Day Three

Kudzu and I headed south today from Tishomingo, further into the Deep South. Our first chore for the day was to find a suitable radio station. After some searching, we settled on a classic country station for some Merle, Conway, and Loretta. We could hardley believe our ears when it turned out to be "Kudzu" 102.3 FM. Zoobley even perked her ears at the sound of her name. I knew nobody would believe me, so with the help of a resourceful Park ranger we discovered the station was located in Ripley, MS about 25 miles off the Parkway, gave the station a call, and headed for their office. Everybody there loved Kudzu, of course, and we came away with a T-shirt, coffee mug, bumper stickers, and a picture of Zoobley under the station sign. Everybody in Missippi seems to be friendly, but it may just be because I'm travelling with a small spotted dog.

Cypress swamp in Mississippi

Hardwoods are starting to give way to some pines and the occasion cypress swamp. Temperatures are in the 80s and it's humid. There is a twenty mile gap in the Parkway in Jackson, so we are jerked back into reality as we negotiate three different interstates and are assaulted by fast food restaurants, tractor trailers, and orange traffic barrels. When we get back on the Parkway, we start to see holly, magnolia, palmetto, and live oaks dripping with Spanish Moss. Every few miles now, we see cypress swamp with kness poking up through green, murky water.

KUDZU 102.3 FM

Zoobley and I are staying the night at Natchez State Park about ten miles north of the town of Natchez (named after an Indian tribe) and the southern terminus of the Parkway.