Day 16 Tupelo, MS to Murfreesboro, TN

Today is day 16 of our adventure, and officially day 14 of the Pub Crawl. It took us two days to get from Ohio to Annapolis to begin the crawl. We should be home in a week. The time is going so quickly.

Last night we enjoyed a fine Italian dinner at a restaurant next to the hotel in Tupelo. The owner came out while we were finishing our desert and played us a tune or two on his concertina. Lots of fun.


Morning departure was a tad later (7:50am) since we had fewer miles today, and a gas fill up was the first order of business.

Then back on the "Trace"

Alan Marsh, aka DC Bubba positioned his 2003 Plus 8 to commemorate this motoring milestone for him and his car.

He tells me that May 12 and 13th, 2010 he drove the entire length of the Natchez Trace in the same car that, in 2004 he drove from John O'Groats to Land's End in Scotland, UK. His mascot, Dudley DoDo rode along on both trips.

On the Trace....smooth road, steady speed, little traffic, nice views, very green. We noted corn crops knee high by the 12th of May. Soy beans were well underway. And, the further north we got the more fields we saw that were fitted out, ready for the growing season. In our home state of Ohio knee high by the 4th of July is the mantra. We must be 6 weeks later in Ohio.

Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark expedition died on the Trace in 1809. This plaque and the memorial monument in the photo below mark his contribution to our history.

Al Marsh provided the photo below that quotes President Lincoln's praise of Lewis. Click on the photo to enlarge it so you can read it.

The Grinder House is where Lewis died of an apparently self-inflicted gun shot. He was 35.

We got off the Trace just shy of the end having driven 429 of its 444 miles, so we could travel to Franklin, TN, a neat little town with great shops and restaurants. There, Anne Leo and Judy Buckly investigate some antiques with orders that they can buy anything they want so long as it will fit in the car.

Despite the forecast for sunny skies, it rained a bit while we were in Franklin. So, hooding was erected on the cars and off we went to Murfreesboro for our overnight at yet another Country Inn's and Suites.

Here is Myron Koenig parking his 1967 Plus 4 two tone roadster, next to my 1991 Plus 8. Twenty five years separate these two cars, but the styling is virtually identical to the casual eye.

A Looooooong driving day tomorrow. About 300 miles with the hood up and 86 degrees forecast. It'll be hot and rainy and the interior of the car will be like a steambath. Hope I have time to write the blog tomorrow before falling to sleep when we get to Asheville.

Day 15 Natchez, MS to Tupelo, MS

Our visit to Natchez, MS came to an end today. We found it to be a delightful town and the Antebellum mansions inspiring. You will recall our dinner last night at Monmouth Hall. Some of the Pub Crawlers found another building quite close and wondered if we would have to stay there next time. Charlie...what do you think? One night, or two?


We knew it was a long drive today so we started early.

Gassed up and off we went, headed for the Natchez Trace. Virtually at the entrance to the Trace we had a breakdown. Karen Thompson and Sue Dummermuth's car lost power. Reg was ahead, turned around and came back to offer assistance. The Texas gang was following along with us too. Seems the trouble was a stuck float in the fueling system. Reg diagnosed the problem, rendered some old fashioned ingenuity and repaired it. Reg is a handy guy to have on these trips. 3-cheers.

The Natchez Trace is a beautiful two lane road with no commercial traffic (no trucks), a strictly enforced 50 mph speed limit and limited resources. It is thought giant sloth and bison beat the path more than 10,000 years ago. There is evidence mound builders traveled the route 2000 years ago. The heaviest use though, comes from 1785 to 1825 when "boatmen" returned north from Markets in Natchez and New Orleans. These boatmen brought their wares down the mighty Mississippi with the help of its strong currents, sold their goods and their boats and walked home to Tennessee.

Along the way this morning the Buckley's encountered some cows along the route... the cows seemed to enjoy their unique little Morgan Roadster.

The Natchez Trace route follows the original trace closely, but is somewhat different in places.

These pictures, taken by Judy and Pat Buckley tell some of the tale...

It was a long, hot day. The Marriott had a managers party for its guests.... and the pub crawlers took advantage of their hospitality.

Tomorrow, more Trace and Murfreesboro.

Day 14 Natchez (Stop Day)

Today was a "free" day in Natchez, Mississippi. Time was made for touring, car repairs and laundry, a lot of which was accomplished today.

Many of us went to the Visitors Center for an orientation to the city. Natchez is the county seat of Adams County. In the past visitors came by steamboat, now visitors come from all over the world, lured by the city's reputation for a unique collection of houses representing architecture of the long ago South. The houses represent the time when cotton was king and money flowed freely. The cotton is gone but tourists continue to visit.

Stanton Hall is one of the larger mansions in Natchez. Built in 1857 for cotton magnate Frederick Stanton with no expense spared. Five levels, with 17 foot ceilings on the first floor. Stanton died in 1858 but his family remained there until 1894. The house was purchased by the Pilgrimage Garden Club in 1938 and is now an elegant and majestic setting for weddings and special events.

Magnolia Grill, where we had lunch, is "under the hill" on the waterfront, known in the 1800's as a region of debauchery, gambling and rough living. Now, it is quite respectable. The paddle boat dock is right across the street.

