We’re almost finished with the Natchez Trace Parkway. Our first stop this morning was at the grave site of Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark explorers. This is the location where he died and where he is buried.

Meriwether Lewis Grave Site

Next stop, an old phosphate mining area. We walked a short path along an abandoned railroad bed where a miniature train hauled small carts of phosphate ore to an ore washer in a nearby town.

Dinky Train Bed

Interpretive signs tell about the mining history and point out abandoned phosphate mines.

Abandoned Phosphate Mine

A tobacco farm exhibit is next. Signs explain about the history of tobacco farming in this area, begun in 1932, and about how it is done. The park service still plants tobacco in a small garden near the barn and hangs it in the barn to dry.

Tobacco Farm

Tobacco Drying

And a stop at milepost 407.7 at the Gordon House Historic Site. One of the few remaining buildings on the Trace. This house belonged to the Gordon family who operated a ferry across the Duck River at this location in the early 1800’s.

Gordon House on Natchez Trace Parkway

And then one more stop, the monument memorializing the soldiers of the War of 1812 that are buried along the Old Natchez Trace.

War of 1812 Memorial on Natchez Trace Parkway

And we finished the entire Natchez Trace Parkway! We’ll be spending the next three nights at the Nashville I-24 Campground and will explore Nashville before we head west towards Washington DC.

Nashville I-24 Campground

Time to update our travel map. While we have been through Tennessee before this motorhome has not, until now. Two years and 40,000 miles later we only have ten states to go!

Adding Tennessee

• Gasoline Expense:  $150 @ $3.35 and $3.19
• Lodging Expense:   $32