Mileage: 62,602

We got back onto 10E through the rest of Texas and into Louisiana. We wanted to stop at the Louisiana Welcome Center but though it looked brand new…it was not open. We ended up having our breakfast in the parking lot of a bingo hall.

We took 165N after Lake Charles. We were headed for Natchez, Mississippi.

We passed lots of rice fields, lots of nurseries, and lots of lumber trucks. Water is plentiful here. Actually, water is too plentiful here. The river and its tributaries are flooded. Trees are submerged up to their branches. The area is very swampy. We called the River View RV Park to get a site for tonight. The woman who answered the phone explained that the Mississippi River had flooded. As a result, the restroom, showers, laundry and septic system were all not working. They were all shut down by the county. She suggested that we try back another time!

Crossing the Mississippi River from Louisiana into Mississippi.

We found a free campsite in the parking lot of the Natchez Visitor Reception Center. The people here were very friendly. The woman in the gift shop asked where we were from. She is from Westminster, Maryland! She and her husband moved to Mississippi 14 years ago when they retired. They have only seen 2 inches of snow in all those years!

We took our bikes to the Vidalia Riverfront Park. We rode along the river and then along the top of the levee.

This construction yard is flooded. The water was up another 3 feet at the worst point.

We rode until we had to turn around. As we were riding, Tim got a flat tire.

We put the bikes back on the car and took a walk. These sandbags form a temporary levee. They are placed across the boat ramp.

The handicapped parking area at the ramp/submerged pier are under a lot of water as well.

This is a portion of the campground where we originally planned to stay.

It looks like it will be a long time before all this water recedes! We returned to the visitor center and grilled some bison burgers for our dinner. Tomorrow we plan to start at the southern end of the Natchez Trace.