Usonian

It was a bit chilly today so we had a cup of hot coffee before getting Bella ready to go.

Then we went across the street to the Rosenbaum House, the only structure in Alabama designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Built in 1939, it is an example of Wright’s Usonian style. An addition was built in 1948 and major restorations took place in the early 2000s. The house faces the Tennessee River.

We were fortunate to be the only ones there for our tour, so we had plenty of time to ask lots of questions. It was marvelous to be able to take our time walking through the house while discovering the distinctive elements of design that are so unique to Wright's creations. We absolutely loved the house. www.wrightinalabama.com‎

After we returned the movies and got gas at $1.91 a gallon, we were ready to get back on the Natchez Trace. We drove west on 72 for about 20 minutes to the Trace and once there, we headed north again.

At milepost 327.3 we stopped to see the location of the old ferry that used to go across the Tennessee River. From here we were also able to see the striking bridge that we would soon take to cross the river.

The Trace crosses the state line into Tennessee at milepost 341.8.

At milepost 385.9 we stopped for the night at the Meriwether Lewis campground, the last of the free campgrounds on the Trace. There we saw the monument to Lewis and the exhibit about his accomplishments as governor of Louisiana and as part of the Lewis and Clark exploration team. We learned about his untimely death at age 35, which remains unexplained.

There were several spots available at this campground. As we drove up we were greeted by the very friendly campground host who helped us pick a spot. After we parked, a few rays of sun were still shining and the evening air was crisp, but not too cold yet, so we went for a walk to do a little exploring. This is a very nice and clean campground in the middle of a beautiful wooded area.

When we got back to Bella, Bernie decided to try a new recipe for white sangria that turned out to be delicious. Then Bernie built a fire to finish heating up our dinner. Tonight we placed it under to hood to warm it up on the way here, but it wasn’t in there long enough.

After eating dinner and showering, we pulled out some extra blankets because it is pretty cold here at the campground tonight. We layered and bundled up as best as we could and went to bed.