Fort Bayou Brewery, Ocean Springs, Mississippi

 The fall colors continued along the Natchez Trace in the misting rain most of the day. We got off the trace when it started to turn west and we headed to Hattiesburg intending to stop at a state park along the way. The campground was crowded so we decided to press on to another Harvest Host brewery at Fort Bayou in Ocean Springs. We were directed to park along the grassy plot in the back storage lot next to another camping trailer. The outdoor pavilion surrounded by the koi pond was the perfect spot for enjoying our growler full of the local amber ale. The crowd stayed inside at the bar and game room and we indulged in pulled pork nachos, Cajun shrimp and grits and their specialty pasta with barbequed shrimp, sausage in a roasted pepper sauce with mushrooms along with garlic toast in the pleasant outdoor dining. A camper van and motor coach towing a car rounded out the overnight guests. It was a quiet evening as Friday night was their costume party and Rocky Horror Picture Show night so glad we missed that.  We enjoyed the week of seeing the fall colors and dodging the crowds and look forward to visiting more Harvest Host locations.

At the welcome center

Local art on display

It was cotton picking time

Pleasant view from our brewery parking lot campsite

Welcoming outdoor seating in front of the Cyprus Taproom

A toast to a wonderful week

Davis Lake and Owl Creek Mounds, Tombigbee National Forest, Mississippi

 Just off the Natchez Trace we camped at Davis Lake Recreation Area. We found the perfect camping spot next to the boat launch on a bluff with no other campsites within view. A thunderstorm rolled through right after we got the visor canopy up so we were able to stay dry and watch the lightening show across the lake.  It was our first night that we barbequed this trip and the steaks were grilled to perfection. It rained all night but stopped for us to get packed up at daylight. We took our coffee down the road and roamed around the Owl Creek Mound Park before heading south on the Natchez Trace.

Meryweather Monument where we started the trace

Hiking trail along the old trace route

Stunning scenery at the historic site stops

Reflections in Davis Lake

Relaxing in the rain

Owl Creek Indian Mound

Crown Winery, Humboldt, Tennessee

We packed up in the dark and headed to Sunrise Point to see one last beautiful sunrise before heading down Mount Nebo. We drove the scenic route to Crown Winery in Tennessee. We were the only ones in the Tuscan Villa tasting room at Crown Winery to taste their five red wines. We then tried a flight of their craft beers before heading out to chill in our front row view of the vineyards. In the morning we walked the rows of grape vines that had been harvested in August before finding a coffee shop in town for a delicious sidewalk breakfast. Then we headed towards the Natchez Trace drive stopping at Meryweather monument. The leaves were starting their change to gold, orange and red. We stopped at a historic site for a picnic lunch, a quaint visitor's center and a small museum along the trace.

A last sunrise to remember

Gorgeous surroundings

Behind the tasting bar

Tasting room decorated for fall

Chose our two favorite reds

Talented wine maker and beer brewmaster

Enjoying a beer flight on the deserted patio

After hours we had the vineyard to ourselves

Cheers!

Fall colors on the vines

No hidden grapes

We hated to leave

Coffee shop decorations

Mount Nebo State Park, Dardanelle, Arkansas

 Another early start as we headed to Eldorado, Arkansas to Spudnik's for a potato cinnamon roll. We were right down the road from the Southern Arkansas Arboretum so we enjoyed our donut and coffee under the pavilion. We were the only guests strolling through the butterfly garden and hardwood forest. Along the way we found a hiking trail pullout for a picnic lunch before we drove the steep and winding road up to Mount Nebo. We set up camp and hiked to sunset point for a stunning view of the sunset. We set an alarm to get up for sunrise and had a spectacular view from the campsite. We packed a picnic lunch and hiked the rim trail starting from the visitor center and circling to from the sunrise overlook to the sunset overlook. We had to change campsites to stay another night and moved to one right on the cliffside with an unobstructed view off Mount Nebo. The fall colors are just beginning even though the ground is covered in leaves.

"Stopping to smell the roses"

Spudnik potato donut

Fall display at the arboretum

At top of Mount Nebo

Sunset view off Mount Nebo

Historical homes preserved in State Park

Praying mantis at visitor center

Sunrise with fog off Mount Nebo

Deer along the trail

Arkansas River down below

Civilian Conservation Corp stone wall along the cliff

Stunning views from rim hiking trail

Perfect picnic lunch spot

Cabins built to last by Civilian Conservation Corp

Puffy wildflowers

Panoramic views

Beautiful memories

Poverty Point Reservoir State Park, Delhi, Louisiana

 We got an early start from the brewery heading north to the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Poverty Point. We stopped at Poverty Point Reservoir State Park for a picnic lunch and to set up camp. The historic site was just fifteen miles up the road and out in the boonies. We were the only car in the parking lot and did a quick tour of the museum visitor center before taking off on the 2.5 mile hiking tour. The ceremonial mounds were built 1100 BC and have an amazing history having been discovered when the land was Poverty Point Plantation in the 1800's. The mounds were an impressive feat of construction and an archeological gold mine. We finished off the day making an Instant Pot of chili and relaxing in the mostly empty campground.

UNESCO World Heritage Site visitor center

Layout of mounds in park

Huge ceremonial mounds

Built by the bucketful and preserved

Wildflowers along the trail through the woods

Reservoir at state park

Bayou Teche Brewery, Arnaudville, Louisianna

 We got away at daybreak and were provisioning at Trader Joe's in Baton Rouge before noon. We headed towards Lafayette and arrived at our first Harvest Host location in Arnaudville near the Bayou Teche paddle launch. The brewery was way out in the country and we enjoyed tasting a flight of craft brews and found a pair of adirondack chairs off in a corner where we enjoyed a deep dish personal pizza, followed by a flatbread and then the meatballs diablo. One other truck camper was there for the night and we pulled off the dirt road headed to the paddle launch and had a view of the pond behind the brewery and settled in for a quiet night as the brewery closed at 6 pm on Sunday night.

Our first Harvest Host visit

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Delicious beer and pizza

Laid back and social distancing

Cigar bar

Covid conscious

Camped down the road from the paddling launch

Swamped from Hurricane Delta