Bob McKenna's car parts arrived in the overnight express from Morgan Spares. We set out to replace the clutch slave cylinder to see if the symptoms improved. Didn't help! So the gang gathered and the clutch master cylinder was replaced. Five guys working as a surgical team, wrenching, holding flashlights, fetching tools etc. The car was transformed and drives like new now. Thanks to Andy Leo and Reg Hahn for doing the surgery, with Bruce Foster, Bob McKenna and Gary Kneisley assisting.

Before heading off to our pre-arranged banquet for the entire entourage we lined up all the cars present in front of the hotel for a portrait. Seeing so many Morgans and one MG in a row drew smiles and admiration from many passers-by, so many we had trouble getting a clear shot of the cars.

Beth and Charlie Miller (below), our tour organizers and genial hosts are ready to party.

Cocktails and dinner at Monmouth Hall. A beautifully decorated plantation home which now is a bed & breakfast, special events facility.

We rolled in via convoy and filled their front parking area with our unique cars.

The Mog 8 crew, Sally and Gary.

The Texas gang is finally all here. The Kampschafer's having arrived moments before dinner in their Solstice, explaining their Morgan failed 60 miles out from their Malone Texas home.

This shot from the balcony of the Monmouth Plantation.

All in all, a very memorable day.

Tomorrow we are out early for a 260 mile journey up the Natchez Trace to Tupelo, Ms.

Day 13 Mobile, AL to Natchez, MS

Another early departure today, as we faced 250 miles on non interstate highways. So up and on the road by 7:30am, only to get snarled in Mobile traffic on very poorly labeled roads. Our attempt to go across a boulevard to a gas station was frustrated when the gas station had no gas. Then, no left turn was allowed out of the station. The GPS routed us around the issue, but it took us about 15 miles on side roads before we got to US98, the main road from Mobile to Natchez. Once on 98, things went pretty well.


We pulled into Natchez about 2 and found the Grand Hotel to be quite grand. Nice rooms, great lobby and well lit parking lot.

The cars looked good in front of this hotel.

This plaque, in the park along the Mississippi River shows the mixed cultures of Natchez. This land was governed by the French, Britain, Spain and both sides of the Civil War.

Near the plaque was this monument marking the beginning of the Natchez Trace, a 444 mile path created by Indians and used by early settlers to move people back to Tennessee after they came down the Mississippi River with goods to trade or ship. The Trace today is a parkway with a smooth paved roadway we will travel this Wednesday and Thursday.

The Mississippi River is very wide at this point in its travel to the Gulf of Mexico.

We took a horse drawn guided tour in the afternoon and saw some of the old homes of Natches.

After the tour we found many of the guys out in the parking lot tweaking and tuning the Pub Crawl Cars. Several have had issues in the past couple of days. You will recall Bill Kukuk's and Bruce Foster both had fuel pump failure last week. Today Myron Koenig's fuel pump failed about 50 miles from Natchez, but he had a spare packed in the car, and enough tools to make the fix. Then Ed Jordan had an ignition failure, so he removed the electronic ignition module and installed the old points and condenser while parked in the grass alongside the highway. And Bob McKenna limps along with a defective clutch issue. He ordered parts from Morgan Spares in New York which should be here tomorrow.

Along about 5 the Texas group arrived to join the remainder of the Pub Crawl. It is good to see Bill and Judy Boyles and Darrell Van Dyke again.

Many of the gang went to a nearby restaurant called the "Pig Out Inn", a bar-b-que with tables made from old doors.

Here's Al Marsh, pigging out!!!

After dinner we all went to the park to watch the sunset. Here's the "Pigged-Out" gang.

The sunset was superb!

Day 12 Tallahassee, FL to Mobile, AL

The Morgan Pub Crawl continues. Today from Talahassee, FL to Mobile, Al. We were invited to a special lunch in Fairhope, AL organized by noted Morgan enthusiast Tony McLaughlin, who keeps the Morgan Registry here in the US.

On the way we made a gas stop just off I-10. Interestingly, when 7 Morgans pull into a gas station at one time eyes are raised. The station attendent came out with a camera and took our picture. Probably to tell his boss. We sure do draw attention,.



It was a long slog aross Florida on a beautiful I-10. Smooth and scenic. When we discovered we had an extra hour due to the time change from eastern to central time we decided to take the scenic route through Fort Walton Beach and along the Gulf Coast to Mobile Bay and get off the Interstate.

Once in Fairhope, Tony McLaughlin gave us warm greetings and invited us in to Wintzells Oyster House where we found a great selection of local seafood. Here Charlie Miller, our tour organizer chats with Bob McKenna and Tony McLaughlin.

Tony's beautiful yellow plus 8 Morgan was parked in front of the restaurant so we wouldn't drive by when we arrived from the south.

A great lunch.

After lunch Tony led us on a nice tour of Fairhope.

The Fairhope beach on Mobile Bay

A wonderful park at the beach in Fairhope.


Tony encouraged us to see the Battleship Alabama moored at Mobile Bay.

The Battleship is a teriffic monument to the Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen who served in WWII.

A huge battleship that served for five years from 1942 to 1972 in many battles around the world.

The grounds of the park adjacent to the Battleship Alabama inclued many artifacts from WWII.

Thought this was a neat shot of Mog 8.

When we reached our hotel for the night we found many staying here who are working on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. From what they explained to us, it is tough duty with long hours and hard work. We expressed our appreciation for what they are doing.

To Natchez tomorrow. More then.