My favorite thing about French Camp, Mississippi isn’t that it’s steps from the Natchez Trace. I don’t care about the historic cabins. The Big Willie doesn’t incite that ‘special hunger.’
I can find other ways to get busy.
In French Camp, it’s as simple as lying on my back. Outside. On a blanket in the grass. Big Willie is optional.
Because I have stars. Billions and billions of stars.
I’m convinced French Camp spun from the center of the Milky Way and collided with central Mississippi. Stars watched in wonder. They lent their energy to French Camp’s trajectory. A shimmering trail of light and smoke fireworked across the sky and partied in one of the darkest places in North America. On a moonless night, one might witness the origin of the universe. The dawn of Time. The map of secret places.
All whilst flat on her back.
Outside.
Under the stars.
It’s no accident that Rainwater Observatory is located in French Camp. Every year, they host the Midsouth Star Gaze and invite astronomers both amateur and professional to experience the night sky through largest array of telescopes in the Southeastern United States. They also host school groups, university classes and scouting teams, in addition to providing monthly programs for the general public.
If you’re traveling the Trace and planning to overnight at French Camp, check Rainwater’s event calendar.
You might discover your own star.
No Make a Memory visit to the Trace
is complete without my books!
Get your copies of To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis and Not Without My Father: One Woman’s 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace by heading to my
BUY BOOKS LINK HERE.
7 Comments
Southeastern Oregon is another one of those “darkest places.” If you put your feet up, you can walk on the stars.
THAT is an amazing picture.!! It makes me want to leave my desk and go lay outside 🙂
You paint a beautiful picture with words that makes me want to spend time in French Camp. I think I’ve driven through…I am sure I need to visit with fresh eyes.
Lying on a quilt in the grass, looking up at the stars and counting “shooting stars” is one of my favorite ways to spend a summer evening. If you’re in a place such as you describe French Camp, you can see many…all it requires is time and focus. Great piece.
Sounds lovely. Happy that you got the opportunity to do this. Someday, maybe, it’ll be my memory, too!
The dark places become more and more difficult to find. French Camp sounds delightful.
https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrTcXkmEA9VvRoAg5KJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTI0cTBrNTBmBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZANjMzUzYzhlZWYwOTAzOGIxYTZkMmViOTM0ODUzNWQ1YgRncG9zAzE0MARpdANiaW5n?.origin=&back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3Fp%3Dlights%2Bin%2BUS%2Bas%2Bseen%2Bfrom%2Bspace%2Bstation%26n%3D60%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dyhs-avg-fh_lsonsw%26fr2%3Dsb-top-images.search.yahoo.com%26hsimp%3Dyhs-fh_lsonsw%26hspart%3Davg%26nost%3D1%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D140&w=1800&h=1237&imgurl=tilapiarestaurante.vortexweb.com.br%2Fwp-content%2Fgallery%2Fgaleria-1%2Fearth-city-lights-from-space-6819.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftilapiarestaurante.vortexweb.com.br%2Fwp-content%2Fgallery%2Fgaleria-1%2Fearth-city-lights-from-space&size=985.6KB&name=Earth+City+%3Cb%3ELights%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3EFrom+Space%3C%2Fb%3E&p=lights+in+US+as+seen+from+space+station&oid=c353c8eef09038b1a6d2eb9348535d5b&fr2=sb-top-images.search.yahoo.com&fr=yhs-avg-fh_lsonsw&tt=Earth+City+%3Cb%3ELights%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3EFrom+Space%3C%2Fb%3E&b=121&ni=288&no=140&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=134qeuc9r&sigb=16j27jl0t&sigi=136eb4q9u&sigt=11a9mp3g8&sign=11a9mp3g8&.crumb=G15DSqzpa0g&fr=yhs-avg-fh_lsonsw&fr2=sb-top-images.search.yahoo.com&hsimp=yhs-fh_lsonsw&hspart=avg
I particularly remember one dark night with friends in the Stillaguamish Valley, all of us semi-recumbent on their back deck, watching stars and picking out the moving satellites as they passed overhead. At least two of the four of us now look back from there.
Lovely post, Andra! The Rainwater event sounds like fun. The closest I’ve come to stars in my area is a visit to the planetarium!
Comments are closed.