Country Roads Lagniappe

This is the third and final post featuring a photo shoot of some of my favorite "off the beaten path" roads in the Vicksburg area. If you missed the first two chapters, you can click on the following links to take you there ...

Country Roads Adventure: Part 1
Country Roads Part 2: A Place called Flora

If you are a regular visitor here at Southern Lagniappe, you know that I "see" pictures everywhere I go, and today I'd like to share with you a few of the sights that caught my attention as I explored some old familiar places and a few new ones, too.

I have always wanted to see the view from this fire tower and, for just a tiny moment, was tempted to climb up, but soon came to my senses and was content to just take a picture of it instead.

The countryside bordering MS Hwy. 22 is dotted with farmlands, pastures, and woodlands, and here are just a few of the scenes I saw as I traveled the backroads.

The white limbs of a sycamore tree stand out against the drab January landscape ...

Little farm roads like this one always make me wonder what lies over the hilltop ...

I wanted to get a closer look at this ramshackle old house, but that would have been trespassing ...

And, besides, there was a buzzard sitting on the roof that was almost as big as me! (You can see it, if you click on the picture to enlarge it.) I may be adventuresome, but I'm not dumb!

And speaking of dumb ... I have photographed lots of cows during my ramblings, and they've always stood quite still, as if mesmerized by my camera, like this little fellow:

But these cows must have thought I was scouting for beef for McDonald's or Wendy's, because they "high-tailed it out of there" (as we say in the South), when I pulled up beside the pasture.

Head for the hills, boys!

A few miles down the road, I spotted this horse having lunch.

It was one of the many times in my life that I've wished I could whistle, so I could get him to look up for my camera, but he was hungrier than he was curious and totally ignored my ineffectual "Yooooo-Hoos!"

I did manage to get a few good shots of him after banging on the side of my car several times.

But, bless his heart, he kept looking at that bale of hay so longingly, that I finally bid him farewell so he could get back to his lunch.

One of the most exciting things, to me, about driving the backroads is that you never know what you might see. Of course, there's always pretty scenery and interesting wildlife along the way, but sometimes you find other things, too.

Like this "Enter at your own risk!" sign that was color-coordinated with the pretty blue fence ...

Not a very friendly welcome to this little pink house, is it?

In contrast, I love this pretty little wagon that sits beside a driveway on Hwy. 22. It is always decorated for the seasons, and this time of year it's filled with "Antique Pansies."

Now, that's a nice way to welcome company, isn't it!

This next picture features a huge, very red cowboy boot decorated with lights.

It is located on the outskirts of Flora, Mississippi, and I'm sure it was an attention-getter during the holidays.

I love this house with its weathered wood, scalloped trim on the gable, and little picket fence in front. It was hidden away on one of the side roads off Hwy. 22.

In closing, I'd like to share some pictures I captured of some moss growing around a tree trunk on the side of one of the roads I traveled.

The people who live along the road probably drive past it every day and never notice it, but I saw it and had to go back and see it up close! And I'm so glad I did ...

Just look at what I would have missed if I hadn't stopped ...

I hope you enjoyed my photo tour of some of my favorite backroads around Vicksburg. No matter how many times I travel them, I always see new and interesting things ... and they are even more interesting when I see them through the lens of my camera.

Backroads Lagniappe

This is the third in a series of four posts I'm sharing about a recent trip my husband and I made to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. If you would like to read the first two posts featuring the Sunrise over Biloxi and Seagulls, you can click on the links.

We decided to veer off the beaten path on the way home, and detoured off U.S. Highway 49 onto Mississippi Highway 13, about 40 miles north of Gulfport.

I had read about a couple of places I wanted to see -- one in Columbia, Mississippi, and the other one near Morgantown. Columbia is the county seat of Marion County, and is home to a beautiful old courthouse.

The 100-foot wide main street was designed to accommodate horse-and-wagon U-turns.

An "institution" in Columbia is the old Hill Hardware Company (circa 1901), which still stocks plows, horse harnesses, a variety of crockery, kitchen implements, both old and new, and any kind of nails, hardware, and tools you can imagine or find a use for.

Although the outside looks modern, the minute you walk through its old doors and step on those weathered old wood floors, you'll feel like you've gone back in time. I wish I had taken my camera in, but, unfortunately, I left it in the car.

I'd like to go back to Columbia someday when I have more time. I'd like to see the restored mansion of former Mississippi Governor Hugh White ... and also the descendants of Governor White's cherished white squirrels that he raised over sixty years ago. Columbia is a pretty little town and I'm sure there's a lot more to discover there.

When we left Columbia, we went in search of one of Mississippi's best kept secret natural wonders -- a place called Red Bluff, also known as "Mississippi's Little Grand Canyon. Located on Mississippi Highway 587 about 15 miles northwest of Columbia near Morgantown, Red Bluff consists of three miles of canyon terrain featuring deep purple, yellow, red, and brown clays formed by the erosion of the west bank of the Pearl River. With elevations up to 400 feet, the area features incredible views of Mississippi's "Little Grand Canyon." Red Bluff is privately-owned, but can be viewed from Highway 587.

You can be sure that I didn't leave my camera in the car at this stop. Here are some of the pictures I captured of this beautiful natural phenomena.

As I said in a previous post, our trip was filled with lots of lagniappe, but the best is yet to come. I hope you will join me tomorrow as I share one of the most exciting photographic adventures I've ever stumbled upon in our backroad ramblings.

P.S. -- If you are planning a visit to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised by what you see. The beaches are beautiful, with dazzling pristine white sand, and are well maintained. There are signs of post-Katrina reconstruction everywhere ... Most of the hotels are new or newly remodeled after Katrina, and most are family-oriented. If you enjoy casinos, there are several to choose from, but be sure to go see Beau Rivage -- it's beautiful. There are still a lot of empty slabs where gorgeous houses once stood, but you also see inspiring signs like this one to remind you of the determination and positive spirit of Mississippians who continue to work together to rebuild their homes and their cities ... one board and one brick at a time.