Brits on the Bluff - Natchez, Mississippi September 16, 2023

 September 13, 2023

This was a homecoming, of sorts.  I'm from Mississippi and I got the car in Mississippi so we decided to drive back to attend this show put on by our friends in the English Motoring Club of Mississippi.  Today was a short day as we only went as far as LaGrange, GA to visit my brother and sister-in-law.  This would give us a little shorter day tomorrow, also.  We stopped at the Big Boy Toy Store in McDonough, GA for a couple of quarts of oil since it was right on the way!  Not much for the MG here,  but always fun to wander around.

When we arrived in LaGrange, we stopped at 505 Eats for a late lunch.  This was a nice little cafe attached to a gas station which is located at 505 Vernon St.  Good food and nice people. 

Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023

After a nice visit with brother and sister-in-law, we are headed to Laurel, MS today, about 300 miles on the backroads of Alabama and Mississippi.  Soon after entering Alabama, we came to Opelika where we were told we HAVE to stop at Botanic.  Even though we have a long drive today, we decided to stop and check it out as it was close to our route.  This is an amazing, beautiful and unique place.  It is a plant nursery with a restaurant, grill, coffee shop and bakery.  We got coffee and wandered around the facility.  The owner's are a husband and wife team, and the wife, Stacy, is the creator of Chicken Salad Chick.  We also met Tucker the chocolate lab who supervises the place!  If you are in the area, it is worth a stop. 

We spent too much time in Opelika and continued on, bypassing Auburn, passing through Tuskegee then running into some rain in Montgomery.  We stopped to get gas and put top up as the weather looked like it would get worse.  Traffic was bad getting through Montgomery but we made it and continued on, passing through Selma, crossing the Pettus bridge, then stopping in Demopolis at a new gas station for gas and refreshments.  Two young men came out of the station (the owner's sons, I think) very excited by the car and asking questions and taking pictures!  After that warm welcome, we continued on to Meridian, MS and then turning south on Hwy. 11, headed to Laurel, MS., our stop for the night.  

You may have heard of Laurel, MS from the HGTV show called Hometown Laurel, where hosts Erin and Ben makeover houses and businesses.  We spent some time downtown, where many of the stores have been redone and it is pretty busy for a small town due to the popularity of the show and all the visitors.  We did not see Erin or Ben, but lots of tourists from all over.  When we parked, an older gentleman pulled up next to me in his Miata.  He was excited to see another small sports car and chatted with me quite a while as Kathy went shopping.  His Miata was a hardtop convertible and he invited me into his car to show me how the top worked.  It goes up or down in 9 seconds with a push of a button!  Just a little easier than ours!!

It was a long day and after checking out Laurel, we checked in to our hotel.  We didn't feel like driving around for dinner so found a Waffle House just a couple of blocks away and filled up there.  Tomorrow we will head for Natchez.

Friday, Sept. 15, 2023

Today will be a shorter day, only about 150 miles.  It was a beautiful day so the top went back down.  Because we were not in quite as much of a hurry today, we went back downtown to continue exploring a little before heading to Natchez.  We took Hwy. 84 and 98 and they are wonderful 4 lane divided highways.  Almost as nice as Interstates without the limited access.  But, from Laurel to Brookhaven, there is nothing!  Trees and pastures on both sides of the road and no gas stations, no eating places, very few houses.  Check your gas before leaving!  But, we made it without incident and arrived in Natchez and drove to the hotel which is right downtown next to the Mississippi River.  We checked in and saw several friends from the MS British car club and chatted for awhile.  Then, it was time to do a walkabout downtown to check out the stores.  In addition to the shops and restaurants, there was a small park with a nice fountain and a monument to the Confederate dead.  Next to it was a beautifully restored church, St. Mary Basilica, which was built in the mid-1800s.  The door was open so I went inside and it was breathtakingly gorgeous.  

 

After our walk, we had a late lunch at the Pig Out Inn just across the street from the hotel.  It was in an old auto dealership building and had good BBQ.  

    Later that night, the English Motoring Club of MS hosted a welcome get-together with hors d'oeuvres right next to the hotel bar.  It was nice seeing old friends and meeting new LBC owners.  Most of the people were from Mississippi as well as a group from New Orleans that drove up for the show.   The day ended with a beautiful sunset over the river.  The bridge goes over the river to Vidalia, LA.

Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023 

Showtime!  The road behind the hotel was closed off for the show and the cars lined both sides.  There were about 50 cars on display, including 4 Midgets!

 

They had a high-tech valve cover race track set up with a Christmas tree starting system and individual controls for each contestant to let their cars go when they got a green light on the "tree".  Unfortunately, the high-tech electronics did not work and they had to revert to manual starts.  Everyone enjoyed the competition nevertheless.

The weather was great for the show.  The only negative to the day was the fact that I got a ticket from His Majesty's Ofc. Bobby Bobby!  For what, you ask?  First of all, he did not like the color of the car.  Maybe it should have been red?!  And, to top that, he said it was politically incorrect, as it said "Midget" on the side of the car.  But, I don't feel too bad.  Actually, every car got a ticket for some infraction!  

After all the festivities were over, we walked back downtown for a few minutes.  Later that evening, a group of about 15 people went to dinner at the Magnolia Grill down by the river.  It had been a great weekend and a great show.  And, the car has performed flawlessly.  We will leave for home tomorrow, stopping for the night in Montgomery, AL.

Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023

We left Natchez this morning on our way to Montgomery, AL, about 300 miles away.  We returned on the same route that we took on the way over.  We stopped again at the RaceWay station in Demopolis and the same guys were there and excited to see us again!  The weather has been great and this time when we got to Montgomery, there was no rain!  We stopped for the night at the Hampton Inn Montgomery-EastChase.  We have stayed at this Hampton before and it is exemplary.  This franchisee goes above and beyond to maintain the place.  The outside landscaping is way above the minimum, always with lush flowers and greenery around the building, as well as a clean parking lot.  In fact, they were getting ready to resurface and restripe the parking lot tomorrow and it looks better now than most places we stay.  And, we were stunned to learn that the hotel has been there 19 years!  It looks like it is, maybe, 3-4 years old!  The inside is just as well maintained as the outside.  We tried to find negatives and we came up with a hand sanitizer dispenser by the lobby elevator that was empty.  (However, there is a dispenser on a table by the front desk.)  And, the hallway to our room was too cold!  That was about it!  This place should be some kind of model for how to run a hotel.  After another long day, we walked across the street to Full Moon BBQ for dinner.  

Monday, Sept. 18, 2023

We left this morning for home!  Rather than going back through LaGrange, we will go through Columbus, GA.  As we were driving just north of Columbus, we saw something we had never seen before - A LIVE ARMADILLO CROSSING THE ROAD!  I slowed down to see if he was going to commit suicide by MG and he stopped, and I slowly drove by.  He apparently decided this was not his day to die.  Or, at least not by me!  It was a good laugh as we had never seen an armadillo with  its feet on the ground!  After that, the rest of the way home was uneventful.  We had a great trip.  Total miles was 1195.  Now its time to wash the car, change the oil and get it ready for the next trip!!