Mammoth Does Not Go to Vicksbug Military Monument Day 4

Fri 9/23
Morning trip to Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge. Nice one! It had a tiny boardwalk trail up to an observation platform, just a little raised platform overlooking a field. Just as we reached the end of the boardwalk, I said, Holy Shit! and startled a small pack of wild pigs off to our left. They saw us as soon as we saw them, and they skedaddled for heck. Molly got a look at them, but from such a distance I doubt if she got a smell.

 

We also saw a big bunch of turkey hens, both on the drive out and the drive back.  The wildlife drive itself was uneventful, but we don't mind trying. You never know what you'll find, but it's a guarantee you won't find anything sitting at home.

In the afternoon we drove all the way down to Natchez, breaking my rule of never planning a day trip longer than one hour. But it was the whole point of the trip!  The other point, anyway, not counting the Vicksburg Battlefield, closed by tornado. Since we couldn't see that, we were going to see at least one antebellum mansion.

We had a later start than I hoped and then got detoured fifteen miles (or more) out of our way by a sweet potato spill--yes, that's a real thing. A truck hauling boxes of sweet potatoes had apparently tilted during its turn onto the Interstate. Probably it went up on a curb. Two or more boxes of sweet potatoes had dumped out onto the highway. A policeman was routing traffic onto the west-bound Interstate, and like a couple of idiots we went the way he told us to. The minute we did it, I knew that was a stupid, stupid thing. We were in the Jeep, for crying out loud. All we had to do was make a tight U-Turn and then we could have easily detoured around the mess to the south and east.

But no, there we were, headed in the exact opposite direction from where we needed to go, and the next exit wasn't for fifteen miles.  We were able to take an alternate route and so we didn't have to double back the whole fifteen miles, but still we'd lost so much time there was no way we'd make the two o'clock tour of the mansion. 

It was a long drive but a smashing reward at the end--the Mighty Mississippi River!  Having grown up on the banks of the Ohio River, I always considered that one big, but this one, of course, is really big.

We arrived about ten minutes too late, so we walked around the grounds until the three o'clock tour started.. We were at the Melrose Mansion, owned and operated by the National Park service. It was in great shape, having been continuously occupied until the seventies or so. Most of the furnishings were original and they looked great. Sadly, we were no allowed to see the back passage to the dining room, where slaves brought in meals, or the butler's pantry. And the slave quarters back across the way were locked.  And also, sadly, the tour guide explained that the reason for the sad state of the gardens was because they'd lost their gardener and were looking for a new one.  They weren't ugly, or too grown over, but it clearly hadn't been kept up for a few years. I totally missed seeing "Laura's garden", a little planting made in honor of a slave girl.

The tour guide was great! A young dude who'd worked with the park service for quite a few years, but was still enjoying his job and learning all he could. He knew and conveyed loads of stuff.

 

After our lovely tour, there was only time for a quick stop to gawk at the Mississippi
before heading back to the dogs. They got a long walk of forgiveness, and Molly got to take the route through the "bear habitat." Sadly, no bears in evidence.