With apologies to the Bard, the question is not “To camp or not to camp?” but “Where to camp?” Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to seek out a pristine forest or local park, or to yield to the temptations of a commercial campground with power and water. With the temperatures soaring into the stratosphere, we have done a bit of both.

Our first campsite in Texas was just over the state line in a county park. It was really more of a day park but they did allow some camping and once we had bought a permit for the princely sum of $3.00 they escorted us to our site. They pointed out that they locked the gates at 7:00 PM and wished us a pleasant evening. It’s the first time we have ever had a whole park to ourselves!

The highlight of our first full day in Texas was a visit to the USS Texas, which is on the Gulf side of Houston at La Porte. It shares the honors with the San Jacinto battlefield which, while preserved, sits incongruously in the midst of acres of oil refineries and holding tanks. The USS Texas is a bit unique among modern museum ships as she is a 1914 “Super Dreadnaught.” As such, she was built to burn coal, has two triple expansion piston engines, and, most unusually for U.S. battleships, she has five turrets. She served in the First World War but saw no combat. Between the wars she was converted to oil and equipped with new, tripod masts so that she resembles a famous ship that was one generation newer, the USS Arizona. Despite her age, she saw extensive action in the Second World War, most notably at the Normandy invasion and later at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Fans of things naval will rejoice in the anachronistic combination of 5” casement mounted guns along side the ubiquitous 3”/50, quad 40mm, and 20mm guns. Highly recommended.

Breech of 14″ main battery gun with shell on the track.

San Jacinto monument as seen from the U.S.S. Texas.

Can’t be too careful. (I won’t repeat what I was told to do with prophylactics when I was a Midshipman.)

Our second night in Texas we found ourselves shut out of the inn or at least the State Park where we stopped first. So we ended up cheek and jowl with dozens of other campers in an independent campground. If the camp was less than charming, our neighbours did prove to be and even loaned us their long handled “Class A” windshield cleaning wand and soapy water to wash our windscreen the next morning! It made quick work of a small vehicle like Ndeke Luka. We then headed to San Antonio.

San Antonio again found us in a very busy and rather tightly packed, independent campsite but with a great location on the river and very near the missions. It also had lots of shade, and better than average Internet access. Every bit of shade helped as the temperature set a new record of 99F. We ate at a wonderful Mexican casual diner across the street. Looked like nothing, but all but had a line out the door. (We were the only Anglos in the place.) We ate very well and were even serenaded by a trio of Mariachi players. At this point, it was clear that we were in Texas!

A well-placed bus stop outside the campground deposited us in San Antonio, a short walk from the Alamo, which was much easier than parking. The Alamo looked just like its photos! Of course, all true history buffs know that the actual fort, the old mission walls, were in front of the famous facade, which is only the front of the church. We were fortunate enough to join a historical lecture and learned a lot about the history of Texas, which stood us in good stead as we completed our visit in the museums.  We took a double decker bus tour that was a bit underwhelming. We thought the town had rather a gritty feel to it that did not encourage us to wander.  It may have been partly detritus due to the closing parade of the Fiesta celebration for there was a goodly amount of trash everywhere. However a riverboat ride on the river by the Riverwalk was enjoyable and well worth it. It was cool and shady for the most part also which may have helped. We lunched on the Riverwalk in a pleasant and cool Mexican café (what else?) with great people watching opportunities.

We ended our visit to San Antonio the next day with visits to two of the missions. Mission San Jose is especially worth a visit as it has been almost completely reconstructed and, as a result, looks more like the Alamo than the Alamo itself. You can really see that the missions were well built to repel attacks by those Indians who did not convert.

Interior of the corner bastion, cannon down below, muskets above.

Fun Facts about San Antonio: (These must be true as we heard them from tour guides.)

— San Antonio has long had a large German population. Like Rick, they came for the waters. In this case, to use the waters to make beer. With the coming of Prohibition, they faced ruin. So they moved production to Mexico and gave their San Antonio beers new names – like “Corona”, “Dos Equis”, et al.

