Just when I thought I was out of swamp country...
I knew that there would be a bit of cypress swamp just North of Jackson, MS because the helpful young men at the information center pointed it out to me the day before. What I wasn't expecting was more cypress swamp even further North. That got me starting to wonder where the Northernmost cypress swamp is located in North America. That was easy to find out thanks to this article: https://conduitstreet.mdcounties.org/2017/02/16/fun-fact-did-you-know-that-calvert-county-is-home-to-the-northernmost-natural-range-of-bald-cypress-trees-in-america/ It looks like I can visit the Northernmost cypress swamp the next time I drive to Maryland. Until then, this is the Northernmost cypress swamp that I've walked in:
I also saw more slash pine, and to satisfy a similar curiosity about them, I found this map of its growing area (source: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/pinell/all.html):
And more saw palmetto too https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/trees-and-shrubs/palms-and-cycads/saw-palmetto.html
It looks like I'm through seeing those types of vegetation for this trip, but I believe I will forever associate them with this trip.
I appreciate the stories told on the signs along the Natchez Trace Parkway. I only read the ones I had a reason to stop for, but I think I probably would find them all interesting.
The next place that I stopped is an information center at Kosciusko, Mississippi. It was one of the places recommended by the young men near Natchez, but I forgot why else they recommended that I stop. So I did a little research online and learned that it was Oprah's birthplace, but she moved away when she was 6 years old. Having myself moved when I was 6 years old, I know how much I don't identify with the places I lived before then, so it doesn't surprise me to learn that Oprah doesn't either. At least some of the locals seem bitter about the fact that "Oprah was born and raised here and all we got from her is a boys and girls club." There's evidence of that sentiment on TripAdvisor and from the comments made by the woman I spoke with at the information center. According to her, they'd really like to claim and honor her the way that Tupelo has done with Elvis, and also be able to capitalize on all the tourists that stream by on the Natchez Trace Parkway every year, but Oprah hasn't cooperated. I'm assuming that probably means that her image and name are not available for putting on souvenirs. It's not really my business to have an opinion about this, but I will say this: Oprah is a phenomenon but not the same kind of phenomenon as Elvis, and she is still living. Apples and oranges.
Speaking of Tupelo, I take back what I said about it as a place with not much going for it. After having seen Natchez, I'd rather visit Tupelo again than Natchez, and not just because of the fried green tomatoes at Bishop's BBQ. There are parts of Tupelo I didn't see the first time through, and there is a lot more infrastructure here to support the kind of traveler that I am. There's more beautiful stuff to look at in Natchez, but it's much smaller town than I expected for the river end of a former major trade route. It's about 14,000 population compared to 38,000 in Tupelo. That makes a big difference in terms of amenities like grocery stores and restaurants. When I'm feeling well, that's not an issue, but I wasn't feeling great when I was there and I would have enjoyed more familiar options that aren't fast food.
Back to Tupelo... I remember passing by a sign downtown the first time I was here that proclaimed it as the first TVA city, but I forgot to look into what that meant exactly. I knew TVA stood for Tennessee Valley Authority and I know a bit about its history but most of what I once knew I'd forgotten. In a nutshell, when the U.S. government decided it was important to provide electric service to rural America, the TVA was one of its avenues for doing so. (Another was rural electric cooperatives, and I remember the REC logo from when I was a teenager in Indiana. Examples of that are available here: https://www.pinterest.com/mitchellemc/willie-wiredhand/)
As the first TVA city, Tupelo was the first city to be able to buy reasonably-priced electric power from the TVA. If for some reason you are interested in learning more about the rural electrification of Northeast Mississippi, you can read all about it here: http://mshistorynow.mdah.state.ms.us/articles/376/the-rural-electrification-of-northeast-mississippi The sign I mentioned is pretty cool, night or day, and of course it is electrified:
As for the fried green tomatoes... In case Alanis Morissette ever needs material for additional verses to "Ironic," I may be able to help. I've been thinking about fried green tomatoes in Tupelo this whole trip, disappointed any time I tried to eat them anywhere else, and they were one of only two reasons I planned my return route to go through this town (the other having to do with the Natchez Trace Parkway). However when I got here, I'd had so much rich food in the last few weeks thanks to my desire to try local specialties while I was in the South, that I had no interest in fried green tomatoes when I arrived yesterday. I will, however, have some before I leave town today because I must answer the question of whether they're really as good as I thought the first time or whether that was a fluke.
