Still cold out here!

Our quest for warmer weather isn't working. . . it's still cold. . . but those days are numbered, I believe. Hopefully by tomorrow night when we get to Vicksburg, it will be a little warmer.

Today we left the Isle of Capri casino in Lula, Mississippi and traveled along highway 1 toward Greenville. It was our plan to stop at an RV park near Greenville so we could visit a plantation home and perhaps visit another casino. We never found the RV park, but drove to the Harlow casino and stopped in to see if anyone at the desk had info on a campground. They weren't much help, but we decided to try our luck a bit at the machines. That didn't last long and we were back on our way after fixing lunch in the parking lot. We crossed the Mississippi at the bridge at Harlow's. They are building a new bridge which isn't completed yet, but it is quite impressive.

The Lakeport Plantation we wished to visit is on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi, so we continued on toward Lake Village, Arkansas, to find a campground. We finally succeeded and pulled into the Pecan Grove Campground. The gal at the desk was very friendly and told us that tours at the plantation are at 10 and 2. It was 1:20 and she said, "Oh you will have time to get there. It's just about 15 minutes." So we hurried and got the coach parked, pushed the slides out and gave the dogs their instructions and we were off! We made it just in time and had an excellent tour by Blake, who is the Assistant Director. Blake was certainly a good sport and entertained all our questions and was quite knowledgeable about the home and the area. From the highway, all you see is the back of the house, but remember these plantation homes faced the Mississippi River, which now is about 3/4 mile away. The plantation was built in the late 1850's and was deeded to the Arkansas State University by the last owners. Lakeport has the distinction of being the only remaining Arkansas plantation home on the Mississippi River. The University operates the site as a museum and educational center. This restoration "focuses on the lifestyles and relationships between the people who lived and worked at Lakeport--as enslaved laborers and masters, as tenant farmers and land owners." Those wishing to know more can visit the website:

http://lakeport.astate.edu/

It certainly was an informative tour and one of those visits "off the beaten path" that we like so well. While the tour is free, donations are accepted.

After our tour, we drove around Chicot Lake which we suspect may actually have been part of the Mississippi River at one time. Kind of reminded us of Reelfoot Lake and how it was formed.

After coming in and setting up the Datastorm, we found one of our 2005 classmates is at the Ameristar down in Vicksburg. . . OH DARN. . . another casino. We have made contact and we will be meeting him tomorrow!

Till next time. . .

Dale