— The fajita was invented by a Mexican living in San Antonio. When it was a hit, he went home, hoping to make his fortune in Mexico. The Mexicans, however, dismissed the fajita as not being an authentic, Mexican dish. So he returned to San Antonio, took U.S. citizenship and opened a restaurant named “Mi Tierra.” Which restaurant is open to this day.

— San Antonio has a large flour industry, but not a lot of corn. So the German flour miller began to make tortillas from flour and they remain an option in Tex-Mex restaurants.

True? Who knows, but they make good stories.

Finally, hiding from the sun at the Hill Country Nature Reserve.

Heading down towards the Gulf Coast, we drove that iconoclastic road, Highway 61, of devilish fame. We passed many crossroads but, sadly, Fred’s guitar playing is no better. Actually, Highway 61 was a very pleasant drive, not at all evocative of hard labor or oppression. It was an easy drive with no traffic though Fred was amazed when we came to a four way stop, where two four-lane highways crossed, in the middle of a small town, and nary a traffic light in sight. Such faith in human nature that traffic rules will be obeyed! (Or maybe everyone KNEW where the devil hung out.)

We crossed into Louisiana and found ourselves on a 19-mile bridge. Yes, we had arrived in the swamps and the road was built on pillars over the shortest distance through the swamp, 19 miles. Quite amazing. We stopped at the Visitor Center and enjoyed free coffee and a short movie. They are still building the whole complex and it is going to be well worth a stop when finished. But it did not tempt us to stop for lunch, though a restaurant covered in folk art called Crazy Bout Catfish did. We had a great lunch and both decided we liked crawfish. We knew we liked catfish courtesy of Catfish Dewey’s in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida!

We were entering Acadia and the blending of the Acadian and Creole cultures and Denise wanted to visit a museum, the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site, as it specifically documented their lifestyles, customs and culture. It was a fascinating place where you can see both an Acadian farm and cabin and a French Creole built Raised Creole Cottage. Both were furnished with appropriate furniture and tools. While there, we chatted to one of the Rangers and she recommended we head for the swamp, where a friend of hers owned a business. He would let us camp on the edge of the bayou. So we headed deeper into the swamp and indeed found Champagne’s Swamp Tours. We took swamp tours when living in Florida, but decided to join the evening tour in a small, flat bottomed boat. It was quite an experience and well worth it as you got to see everything up close and very personal. We saw at least a dozen alligators and various birds, including an osprey sitting on a branch munching on a fish. Everyone was snapping photos and it did not move.

We moved on, the next day to Avery Island, home of Tabasco pepper sauce. We have used the stuff for years and, a bit like visiting Lynchburg, the home of Jack Daniels, we wanted to make the pilgrimage. While the tour itself is a bit underwhelming as, unlike the Jack Daniels tour, you do not get to visiting the actual production or curing facilities, it is well worth the one dollar toll to get to Avery Island, if only to trace the fascinating history of the place. Avery Island is actually a salt dome and while most of the peppers are actually grown in Central America from seeds from Avery Island, the salt mine is still active and the barrels are still covered with salt during the aging process. And where do you get primo barrels in this day and age? From Jack Daniels, of course. In fact, they are used much longer to age Tabasco than they are to age Jack Daniels. Worth noting – Tabasco gives out more and better free samples than does Jack Daniels!

 

We really enjoyed driving the Natchez Trace and learning its history. One of our final stops before Natchez was at Mount Locust, one of the original “stands” or inns run for the travelers, who used it for access to the north, especially for the Kaintucks or boatmen. After the paddle steamers provided alternate and cheaper transport, Mount Locust became a fully-fledged inn and plantation with about 50 slaves.

Upon arrival in Natchez we headed for the River View Campground, on the banks of the Mississippi but on the Louisiana side. (http://www.riverviewrvpark.com/ – The website does not do justice.) It proved to be a great choice, as we were able to get a campsite with shade and a clear view of the river so we could watch the barge tows and other river traffic, plus it had a great laundromat! Once settled in, we decided to celebrate Easter Sunday and headed to Natchez Under the Hill, an area of ill-repute in early times, but now the location of restaurants and a casino. We declined the latter but enjoyed a great meal with river views at the Magnolia Grill. In the old days, the police would stop you before you went down to Natchez under the Hill to be sure that you had a knife or gun and would issue you one if you were lacking. The Army Corps of Engineers rerouted the river and most of the area was washed away. That which remains is very nice, but said to lack the “spirit” of the old docking area.

