Okies on the Trace

A Corvette Tour of the Natchez Trace

This is a short story about nine couples, from the Central Oklahoma Corvette Club,

that drove the Natchez Trace in June of 2007.

First, a little background on the Natchez Trace. The trace runs from Natchez, Mississippi to just West of Nashville, Tennessee, a total distance of approximately 450 miles. The Trace today, is a well paved two lane road that closely follows the original Trace footpath. In the early days, the Trace was a narrow trail, first used by the Indians of the area and later by Kentucky settlers. These people from the Kentucky area were called Ken-Tucks and they made their living by building river boats, loading them with wares to sell, and floating down the Mississippi river. After selling their wares, they also sold the boats for the lumber, and then walked home. This long trail became the Natchez Trace. As the number of people using the Trace began to grow, Taverns, Inns and other support way stations also developed to provide food and shelter for these travelers.

Although the Trace does not pass through any towns today and the original Taverns and Inns are long gone, all the necessary services are just a short distance away. These include Restaurants, fuel stops, Motels and Bed and Breakfast Inns. The Trace is a great road for Corvettes, 50 MPH speed limit, no trucks or commercial trailers are allowed, the scenery is beautiful and there is a lot to see and do.

Now, back to the trip, or maybe adventure, we called “Okies on the Trace”. Although nine couples made the trip on the Trace, two couples met us in Shreveport. The remaining seven couples, driving six Corvettes and Marilyn and Steve Moore driving the token Mustang (their Vette is being restored), met in Oklahoma City at eight AM, on a Saturday to begin our trip.

Day 1

“Guide books” were handed out to the “navigator” in each car. These guidebooks provided each car with the route information for the day, where we were stopping for bathroom breaks (a necessity at our age), where we might be eating lunch and/or dinner and maps to the evening Motel stop. We were underway by 8:30 on the first day’s trip to Shreveport, Louisiana. We stopped for lunch at the Cedar Shed in Hugo, Okla. All agreed it was time for a stop, the food was good and we needed a break from driving. This leg of approximately 500 miles from Okla. City to Shreveport, although tiring, was uneventful and we arrived in time to have a glass of wine and great snacks provided by Marilyn and Steve Moore. One of our two missing couples, Sue and Tony Scott, were waiting for us at the Hampton Inn Hotel. We then went to dinner at “Copelands”. Copelands was Marian Everson’s choice, a great one by the way, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and then it was back to the Hotel to get rested up for the next day’s leg of our trip. Clinette and Joe Leonard rolled in later that night and our group was now complete.

Day 2

The second day started early again with our first destination being Alexandria, Louisiana. From there we headed East toward Natchez. We did learn one important thing from yesterday. As any of you know that have tried to lead a group of cars, it is very difficult to see the tail car while traveling through towns. You find it very hard to tell if they made it through the light or around that last corner. Well, Judy and Jim Spearman’s car is bright yellow and we found that it showed up better than any other color. Therefore, Jim always got the last position and his car quickly earned the name “Yellowtail”. Maybe a little wine also had something to do with the name.

As we turned east from Alexandria, we needed a place for lunch. With a little luck, we found a great diner in Eastern Louisiana that had fried chicken, fried catfish, hamburgers and, to top it all, they had great fish and oyster po-boy sandwiches. After that meal, we all wanted a nap, but we pushed on to Natchez, arrived early in the afternoon and checked in at the Comfort Inn Hotel. A few couples decided to take that nap, while others wanted to see some of the old antebellum homes near the river. While in Natchez on a Sunday afternoon, our first problem occurred. Margaret and Larry Kelley had their steering column lock decide that it didn’t want to unlock at a most inopportune time. This occurred while they were downtown looking at homes. The only solution, at that time of day, was to call a tow service and have the car carried to “the best Chevrolet dealer” in town. This is where the Mustang earned its way, it had a back seat and we needed a way to get a car-less couple to dinner. We all had a very good meal at the “Cock of the Walk” down on the river. After dinner, we walked over to the levee to see the mighty Mississippi and watch a tow boat struggle up-steam against the current. It was then back to the Hotel for a good nights rest. I am sure Larry Kelley didn’t sleep much.

Day 3

We were up early to check on our sick Corvette at the Chevy dealer. We were there waiting when they opened. What a disappointment, I don’t think they had ever seen a Corvette. Well, we got their ace mechanic, who told us all cars were about the same and he was sure he could fix the problem. We tried to explain the type of problem to him and possible solutions but why should a “crack Chevy mechanic” listen to bunch of old Corvette owners. And, of course, he didn’t listen!

While waiting on “Ace the mechanic” the rest of the group decided to start out on the Trace. The original plan was to drive a ways on the Trace, turn off to see the Vicksburg Civil War battlefield, then re-join the Trace and continue on to Jackson, Mississippi for the evening. With the group broken up, the plans broke down. Some went on to Vicksburg and some did sightseeing on the way but since we had made plans with flexibility, everyone had a good time and we still met up in Jackson.

