Down by the Tombigbee

A spontaneous outing down through the Black Belt Region, deep into the lonely ribboned backroads of hill and dale did not disappoint.  Through at least 4 counties we traveled in marvel at the beautiful crops, scarecrows, landscapes, magnificent pecan groves and railroad tracks. Our heartbreak was seeing the dried up towns and poverty along the way. Shacks and unkept trailers, empty stores and peeling facades in once pretty little thriving communities were all evidence of our vanishing South. A highlight was seeing a National Landmark from the mid 1800's kept intact.

Our destination was the Tombigbee River area and a quaint and thriving Fish Camp mentioned in the Garden & Gun magazine in the list of 100 foods to eat in Alabama restaurants in a year. Ezell's sits on a lonely road tucked under the Tombigbee in the middle of nowhere. Kudzu is the vine that covers the windows and logs are the main architectural interest. Rockers fill the porch and deer trophies line the entry hall. Fish mounts deck the walls and there's evidence along the way that hunting land abounds in the area.

I love the Black Belt Region and exploring it has become a way of life. It has such rich history and one need not travel too far to find interesting people, extreme poverty, simple living and beautiful land.