As a closing thought about Tupelo and Elvis, here are a couple of links of Elvis singing. The first one is a happy one if that's what you're in the mood for, it's his 1956 performance of Hound Dog on the Ed Sullivan Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGZm7EOamWk
The second one is melancholy (you are forewarned) -- it's his last performance of "Are You Lonely Tonight" and shows how he was reputedly never able to remember the lyrics to this one particular song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0zanIIfhXY (I mentioned that in my previous post about Tupelo.)
I also saw more slash pine, and to satisfy a similar curiosity about them, I found this map of its growing area (source: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/pinell/all.html):
And more saw palmetto too https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/trees-and-shrubs/palms-and-cycads/saw-palmetto.html
It looks like I'm through seeing those types of vegetation for this trip, but I believe I will forever associate them with this trip.
I appreciate the stories told on the signs along the Natchez Trace Parkway. I only read the ones I had a reason to stop for, but I think I probably would find them all interesting.
Speaking of Tupelo, I take back what I said about it as a place with not much going for it. After having seen Natchez, I'd rather visit Tupelo again than Natchez, and not just because of the fried green tomatoes at Bishop's BBQ. There are parts of Tupelo I didn't see the first time through, and there is a lot more infrastructure here to support the kind of traveler that I am. There's more beautiful stuff to look at in Natchez, but it's much smaller town than I expected for the river end of a former major trade route. It's about 14,000 population compared to 38,000 in Tupelo. That makes a big difference in terms of amenities like grocery stores and restaurants. When I'm feeling well, that's not an issue, but I wasn't feeling great when I was there and I would have enjoyed more familiar options that aren't fast food.
Back to Tupelo... I remember passing by a sign downtown the first time I was here that proclaimed it as the first TVA city, but I forgot to look into what that meant exactly. I knew TVA stood for Tennessee Valley Authority and I know a bit about its history but most of what I once knew I'd forgotten. In a nutshell, when the U.S. government decided it was important to provide electric service to rural America, the TVA was one of its avenues for doing so. (Another was rural electric cooperatives, and I remember the REC logo from when I was a teenager in Indiana. Examples of that are available here: https://www.pinterest.com/mitchellemc/willie-wiredhand/)
As the first TVA city, Tupelo was the first city to be able to buy reasonably-priced electric power from the TVA. If for some reason you are interested in learning more about the rural electrification of Northeast Mississippi, you can read all about it here: http://mshistorynow.mdah.state.ms.us/articles/376/the-rural-electrification-of-northeast-mississippi The sign I mentioned is pretty cool, night or day, and of course it is electrified:
As for the fried green tomatoes... In case Alanis Morissette ever needs material for additional verses to "Ironic," I may be able to help. I've been thinking about fried green tomatoes in Tupelo this whole trip, disappointed any time I tried to eat them anywhere else, and they were one of only two reasons I planned my return route to go through this town (the other having to do with the Natchez Trace Parkway). However when I got here, I'd had so much rich food in the last few weeks thanks to my desire to try local specialties while I was in the South, that I had no interest in fried green tomatoes when I arrived yesterday. I will, however, have some before I leave town today because I must answer the question of whether they're really as good as I thought the first time or whether that was a fluke.
As a closing thought about Tupelo and Elvis, here are a couple of links of Elvis singing. The first one is a happy one if that's what you're in the mood for, it's his 1956 performance of Hound Dog on the Ed Sullivan Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGZm7EOamWk
The second one is melancholy (you are forewarned) -- it's his last performance of "Are You Lonely Tonight" and shows how he was reputedly never able to remember the lyrics to this one particular song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0zanIIfhXY (I mentioned that in my previous post about Tupelo.)
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