Now, back to the Corvette problem. It was obvious by noon that a repaired car was nowhere in sight so the Kelleys decided to rent a car and continue on to Jackson with the hope that their car might be fixed the next day. Although some of the group ran into rain, the Kelleys and Birdwells had torrential downpours between Natchez and Jackson. There were also, heavy winds with many tree limbs and some trees down across the road. This was not good driving in a Corvette but we arrived safely with no other problems. After checking into the Hampton Inn Hotel, and because of the split up group and the varied arrival times, most of us just ate at a Chili’s restaurant next door to the Hotel.

Day 4

We started Tuesday morning with our typical breakfast in the Hotel lobby. Marilyn Moore also continued her typical routine of taking pictures of each of us as we stumbled into the lobby. She must be planning on blackmail later because none of us have seen the pictures yet. The Kelleys decided to return to Natchez and wait on their car. I think Larry knew that if he wasn’t there to pace the floor, it might never get repaired. We all begged them to “carry on” with the group but after some tears, they drove back to Natchez, with plans to catch up with us in Memphis.

This was to be our longest day on the Trace. Our plans were to drive over 200 miles of the Trace and then exit for our Hotel near Lake Pickwick. This is a large lake on the Tennessee river and located just across the Mississippi / Tennessee line. The weather was good and we made numerous sightseeing detours. We also had a secret lunch stop planned. Well, not too secret, their menu was in our guidebook. Lunch was scheduled for the Council House Café at the Ministry of French Camp Academy. The French Camp Ministry is a rustic children’s camp that has been built by finding old turn of the century buildings and moving them to the camp property. They help pay the bills with a small restaurant and a gift store. Their location is off the Trace and most people would drive by without knowing it was there. The food was as good as advertised. Cabbage or potato soup was our appetizer. Then, sandwiches of Cajun roast beef, smoked turkey, baked ham or BLTs. All of this washed down with ice tea and lemonade. We were eating outside on the deck and about the time we finished, another rainstorm blew in. It was raining too hard to get to the cars so we moved inside the café and killed time with the best bread pudding in Mississippi. Do you notice a common theme, it seems that everywhere we drive, it is just to get somewhere to eat.

After the storm was mostly over, the weather was good enough to continue our trip North. We stopped at Indian burial grounds, Cypress swamps, Cemeteries, old sections of the Trace, and a lot of restrooms. We arrived at the Hampton Inn Hotel in the early evening and again had time for a little wine and more of Marilyn’s goodies before dinner. The evening meal was at a nearby Seafood restaurant on the lake. The seafood was very good and service was excellent considering that 16 people just showed up unannounced.

Day 5

We picked the Hotel at Pickwick Lake for last night because it was near the Shiloh Civil War Military Park, our destination for this morning. We started again with breakfast at the Hotel, Marilyn’s pictures and of course, Karen was the last to arrive. Maybe that’s why she is so pretty, she works at it longer. After that, it was just a 30 minute drive to Shiloh. We spent the morning at the park, going through the museum, reading the tombstones and driving the winding roads throughout the battlefields. Cannons were placed in their original battle positions and there were monuments describing the location where each side was and which State the men were from. Before long, it was time for lunch. Tony Scott found out about a catfish restaurant nearby and so that is where we headed. This restaurant was one that someone had to tell you about. It was down a long winding road and nestled on the banks of the Tennessee River. Tommy Griffin found the “all you can eat” catfish on the menu and probably ate at least a dozen before we harassed him to stop. So far, we are batting 100% on good restaurants.

After lunch, it was back on the road to find where we left the Trace. The noble leader only got lost once, first “Ueee” I think, and soon we were back where we exited the day before and headed northeast again. Nashville was still 150 miles away so we had to pick up the pace a little. There are many areas along the Trace that are just beautiful. The trees grow out over the road so you are driving under a green canopy for miles at a time. In other areas, small fields are cleared along the road so you can see the rolling countryside. We still kept our schedule of frequent restroom stops but managed to get to Nashville during the rush hour. The Trace ends on the West edge of Nashville and our Hotel was on the East side of town.

If you have never driven the Interstates through Nashville during high traffic, believe me, you have missed an experience. Interstate 40 crosses the city from West to East but there are two other Interstates crossing North to South. In addition, there are inner and outer loops crisscrossing the Interstates so you constantly have to cross four or five lanes of traffic to exit right or left and stay on your highway. If you think leading a few cars to a Saturday dinner in Oklahoma is difficult, try getting eight cars through six o’clock Interstate traffic in Nashville (Still looking for the blue paint on the back of our car. Ask Tommy to explain). We all did make it to the La Quinta Hotel with the only damage being frayed nerves.

