I was looking forward to this trip as it would add one more state to my motorcycling collection and it would also afford me the opportunity to ride the Natchez Trace Parkway also known locally as "The Trace." The Trace is a trade route that has been used since the earliest time of our nation’s history. It was originally used by the Indians as a trade route. Later it became a vital route for military troops in the War of 1812 and the Civil War. My GGGG-grandfather Isaac van Burkelow traveled this route on the way to the Battle of New Orleans where he was wounded. In the Civil War his great-grandson James William Burklow would spend most of the Civil War along the Trace.

The northern end of the Trace starts just south of Nashville, Tennessee. From there it heads southwest toward Tupelo, Mississippi, the birthplace of Elvis Presley. This portion of the Trace Parkway starts in the rolling hills of Tennessee and begins to flatten out as you ride closer to Tupelo. The surroundings are very rural without a commercial building in sight. That would include gas stations, so plan ahead for your gas stops as you will probably have to ride 5 — 10 miles from the parkway for gas. As you ride along the trace things look very much as they probably looked over the past 200 years. I saw armadillos, wild turkeys, deer and several birds of prey each day on the parkway. My ride on the Trace parkway ended up in Kociusko, which makes the claim of being the geographical center of the state. That fact including Kociusko being the birthplace of Opra Winfrey covers everything you need to know about Kociusko, Mississippi. (Pron: Kahzee-OOZE-Koo)

I would have liked to have seen more period or historical buildings on my ride. With the exception of French Camp there were miles of bean, corn and hay fields. Not that this is bad, but, once you’ve seen 30 miles of corn, beans and hay you’ve seen 300 miles of corn, beans and hay. I’ve spoken with other riders who have traveled further south on the parkway to its end in Natchez, Mississippi. They said the southern part of the Trace Parkway was very nice and offered up a variety of scenery.

For me the Trace Parkway was sort of a family visit. Over the last couple of hundred years two of my grand fathers traveled the Trace while fighting for their country. One made a stop at French Camp, on his way to the battle of New Orleans, while another fought at Brice’s crossroads near Tupelo. Fortunately for me, my most dangerous encounter was the occasional bounding deer or armadillo. Even though the Trace Parkway doesn’t offer up the same kind of vistas as the Blue Ridge parkway, it is still a scenic road worth seeing. If you want a nice glimpse of the south and you’re in the region, change your compass heading for a day or two.

Of course the south has more to offer than the Natchez Trace Parkway. Southern culture plays a big part in the experience. I have always found it easy to tell when I am in the south. First of all, every small town has some sort of "World Famous" local barbecue ribs restaurant owned by some famous person I’ve never heard of. You can smell the ribs cooking as you roll into town and there is nothing like it. Also, when ordering iced tea you get "sweet tea." It comes out sounding more like "swate tay." Basically it is a glass of iced tea with a half pound of sugar mixed in. Your first sampling will most likely lock your jaws into their present position.

The language in the south reminds me of Scotland in many ways. You are in an English speaking country, and yet you feel you are divided by a common language. Having moved north 10 years ago I found myself really having to listen to make sure I could "translate" properly. The pace is much slower in the south and that is an attraction into itself.