwhile, the poor eagle was watching everyone else who was watching him.

All the while, I'm sitting in my suburban trying to keep the kids from climbing out of their seats and getting out of the truck. Just kiddin! They really were well behaved children who were excited to see their very first Bald Eagle! This was also my first time to see an eagle outside of captivity!

As we are all sitting here observing this poor injured animal, a State Trooper pulls his car diagonally in front of my truck. Well, NOW, I can't go anywhere if I wanted to!! I'm blocked in by all this law enforcement!

Since we're only a mile or so from Camp Shelby, I started wondering who was going to arrive next....the National Guard?


Since no one seemed to be approaching the eagle, he decided to fly off a short distance to a tree limb a bit out of reach from all the bystanders and gawkers.


All of the law enforcement persons were standing around chatting, taking pictures, and looking through binoculars. No one seemed to know what to do!

This shot is a mirror reflection of 2 law enforcement person doing their civil duty!

My sister came back to my truck and informed me that one of the binocular guys said the eagle had a broken leg which would hinder its ability to hunt and eat. The game warden was going to follow it and wait for an opportunity to catch it and get some medical help for it. At this point, I do not know if he was successful but I certainly hope he was.