On long cruises like this, one ritual is to wash our cars every day to get rid of the tar and road grime. With the spotty rains and the busy schedule, most of us had not washed them since Shreveport. As soon as we were checked into the Hotel, most of us headed for the nearest hand car wash. By the time the cars were spotless and we got back to the hotel, it was late and no one was in the mood to go out to eat. So we all settled in the Hotel lobby, Judy Spearman suggested pizza. She took up a collection and placed the order. Tony Scott and Joe Leonard went out for beer and we all had a relaxing dinner. Collectively, we probably, also saved a few bucks.

Day 6

Thursday was another great day. A quick breakfast, more pictures, then we left Nashville early and headed for Bowling Green, KY. Bob Everson had arranged special commemorative badges for all and even a special tour at the Corvette Museum. After the Museum, Bob had also arranged a Corvette Plant tour. A few of the ladies (Connie, Ann and Clinette) decided to wait in the lobby while the rest of us spent a couple of hours on the tour. By the time we got out of the plant and the ladies did their “gift shopping”, we were already late for lunch. We grabbed lunch at one of the marginal chain restaurants and headed back toward Nashville. Some just headed for the Hotel while some of us decided to find a Winery we had seen on the way to Bowling Green. With Jim Spearman leading the way, we saw a lot of Tennessee countryside that afternoon but we never did find that Winery.

The group had all scattered when we got back to Nashville, but a few couples decided to go downtown in search of “Tootsies” a famous Country Music nightspot. The place was crowded and the music was loud so after a couple of beers, we went searching for a better place. We found it a couple of blocks down the street and had a good time that evening with a “new country star”, and a BBQ sandwich. Then it was time to go back to the Hotel and get ready for Friday. I had a request to “stay off the Interstate”, so led the small group back to the Hotel on the quite city streets.

Day 7

Now you know the routine, breakfast and pictures. Actually, we slept in a little because Friday was our day to drive to Memphis. But first, we thought a little driving tour of Nashville was in order before we left town. We toured through Nashville on city streets, drove through Downtown, went up 16^th Avenue where all the Music Companies are located and eventually ended up at Nashville’s replica of the Parthenon.

The Parthenon in Nashville is a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens. It was built in 1897 as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. A number of buildings at the Exposition were based on ancient originals, however, the Parthenon was the only one to have been conceived as an exact reproduction. It was also the only one to have been preserved. Originally built of plaster, wood and brick, it was rebuilt in the 1920s on the same foundations, but with concrete. A 1990 re-creation of the Athena Parthenos statue is the focus of the Parthenon just as it was in ancient Greece. The building is a full-scale replica of the original; and the statue of Athena Parthenos within is a reconstruction of the long lost original to careful scholarly standards: she is helmeted, carries a shield on her left arm and a small statue of Victory in her right palm, and stands 42 feet high. She is also covered with more than eight pounds of gold leaf. An equally colossal serpent rears its head between her and her shield. Since the building is complete and its decorations were polychromed (painted in colors) as close to the presumed original as possible, it is arguably a better representation of what the Athenians would have seen than is the current ruin of the Parthenon.

We spent most of the morning with Athena, and then it was “on the road again”, this time the Interstate, and headed for Memphis to meet up with the Kelleys. Before long it was lunch time and we found “Loretta Lynn’s Kitchen”. Yes, it is owned by the Music Star and was a perfect stop for us. They had a good buffet, great food, good service and easily handled 16 drop in guests. We were soon back on the road and when we got to the Hotel, Margaret and Larry were waiting in the drive way. Some couples stayed at the Hampton Inn in Downtown Memphis and several couples stayed across the river in West Memphis.

We had a short rest, and then all got together in the Hotel lobby to make plans for dinner. Joe led us off down the street and through an alleyway to a Bar-B-Que Rib place called “Rendezvous” Now, Rendezvous is supposed to be the very best Rib Joint in Memphis, maybe it is but I can name 10 places in Oklahoma City that are better. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and you never know if you don’t go there. After dinner, the group scattered again. Some of us found a “Blues Club” on Beales’s street and enjoyed several hours of “Blues and beer

Day 8

Almost everybody is ready to start home. The Leonards are up and on the road by 6 AM. The Eversons decide they wanted to spend another day in Memphis so the rest of us hit the road toward home. The trucks on the Interstate are such a hassle that we decided to drive the side roads again. After another “Ueee” because of a missed sign, we were on Highway 70 and headed for Little Rock. After stopping for lunch in Little Rock, most of the group got back on I-40 and headed for home. The Scotts and the Birdwells decided to continue on Hwy 64 toward Ft Smith. There is always the chance we might find a Winery or two. We ended up spending Saturday night in Van Buren, found another great restaurant and finished the drive Sunday morning.

Our overall mileage was almost 2250 miles and with the exception of Larry’s car, no one had any major problems. We did get to make new friends and built on the relationships that already existed.

The members of the “Okies on the Trace” tour were:

Don & Connie Birdwell Bob & Marian Everson Tommy & Karen Griffin Larry and Margaret Kelley Joe & Clinette Leonard Steve & Marilyn Moore Tony & Sue Scott Ken & Ann Smith Jim & Judy Spearman

Let’s do one again next year!!!!!