August 30, 2019 - Mississippi Mini-Adventure

Ahhhhh, the retired life.....  We don't have to wait for a weekend or schedule time off, we can just GO.  Whenever we want (almost).  So, this morning we decided to explore a bit more of our new home state, Mississippi.  After our Candy Ass Adventure, Eric changed the oil in both bikes and put on a new front tire for me.  Before departure, he checked tire pressures, oil levels and made sure our bikes were ready for another ride.  Thanks Honey!!!

We managed to leave about 9 am even though I slept until 8.  No coffee or computer stuff for me this morning.  Nope, just get up, throw on LD Comforts and riding gear and head out.  However, I knew our first destination was going to be a diner that serves brekkie ALL DAY LONG!  Heaven for me as this is my most favorite meal to eat out.  And, they give you a choice of hashbrowns or grits.  Oh yes, hashbrown me please!

So, out the door we went.  Perfect weather, clear skies and the temp was hovering around 75.  Yes, just perfect.  Especially since the first 30 or so miles were heading south on the Natchez Trace.  If you follow me at all, you know how much I love to ride the Trace :-)  No traffic, perfect weather, simply BLISS!  Beastie Bike was purring like a kitten with new oil and front tire.  Happy place!

From the Trace we headed east toward West Point, MS.  (Hahahaha, that's funny, headed east to west point....)  The roads we took to get there were very rural and pleasant.  We found our destination, the Tin Lizzie Cafe without issue and pulled up to rock star parking.  Another local eatery and our expectations were high.

 Just look at that dessert counter.  All homemade pies.  Oh, yummy, yummy!  Too bad we didn't have room after our meal for such delish goodness.  Next time.....

 Unfortunately, it was mediocre.  I'd love to give it five stars but honestly it was probably only a three.  The hashbrowns were marvelous but the egg was greasy, the bacon a bit off and only white bread toast with cheap jelly.  Hey restaurant peeps, don't skimp on the freaking jam, okay?  Anyway, while filling and the atmosphere was pleasant, this is not on my list of go back to places.

Oh well, full tummy!  West Point was just a stop along our way.  Our destination was the Waverley Mansion about 10 miles down the road. You can check it out here Waverley Mansion.  I absolutely love to tour old mansions and buildings and gardens and...... you get the picture :-)

We pulled up on the gravel parking area and stopped to take a few pics before entering the grounds.

 Purported to be the oldest, largest Magnolia Tree in Mississippi.  They estimated the age of this tree to be 260 years old.  So awesome, makes you want to go climb up those massive limbs or at least hang a swing off one!

 The cupola is a unique feature!

This was so frickin' cool.  Enter at the front door and I spy these Lyres adorning each side of the door.  Beautiful and unique, totally photo worthy.  Well, then.....

 We go inside and these windows with the Lyres are RED.  Apparently this is one of the most fabulous features of this house.  These windows are handmade and contain gold flecks.  Somehow this makes them red when viewed from the inside.  Spectacular!!!!!

 Okay, then, I took a bazillion photos of the inside.  Some of you might appreciate them and others not so much.  Doesn't matter...either take a minute to look at them or just scroll on by ;-)  Won't hurt my feelers!

 Men's parlor or cigar room.

 Dining room.

 

 Mini bar (hahahahaha - not quite like today's hotel mini bars!)

Master Bedroom.

 Master bedroom.

 Ladies parlor.

 Guest room.

 Another guest room.

 Twin spiral staircases.  Dude, these were difficult to navigate in full riding gear.  Narrow, narrow, narrow steps!!!!

 Another guest room.

 Outside grounds.

We spent a delightful hour and a half exploring the Waverley Mansion.  Jimmy, long time curator, was our guide and did an outstanding job of explaining the house and its past residents.  I highly recommend a stop here!

Our day wasn't finished yet.  We still had another target in mind - French Camp, MS.  So, to that end, we cruised backroads toward French Camp from West Point.  We made a comfort stop at Sturgis.  Yes, you heard that correctly, Sturgis! 

 Although we didn't linger long, we just might go back to Sturgis, MS.  Apparently, while the Sturgis, SD rally is going on, Sturgis, MS also hosts a rally.  I think maybe we'll check this out next year if the stars align :-)  Sturgis, MS rally

We left Sturgis and meandered our way along rural backroads to French Camp, MS.  Now, we've ridden the Natchez Trace several times both north and south - the entire route (which is stunning by the way) and passed French Camp a number of times.  I always said to Eric, let's go back there and check it out.  So today was the day to do just that!

It's only about 80 miles south of us.  I researched what it was and the history and all.  And, was delighted to find out that you can actually go there and walk around and check it all out.  Now, it is a Boarding School based on Christian foundations.  While we didn't see any children, we did see a bunch of stuff and totally enjoyed our visit :-)  French Camp

 The Sorghum press.... Apparently they have a harvest festival in October where you can see this press in action.  We just may have to go back in October!

 Photo of the Cafe from the backside....

 Inside the cafe....

 Ice cream and brochure on the outside deck of the cafe.  Yes, we'll definitely go back here.  They have a BLT sandwich that is off the charts and made with Sorghum Wheat Bread.  By the way, they sell their breads for $8 per loaf.  Pretty proud of that stuff, lol.

 Outside front of the cafe.

 Carriage House...

 Grave markers out on the lawn.

 Log buildings.

 The antebellum mansion....

 The old Post Office, moved here and is now a pottery shop.

 Blacksmith shop.

 Awesome old tractor that I'm sure Jeremy Loveall and Greg Blewett could get running again!

 The alumni museum.  Unfortunately, this was closed so we couldn't walk through.

 Wow, that was a fun stop!  Love touring and learning more and more about our new home state, Mississippi!  French Camp is just a few feet from the Natchez Trace so we just hopped on the Trace and headed north to get home.

Only 80 miles to home, we made a quick stop here.  I always love stopping at new pull-outs along the Trace.

 This is the "Old Trace" the sign tells you about.  What I didn't show was the toilet paper, napkins and beer cans that litter the Old Trace.  Shameful!

So there you go, our little exploration trip for the day!  It was super, fabulous, wonderful. The weather was perfect (okay, a bit hot at times) the roads fairly clear of traffic and easy riding (well, except for that zillion miles of fresh chip seal).  I totally enjoyed our outing.  It was so fun to explore new places and get a new perspective of where we live and what's around us.

Looking forward to more exploration and embracing Mississippi as our new home.  If you're ever near Tupelo, we have a beautiful home and a room waiting for you!  Oh BOY oh BOY oh BOY, we have a celebrity guest coming to visit next week.  Stay tuned for a blog update!

Oh, here's a screen shot of our little adventure today!

Oh yes, our adventures will continue - guess where we might go next!

Hugs and cheers,
Cletha