To Austin

I'm losing track of how many road trips we have made to Austin. I think this is the 5th. I'm not sure what it is that makes road trips such great fun, but a few things that contribute are

• traveling with your loved one
• driving itself
• seeing the countryside
• making stops at places you have read or heard about but never seen.

This post and those following will be about these enjoyable things. During our trip we stopped over in Vicksburg, the site of a major Civil War siege. I am not a student or fan of the Civil War times, but I will provide a bit of background. By virtue of its central location and access to the Mississippi River, Vicksburg was a key component of the Confederate western defense. After Gettysburg, Union General Grant began the siege of Vicksburg, in an attempt to gain control of the Mississippi. Vicksburg is located on top of a bluff, with a series of hills surrounding it. Grant eventually laid siege to the entire surrounding area.

The site is a national park, large and hilly. There is a driving trail that extends for miles, along with many walking trails.

This is a Confederate emplacement overlooking a valley sited near the park's museum.

I didn't know that cannons had their own names (and numbers). There are apparently some very famous ones.

The site contains monuments and plaques to all of the various groups of Union soldiers.

There are lots of cannon emplacements.

There are also dug-in positions taken by the Union during the siege.

Apparently the inclusion of references to black soldiers at Vicksburg has been very contentious at times. At one time plaques referring to these troops were removed from the park.

Here is the USS Cairo, one of the Union iron clad ships.

This is a huge and enjoyable park. It is impossible with a few pictures to do justice to what went on here. I would encourage anyone passing through the area to spend some time here. You could easily spend days. Be careful when driving through the park, though. There are many, many local walkers taking advantage of the woods, roads, and trails.