Scooters - Getting High In Mississippi

 The day started out cloudy and threatened rain but the weather experts predicted a sunny afternoon so we decided to gear up and head out on the Honda ADV150 Scooters.  Our goal was the highest point in Mississippi which was about 75 miles from home.  An easy ride north on the Natchez Trace to MS Highway 25 where we would veer west toward Iuka, MS.  

We made a quick stop at Pharr Mounds on the Trace.  You can see the clouds are beginning to dissipate.

Another stop along the Trace to grab a few photos of the Tenn-Tom Waterway.  We are always excited when we see barges on the Tenn-Tom but not today.  Still, a beautiful view.

We took our exit and followed MS 25 for about 10 miles and then we made a few wrong turns that made our day even more exciting as we ended up on tiny Mississippi back roads, my favorite!

Back on track we made the correct turn to Woodall Mountain where we would find the highest point in Mississippi.

Who knew there was a Highpointers Club and Foundation?  I didn't, but I know now and will look for more High Points as we travel.  Motoring on the tarmac only lasted about 100 yards and then we were on gravel.  For the most part the road was fairly smooth but we did hit a few washboard sections and some loose, chunky monkey gravel that liked to toss the scooter around a bit!  Hang on!!!!

And of course the road got steep!  Hey, we're going to the highest point in Mississippi so I guess elevation gain was to be expected, lol.  After a mile or so we reached our destination!

There was a mail box at the top with a Visitor Register inside.  Eric took the time to add our names and blog links and read me some of the past visitors posts.  People from all over the world had made the time to find the highest point in Mississippi.  One visitor mentioned they were in search of the next highest point in a neighboring state.  They were on a mission!

Along with the visitor register mailbox there were several microwave and cell towers.  I guess that's to be expected at the highest point in the state 😄

In addition to the Woodall Mountain plaque we found a U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey marker!  How cool is that?

The view was quite spectacular considering Mississippi is fairly flat.

Inside the mailbox were a number of stickers from peeps who had visited so of course I had to add my DFF sticker 😉

Now it was back down the gravel road to pavement and our next stop in Iuka.  It was lunch time and Eric had found a Chinese joint that sounded pretty good.

Most of their service was drive through but they did have inside seating.  We took a peek and decided to go ahead and sit inside.  All Covid (effin' Covid) protocols were in place with masks and distance seating so I felt comfortable.  There were only maybe two other couples in the restaurant.  Service was impeccable and we quickly ordered lunch.  Yummy!!!!  We enjoyed our meal and needed To Go boxes to pack up the remains which I stowed in my wonderful Shad topcase.  

Then we were off to explore a bit of Iuka!  First stop was the Mineral Springs Park and pictures of the covered bridge.

Covered bridges are so flippin' cool.  Maybe we'll make a trip dedicated to covered bridges!  Then it was off to the original Iuka Courthouse.  The current courthouse is modern design and not so interesting.  However, the original is awesome and houses a museum which we will explore another day. 

Just across the street from the Old Courthouse was another historical landmark.  Twin Magnolias!

That ended our tour of Iuka and we were off to find a half built nuclear reactor called Yellow Creek Nuclear Plant.  However, that was a wild goose chase as our ride ended at a road closed sign and gate.  Sorry, no photos 😡 although it was a lovely ride on a small country lane 😃.  We did an about face, retraced our route and headed back to the Natchez Trace Parkway for the ride home.

There is just something about the Natchez Trace that is magical.  Well, at least for me.  It's slow adventuring at it's finest.  No commercial traffic, no advertising, nothing but peace and history and lovely, long, sweeping curves.  I'm always thrilled to ride the Trace to or from a destination.  It just sets the mood for me.  Relaxing and beautiful.  We saw a fat, furry coyote on our Trace ride that crossed the road just in front of us.  Neither of us were in a hurry.  The day was gorgeous, the temperature was moderate and the scooters held their own.

We took a break about 40 miles from home at Jourdan Creek along the Natchez Trace.  

And then......we were home, safe and sound, a lovely ride to the highest point in Mississippi, a nice lunch and a bit of history thrown in the mix.  All is good!

We sure are enjoying the little Honda ADV 150 scooters.  Eric now has over 4,700 miles on his scooter and I'm right around 2,500 plus.  We'll be back on the Mississippi Blues Trail as weather and time permits and I'm so looking forward to that!

In closing, I want to shout out to a couple of our supporters.  Our top boxes are from Shad USA and they are offering a 20% (Yes, you read that right - Twenty Percent!) discount if you use this code at checkout, C&EADV20. 

Another long time supporter and great friend is LD Comfort who is offering a 10% discount for orders over $100.  Use this code ECASCOOT21 at checkout.  LD Comfort is the best base layer for riding, period.  We've been wearing this gear for over 10 years!  You'll love it!

And finally, Eric has started a blog.  Yes, my beloved husband who is totally averse to social media has started a blog about the ADV150 and technical matters.  He will also be posting You Tube videos about all the tech stuff related to the Honda ADV150.  Check it out!  Eric's ADV150 Blog.

As always, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for following along on our adventures.  You make it worth writing about💗