The Stars at Night...

After New Orleans we finally made it to Texas!  First stop was Houston; the city with the most intricate, confusing, unnecessarily high highway system I have ever seen.

Our first encounter with Houston.

Catching up with an old roommate and her wonderful family.

We stayed only briefly in Houston before heading to San Antonio to see the Alamo.  My younger brother, Sean, and his family live in College Station (about 3 hours from San Antonio), so they came to meet us so we could all play together.  AND my mom, from California  was visiting my brother in College Station at the time, so we got to see her too.  It was a wonderful treat!  Grandma and cousins!

After two days in San Antonio we all went to visit a family friend who lives in Comfort, TX, about an hour outside San Antonio.  There we got to hang out with my family some more, do an Easter egg hunt, catch up with a childhood friend (unexpectedly), and fire some real guns for the first time in my life.  (Real as in: not a squirt or nerf gun.)

Fiona was my neighbor when we were kids (5-12 years old).  When I posted a photo of myself shooting a gun, in "Comfort, TX" onto facebook she wrote and said she lived in a neighboring town.  She drove 20 minutes Easter morning to see me.  It was so much fun to catch up.

Here's an unedited (meaning: a tad too long) video of me firing a shotgun for the first time (and my reaction).

More Texas to come...

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

We only made it into Kentucky for 2 days; just to visit Mammoth Cave National Park.  (It happened to be National Park Week, so our tour was free!**  Yeehaw!)

 It was my first visit into a cave and it was far more fascinating than I anticipated.  Our guide was excellent, which probably helped, and I loved the stories he told.  I didn't realize it would be so cold...not so fun for the kids.  But I really loved learning about the various people who had explored the cave thousands of years ago.  And how items people brought into the cave were preserved for that long: the minerals, air, temperature, etc. created a perfect environment so things didn't decay.

 And we had to have breakfast at the Waffle House at least once...a Southern icon.  And, yes, Simon did eat the butter...

**It should be noted that we never paid to get into a National Park our entire trip.  We didn't plan it this way and kept thinking we should just buy the $80 pass that gets you into all the National Parks.  But we just got fortunate that the ones we decided to go to didn't charge.  Did you know that 268 of the 401 National Parks (historical sites, parkways, etc.) are always free?  Pretty cool!

Nashville, Tennessee

If you can't play guitar and sing in Nashville, you might as well just be a construction worker.~Patrick Carney 

The Natchez Trace Parkway ended just outside of Nashville, TN.  We found ourselves back in the city and it was a great city to be in.  It didn't feel large or grand in any way.  I didn't know that Nashville was the place to be for country music.  That's where stars are born and many of them live there.

I am was not that fond of country music.  But something happened in Nashville.  I'm not sure what it was, but the music became fun, interesting, and not too twangy.  The music enhanced our experience; it felt like it belonged in that beautiful part of the country.  It's kind of like eating Thai food in Thailand (which I hope to do someday), it's more authentic, a whole culture experience.

We spent 4 days in Nashville, visited friends, ate good barbecue, listened to lots of music and had a great time.

I fell in love with Nashville; a "big" city with a small town feel.

The Parthenon
You know what they say, "If you can't go to Greece, go to Nashville??"

Hatch Show Print
They make really cool posters.

The street music was awesome.

Brian was able to catch a show at the Grand Ole Opry.

Adventure Science Center

Isabella became instand friends with Ella (my friend's daughter).  And Oliver knows how to make the girls giggle.

Natchez Trace Parkway

We enjoyed our mellow time at Allen Acres in Louisiana so much we decided it was time to spend more time out of cities and in the beautiful American countryside.   While planning Brian learned about the Natchez Trace Parkway, a National Parkway, that ran 444 miles from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN.  The original Natchez Trace was a foot path used for travelers in the 1800s.  Mostly shipmen who took goods down the Mississippi River by boat and then walked back up north along the Trace.

Most parts of the Trace were remote and rural so lodging would be very limited.  We made a spontaneous, risky decision and decided to start camping.  Fortunately, Walmart carries an enormous amount of camping supplies.  And, fortunately, Walmart is everywhere (more so down here in the south, or so it seems).  I can't say I'm a big fan of Walmart, but I am impressed that we could get outfitted with everything we wanted in one trip to one store.  We spent roughly $500 and started camping that same day.  

We loved camping in Mississippi.  I was really, really impressed with their state parks: low cost, clean, bathrooms, etc.  We are not avid campers, but we loved exploring the Natchez Trace Parkway this way.  The drive up the Trace took us 7 days; we went slow, stopped frequently and learned about the history in the area.  The weather was beautiful, the drive was relaxing and educational.

Warning: this post has a ton of awesome photos.  :)  

We jerry-rigged a roof bag to accomodate the camping supplies.

First stop, we were still in LA, near Alexandria

Love this girl!

Natchez, MS

Natchez State Park

Emerald Mound 

One of our favorite stops along the Trace was Mount Locust.  The house and history were interesting  the ranger was a dynamic teacher, and it was beautiful.  The kids enjoyed working on and receiving their junior ranger badges.

P.S. All the rangers we have met at the national parks have been amazing, sweet, intelligent people who love their job.  When I work again I want to be a national park ranger.

One night we camped in a state park that was located in the middle of Jackson, MS.  It felt amazingly rural for being in the middle of an urban metropolis.

LeFleurs Bluff in Jackson, MS

Cypress Swamp

Near French Camp

A section of the original Natchez Trace.

For $20 we picked up a youth tent for Isabella that we set up right next to ours.  I was amazed that she stayed in it all night long.  She loves having a little tiny space all her own.  (Her brothers can only go in as invited.)  It made a huge difference in her happiness/pleasantness and bedtime became much easier.

She can stay up late and read or write.  A privilege she's never had since she always has to share a space with her brothers.

Happy camper!

Sunrise at Tishomingo State Park, Mississippi

This site came with a "pet" goose.  A kind, yet very persistant animal who happened to appear within seconds of us pulling out any food at any moment.

Morning cuddles are my favorite

The Tennessee countryside.  I fell in love with the beautiful, green hills.

Natchez Parkway Bridge was our last stop before Nashville.
Isabella had been entertaining herself with my lipstick in the car.