#natchez – Over 50 Aussie female solo traveller USA road trip and beyond

27 March 2018

My last night’s sunset in Vicksburg needs no words.

Leaving Vicksburg I found these lovely antebellum ladies.

Stopped in Port Gibson Claiborne County which was where negroes boycotted the businesses in town to fight for their rights to work as police, be included on school boards and basically to be treated as equals. It took 11 years of boycotting and fighting to the supreme court. Port Gibson boycott

I drove out to the Windsor Ruins which are all that is left of a grand mansion which was used by Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War. Mark Twain also wrote about the building which was on a 2600 acre plantation. Now all is left are these amazing columns.

This place is a long way from phone and people and I did not realise I lost my GPS and again I forgot to download the offline map. I was a little concerned as down the road there were signs (such as our road signs to watch out for kangaroos) for bears.

While I was trying to work out if I should just go back the way I came, a family arrived. My saviours. What a lovely family!! Not only did they show me the way, I joined them on their adventure. Melanie, Shelby and their daughters Vaden and Cassidy told me about the Old General Store a few miles down the road and recommended a stop.

While there I asked a man in uniform if I could get a picture and then there were four!! They are Mississippi Wildlife Fisheries and Park Law Enforcers. Check the weapons they have including tasers. Not sure the Aussie Park rangers have any of this equipment although we don’t have bears.

I later learned that these law enforcers (Mississippi Wildlife Fisheries and Parks) deal with moonshiners and illegal drug cultivators as well as hunters. I forget the breadth of gun usage in this country and so the law enforcers need to be armed accordingly.

Then on to the Frog Farmwith quirky frog sculpture art.

Melanie invited me to her mother’s farm just outside of Natchez and I could not refuse some Southern hospitality. Melanie’s mum, Trudy provided a very local lunch of chicken, green chilli jelly and cornbread. Delicious.