Thursday April 10
We tried to dawdle on leaving, but I was restless and didn’t have a dawdle in me. And there was a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. So, even though it was only a 2-1/2 hour drive and check-in time wasn’t until 4pm, we packed up and left by about 10:15, for our short drive to Mousetail Landing State Park. (Don’t ask about the name—it’s a Civil War history thing and I’d just have to look it up.)
Mississippi River
The drive was a little bit challenging; not the Interstate, although it was very crowded and slow, but the little bitty Tennessee roads to get from the Interstate to the campground. I rerouted from google’s “suggestion” to take US-641 south and then take US-412 east. Google had us getting off the interstate at least fifteen miles further west and then taking US-412 for a lot longer, but I’m glad I didn’t. I had good memories of 641 from my college days—wasn’t that the road that went from Paducah to Murray? And it turned out to be multi-lane and pretty straight. But 412 was one of those narrow, windy two-lane Tennessee cowpaths and we were happy to get off it when we reached the exit onto the park road.
Which was gorgeous! All nicely maintained roads, hard gravel pads and decent utilities and brand-new picnic tables. Not to mention big trees just coming into leaf, greenery all over but not swamp-ish in the least. Just a lovely hardwood forest.
After getting set-up I had lunch and then coerced Ed into taking a walk on the trail. I wanted to go down to the river road and walk along the Tennessee, but it was closed. The road; not the river. But the trail we took went parallel to the river on a high ridge, and while challenging and a little bit rocky at points, it was mostly moss-covered and well-maintained. Lovely.
And we were serenaded by a
Prairie Warbler!!! Cool beyond words and
absolutely beautiful.
I did not get a picture but I got a very good look at it and Merlin confirmed the song. Yeah!
New bird for me!
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