I’ve seen the sign dozens of times traveling east on I-20. The brown Natchez Trace sign just east of Jackson point to where to get on this highway. I’d heard little about driving the Trace to spark my interest, especially the part that mentions the 50 mile per hour speed limit. Compared to the speed we can zip along the interstate, 50 is pokey slow and I like to get where I’m going quicker than 50 will allow.
I made my first trip on the Trace several years ago when a friend and I connected with the highway somewhere around Tupelo and rode it into Alabama, exiting near Sheffield. We weren’t in that big a hurry so the 50 mile per hour drive was rather nice; we even got to watch a flock of wild turkeys feeding along the roadside.
Later, Kay and I were headed southwest from Jackson for a two-night stay in Natchez. The most direct route, according to the map, was to get on the Natchez Trace near Clinton and drive the 80 miles or so to Natchez. It was a drive I’m sorry I avoided before and one I’ll for sure make again in the future…