The most heavily traveled roadways in America are the interstates, and when we say heavy, we mean heavy.
Trucks weighing up to 80,000 pounds are what our interstate system was designed for, and if you choose to travel these routes, that's what you'll find. Combine this with speed limits over 70 miles per hour and freeway exits designed for fast food, fast gas and not much else, and the result is a sometimes unpleasant, though fast, way to travel.
Parkways offer a great alternative to the interstate system because they are generally less crowded, they restrict or prohibit truck traffic and they're beautiful. You shouldn't expect to get anywhere quickly on a parkway, though. Zooming along a parkway means missing all the little sights and stops along the way, and parkways are just too pretty to do that.
As we traveled down the Natchez Trace Parkway, we found another element holding us back from making serious time: history. Every 20 miles or so, a roadside historical stop would pique our interest and we'd have to pull over and check it out. We found out that the Natchez Trace is more than just a pretty drive through the woods — it's an ancient thoroughfare, first traveled by Indians hundreds of years ago.
In colonial times, the Trace became even more heavily used in support of a vigorous trading network. The Trace is credited with holding young America together by providing mail service and goods to the more remote areas of the early South. All along the Trace were stands — outposts that offered food, lodging and safety to the weary traveler, almost like our truck stops today. As a matter of fact, the old Natchez Trace was the major thoroughfare in the area, sort of the colonial equivalent of — you guessed it, an interstate.
We wonder — do you think foot travelers in those days screamed and shook their fists when a horse or wagon cut them off?
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