Glad to hear. Should be a great trip.
Yeah - I heard on one of the cycling fora, there are some closures that seem to be permanent.
I always thought my time on the Natchez Trace Parkway was similar to the Blue Ridge - slow and sometimes frustrating. Great views, smaller road, but the speed limit is only 40-50 mph, and I always seem to get stuck behind an older couple in a convertible setting the pace at 30 mph..... (These folks seem just as slow and dangerous when riding the bicycle.)
I recall zipping along on a weekday a few years ago in Feb., on the way to a meeting in Florida, but then there's the reputation the Natchez Trace has for enforcement of speed limits.
("The ranger wouldn't like that, Yogi....)
All that said - if you haven't ridden it, do it - preferably weekdays to avoid the picnickers. (Especially great on the bicycle - free NPS camping that does not cater to motorhomes and a lot of 2-wheel travellers for company, spring and fall.)
Knowing your occasionally tight schedule, I'd say, if you only have time for a section - the section in Tennessee is most memorable - Birdsong Hollow's double arch bridge and some nice scenery. As I recall, most of the closures were down south.
Tupelo MS and the King's birthplace. ("Thank you. Thank you very much.")
Keep us posted.
Yeah - I heard on one of the cycling fora, there are some closures that seem to be permanent.
I always thought my time on the Natchez Trace Parkway was similar to the Blue Ridge - slow and sometimes frustrating. Great views, smaller road, but the speed limit is only 40-50 mph, and I always seem to get stuck behind an older couple in a convertible setting the pace at 30 mph..... (These folks seem just as slow and dangerous when riding the bicycle.)
I recall zipping along on a weekday a few years ago in Feb., on the way to a meeting in Florida, but then there's the reputation the Natchez Trace has for enforcement of speed limits.
("The ranger wouldn't like that, Yogi....)
All that said - if you haven't ridden it, do it - preferably weekdays to avoid the picnickers. (Especially great on the bicycle - free NPS camping that does not cater to motorhomes and a lot of 2-wheel travellers for company, spring and fall.)
Knowing your occasionally tight schedule, I'd say, if you only have time for a section - the section in Tennessee is most memorable - Birdsong Hollow's double arch bridge and some nice scenery. As I recall, most of the closures were down south.
Tupelo MS and the King's birthplace. ("Thank you. Thank you very much.")
Keep us posted.
"A good man always knows his limitations...."