Former Soil Conservation Service employee and longtime writer Mat Taylor offers his outdoors column for Dispatch Record readers. He can be contacted at (254) 518- 2262 or via e-mail at mntaylor@agristar.net. I don't want to bore anyone, but readers have said they enjoy reading about my trips to various destinations. Therefore, I will report on our recent visit to Tennessee.

My wife and I, my mother, my brother and his wife, and several nieces traveled to Clarksville, Tenn., to attend my sister and brother-in-law's 50th wedding anniversary. I wonder how many couples celebrate 50 years of marriage and have their mothers attend the celebration.

Judy and Howell Morrison met more than 50 years ago when Howell was in the U.S. Army stationed at Fort Hood. They were married in a private ceremony in Bangs.

Nelda and I left Kempner early in the morning and drove to Gatesville, Waco and Corsicana, where we stopped at Collin Street Bakery for a sandwich and a 10- cent cup of coffee. When was the last time you had a cup of coffee for only a dime?

We drove on to Athens, Tyler, Gilmer and Mount Pleasant, where we hit IH-30, and then to Texarkana. Farther east we stopped at the Arkansas Welcome Center. We had a short break, a cup of free coffee and picked up some information about the state.

We stopped again at Arkadelphia at a convenience store gas pump to fill up our Jeep. I noticed a large red-and-white sign that read: "No loud or profane music." I do not know the reason for the sign, but I would like to see a similar sign at some restaurants where I have eaten and at red lights where the occupants of nearby cars had their radio or CD player so loud you couldn't think. There have even been some churches I attended where the music was so loud I wished I had worn earplugs.

After gassing up, we headed for our motel in Benton, Ark. After leaving Arkadelphia, however, we hit a severe storm with heavy rain, wind, lightning and thunder. What made it worse were the trucks that passed us and sprayed the car with a blast of water so that I couldn't see the road for a few seconds. I finally pulled into a roadside park and waited until the storm passed.

We arrived at the motel, and it was still misting rain. The temperature gauge on my car showed 70 degrees. That was sure nice after the numerous 100-degree days in Texas.

The next morning after breakfast at the motel, we headed northeast on IH-30 till Little Rock, then took IH-440 south around Little Rock and then on to West Memphis, where we crossed the Mississippi River over a tall bridge into Memphis.

Every time I see the Mississippi, I am amazed at all the water. It may not be that wide, but it seems the river is at least a mile wide at Memphis.

After skirting Memphis, we drove to Jackson and there I decided to take the back road to Clarksville on U.S. Highway 79. I wanted to see some of the countryside in the state. If you travel on the interstate highways, everything is the same, and it is difficult to tell what state you are in. You miss some of the local flavor of the state, I believe.

At Paris, there is a unique sign at the city entrance. It is a 20-foot long statue of a catfish. It looks like a blue catfish. The sign reads: "Welcome to Paris, Home of the World's Largest Fish Fry." The catfish festival is held every year in April.

There also is a 60-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower in the city, but due to time constraints we did not try to see it.

From Paris, we stopped at Fort Donelson National Battlefield and went on a tour. Although one of the lesser-known battles of the Civil War, it was one of the most significant. Confederate troops had constructed an earthen fort overlooking the Cumberland River to protect Nashville from invasion of federal troops.

On the morning of Feb. 14, 1862, five Union gun boats approached the fort, and a furious gun battle raged for over an hour between the boats and the Confederate's 11 big cannons. The Confederates inflicted so much damage to the boats they were forced to retreat. It was said the boat decks were covered with blood. The hills and hollows echoed with cheers from the Southern soldiers.

That joy was short-lived, however, as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant moved in more troops. The 13,000 Southern forces were outnumbered more than two to one, and if the Confederates did not move quickly, they would be starved into submission.

Next week, I will relate the conclusion of the battle and more about our trip to Tennessee.

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Don't forget to attend the National Wild Turkey Federation Banquet and Auction Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Hostess House.