We really liked Natchez. Founded in 1716, its history was evident everywhere. We took a carriage ride with a horse called Champ and a real character who knew all the gossip in Natchez and who kept us entertained. A display of a hundred or so mid 1800 photographs of a number of inhabitants, both white and free blacks, was fascinating, as was a visit to the William Johnson House. William Johnson was a freed black slave who made a name for himself as a businessman and plantation owner and kept a detailed diary for over 20 years. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Johnson_(barber) ) A great barbecue lunch and a visit to the African American Museum completed our day.

When we awoke the next morning, the Queen of the Mississippi (http://www.americancruiselines.com/small-riverboat-cruise-ships/Queen-of-the-Mississippi) paddle steamer had tied up next to our campground. We of course walked down to inspect, but the day was a bit dismal so we moved on. Our stay in Natchez would not have been complete without a visit to the grocery store and as my peeler had disappeared we headed for Wal-Mart. As we were checking out, a gentleman in a chef’s outfit, with American Cruise Line on his pocket, started unloading trays of mushrooms and shrimps and gluten free items for a passenger in need of a gluten free diet. So, yes, their cuisine is locally sourced, just not exactly where you might expect. The trip sounded like fun, maybe one day. Naturally, Denise started up a conversation that ranged from the gluten free cuisine through all of the challenges of keeping 150 passengers happy.

As a final note, we tend to avoid Wal-Mart like the plague, for political reasons. That said, the stores are lovely and very RV friendly. It is easy to see why so many RV owners patronize them.

Two things struck us as we drove through the lovely state of Tennessee – that it is has some spectacular grades, even though we stayed away from the Great Smokey Mountains on this trip, and that there were cemeteries everywhere! All the headstones were beautifully decorated also. Driving down I-81 with the views and the redbuds in full flower on a bright sunny day was a most spectacular experience. We stopped to explore the town of Jonesborough, a historic and charming little town with several restored buildings.

We overnighted at another winery, the Tennessee Valley Winery, run by a brother and sister from South Africa. Fred enjoyed a political discussion over a glass of wine at the picnic table with the owner as we gazed at the spectacular vista of hills. He was nice enough to allow us to fill with fresh water and to drain our grey water tank. The Tiger continues to perform beautifully under chilly conditions. The heat is well able to maintain a comfortable temperature, even at 24F. Courtesy of Harvest Hosts, we are able to camp for free. Of course, we then spend more on wine than the charges at a typical campsite. Seems about right.

We continued west and stopped at the Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg. We had previously visited the artisanal distillery built by George Washington near Mount Vernon, VA so we had some idea of the whiskey making process, but it was fascinating to see the same process, duplicated hundreds of times into a full-scale production. It is an interesting tour. We declined to buy a full sized bottle and regretted that they did not sell small sample bottles. After ice cream in Lynchburg, we headed off in search of Tim’s Ford State park, where we planned to camp.

And on to the Natchez Trace, an important transit route for the period 1780 to 1832 especially for the Kaintucks or flatboat drivers who would float their goods to Natchez for sale and then walk home. (Before steam engines, there was no way to move a heavy boat upriver, so they floated down, sold their cargoes, then broke up the flat boats and sold the lumber and finally walked home. The return journey took at about a month at fifteen miles a day.) We decided to pick up the Trace in southern Tennessee and follow it to Natchez. It proved to be a delightful and little used two-lane highway bordered by flowering dogwoods and meadows of wildflowers. We stopped a couple of times to view a nature walk full of bluebells and other wild flowers, Indian burial mounds and the ruins of a “stand” or inn run by George Colbert who also operated a ferry across the Tennessee River. While looking around, we came upon three young armadillos, busily munching beside the road. Fred took various photos and they were quite unconcerned until he tried to pet them! Then they raced off to safety! My first wild ’dillos! Bleu was most interested.

Our campsite for the night was at Tishomingo State Park, Mississippi. A pleasant wooded spot, we ate outside and brought Bleu out for a little. He is adjusting very well to life as a camper cat!