From Old Smoky to Ol' Man River

A day of downpours gave us the excuse for a hop, skip and jump to the Great Smoky Mountains at the southern end of the Appalachians. Fortunately it was just one day of rain and we were able to enjoy a couple of long (if you’re 4) hikes in the still-colourful wooded mountains. We were particularly proud of the girls climbing to the top of the Chimney Tops – 5 miles and 1,300ft in elevation, with barely a grizzle. It helped enormously that walking sticks can be transformed at will into unicorns or ponies and therefore both girls could “rest their legs” by “riding” on their mounts. Half way up, Francesca had cottoned on that this was a bit of a trick, but it saw Libs back to the camper van at top speed!

Heading West to Nashville, we made a spontaneous detour through Kentucky to the Mammoth Caves National Park. We took a guided tour through about 2 miles of the 367 miles of known caverns that make this the longest system in the world. Francesca has decided that she wants to be a spelunker and find fame by discovering the end.

On Halloween we drove through Nashville to Franklin and spent the afternoon at their Pumpkin Festival, which involved a lot of candy, tattoos, bouncy castles and a giant pumpkin sent down from Ottawa!

Heading West again the following day, in urgent need of new rear tyres, we spent a couple of nights in Memphis doing the traditional tourist things – Beale St, the Civil Rights Museum (situated in the motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated), Graceland, etc, as well as tracking down the elusive 15” light truck tyres.

Turning south, we picked up the Natchez Trace, a 450 mile Parkway following the route of early traders who returned on foot after floating their wares down the Mississippi and selling their barges for lumber. Being free from commercial traffic, a leisurely drive through its swamps, woods and meadows is a real pleasure.

We detoured off the Parkway to visit Vicksburg, another Civil War battlefield which held the key to control of the Mississippi. The usual countless cannons were supplemented by the USS Cairo, an 1862, armoured paddle steamer, which was sunk by a mine and has since been raised from the river.

Yesterday we spent a relaxing day in the Grand Gulf Park on the banks of the flooded river, discovering giant spiders and thankfully avoiding the numerous snakes we had been warned about – Ellen is now, more than ever, glad we aren’t in a tent.