Drove out of Louisiana, crossed the Mighty Mississippi River heading east into Vicksburg, and then took a slight detour north to the Petrified Forest in Flora, Mississippi followed by the The Pocahontas Mounds in Pocahontas Mississippi.

The Mississippi Petrified Forest is a petrified forest located near Flora, Mississippi in the United States. The forest is believed to have been formed 36 million years ago when fir and maple logs washed down an ancient river channel to the current site where they later became petrified. It is one of only two petrified forests in the eastern United States, the other being Gilboa Fossil Forest in New York. It was declared a National Natural Landmark in October 1965.

The Pocahontas Mounds are an archaeological site in Pocahontas, Mississippi. Primarily consisting of two mounds: Pocahontas Mound A and Pocahontas Mound B.  These mounds were added to the National Register of Historic Places. Dating back to 800 CE, remains and artifacts such as pottery, burial grounds were recovered from the site. Today, the site is a roadside rest stop area, where visitors can also learn about the history of the mounds.

Once completed with our excursions, we found our hotel in Flowood, Mississippi for the night.

Drove out of Alabama through Mississippi into West Carroll Parish, Louisiana to visit the Poverty Point State Historic Site/Poverty Point National Monument near Epps, Louisiana.

The Poverty Point World Heritage Site is a remarkable 3400-year-old archaeological site in Northeast Louisiana. In addition to its monumental earthworks, the site is known for a dizzying array of artifacts made of materials that were not locally available. Indeed, tons of stone were transported over great distances by way of the Mississippi River system to this amazing locale to make into tools and ornaments. 

• The earthworks are massive: six mounds and six C-shaped ridges surround a huge plaza. One of the mounds was built about 2,000 years after the rest. 
• The geometric design is unique in the world and is a masterpiece of engineering.
• The site is 3,400 years old.
• At the time the earthworks were constructed, they were the largest in North America.
• The site was the major political, trading and ceremonial center of its day in North America.
• The people who built and lived at the site did not raise crops but instead lived by hunting, fishing and gathering wild food, making their accomplishments even more astounding.

Poverty Point State Historic Site Is A World Heritage Site.

On June 22, 2014, at the 38th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Doha, Qatar, Poverty Point State Historic Site was inscribed as the 1,001st property on the World Heritage List.

Once we left Poverty Point, we stopped at Danken Trail B-B-Q in Monroe, Louisiana for an outstanding dinner before finding our hotel.