August 4 - Natchez Trace Parkway
What a delightful ride! Today I got to spend several hours on the Natchez Trace Parkway, a 444-mile recreational road that runs from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez Mississippi. The parkway follows the Old Natchez Trace, a historic travel corridor for American Indians, European settlers, soldiers, and slave traders. I had hoped to do this scenic route last year but decided not to due to poor weather conditions at the time.
After leaving Chattanooga Tennessee this morning I headed to the Loveless Café outside of Nashville. The café is ideally situated right outside the entrance to the Natchez Parkway and offers homemade biscuits and preserves as well as a variety of southern comfort food. I ordered the fried chicken and waffle with a biscuit on the side. The chicken was pretty good – crispy and flavorful. But the biscuit was really the star – buttery, flaky, moist, a little firm on the outside, and tender on the inside. I slathered it with butter and homemade jam and enjoyed every bite.
Properly fortified, I headed off on the Parkway. My time on the Parkway was extremely peaceful. The road is blocked to commercial traffic and posts 40-50 mile per hour speed limits, so traffic is light and slow. The road is well paved, and the curves are wide, making it possible to lean into each turn but not have to focus much on the technical aspects of the ride.
Riding on the Natchez Trace Parkway reminded me of walking through a well-manicured garden. There was freshly cut lawn on each side of the road for all of the 150 miles I rode through three different states – Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi. It was as if time stood still – I could smell the lawn clippings and see the trees and farms along the side of the road, but the view was remarkably similar most of the time I was on the road. There were occasional views of rivers and valleys, but the lack of significant variety made it possible to concentrate less on the surroundings and focus on some personal reflection. All in all, it was a very restful way to spend the afternoon.
