I pulled into Vicksburg at 6.30 flat

Sorry if this is becoming tedious, BUT WE ARE HAVING AN AMAZING TIME!!!

Started the day visiting the site of the Battle of Vicksburg in a huge national park. Really interesting and included the recovered USS Cairo that was preserved in the riverbed for 102 years

There was a monument to the black soldiers

And a phenomenal amount of wildlife, in fact at one point it was a bit like a Snow White scene with foxes, blue jays, eagles and summer tanagers:

(not our photo unfortunately). As the day hotted up, the smell of wild honeysuckle and blossom was thick in the air. It was a stunning experience of Mississippi flaura and fauna. We did miss this fella though (wrong side anyway).

Later we headed downtown to Highway 61 Coffee House

Came across a civil rights display

Checked out Blues Highway markers

We then dined overlooking the river and went down to the banks for sunset, lightening storms, swooping bats and cicadas. And massive mosquitos that hunted down Lou. She is now lumpy in nature. 

Awesome: Using the 'make your own waffles' iron at the motel this morning. A cup of batter went in, fluffy goodness came out. Plus air conditioning. We like air conditioning. We like it a lot. 

Banjo: T-shirt seen on park visitor, 'Iraq gun club - because it's better to give than receive'. Plus the steam organ on the docked paddle boat, subjecting the town to 20 minutes of deafening musical tooting. It was like The Bath & West show on acid. 

Diner: blackened catfish, hot bourbon soaked pecan pie. Honeysuckle martini. You know it makes sense.  

Co-pilot: a sedate 16 mile drive around the national park restored all faith in each other. 10-10. Off to New Orleans tomorrow. Things may change. 

Put some bleachers out in the sun and head out on Highway 61

Here we are, out on the road. Evidence:

There was a slight detour leaving Memphis, by way of Arkansas, but we don't mention that without a therapist present. Our upgrade is a Chevvy SUV

It's a bit like driving in an armchair. 

The soundtrack was an excellent accompaniment to the scenery, which was flat and never ending as we drove down into Mississippi. The roads were straight and passed through tiny clusters of houses, pretty much always out numbered by churches. We were particularly happy to see the queue of traffic we had joined was able to drive straight through a main junction on red lights, only to realise we were part of a very long and very slow Southern funeral cortège - oops!  

We took a quick stop to visit Muddy Waters' home town of Rolling Fork

and cranked up the air con as the heat got heavier. 

There were some of these signs - photo taken from within car!

and we saw eagles, a dead raccoon and some bright blue and red birds. 

Now relaxing at a motel in the hill country city of Vicksburg, having been for Mexican and met a great cabbie who recited poetry to us. 

Despite the co-pilot ratings below, the woman running the motel described Denis as "a cutie and a keeper"!! Pah. 

Awesome: Driving Highway 61, with fab soundtrack and amazing scenery, feeling like we're in a Lynch/Coen Brothers film. 

Banjo: Nearly having to do fake grief!

Diner: Pecan chicken salad, burritos & chimichangas. 

Co-pilot: 0-0 It was an hour long diversion in the opposite direction. We now have GPS. 

Quick interlude

This article from Washington Post about Baltimore is too good not to share:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/04/30/how-western-media-would-cover-baltimore-if-it-happened-elsewhere/?postshare=7841430471165925

Oh mama can this really be the end?

Awesome day. 

Rocked out at Gibson factory

Went to Civil Rights Museum

Where MLK jr was assassinated:

Saw P-Funk (again) at Memphis in May Beale Street Festival

Weren't saved

Saw these guys

Watched the sun set over the Mississippi

 

Ate ribs and danced to Blues here

Drank here

Watched a revellers, god squad, police face off

Phew

Awesome: EVERYTHING!!!

Banjo: The TV adverts are mad. The selling point for a pizza was the addition of "3 and a half feet of bacon". Pigtastic!

Diner: wet ribs, slaw & hot beans

Co-pilot: Too happy to care

Mystery Train

Spent A LOT of today standing at train crossings, we mean 45minutes worth of standing, in the noon sun, as mega long trains on 6 tracks did their thang. 

But we eventually crossed and made it to Soulsville and a Stax, which was fab. 

Studio A and mixing desk where it all happened

and Booker T's organ, on which he played Green Onions. 

The once buzzing neighbourhood and the street is beyond derelict and it's purely geared for drivers and bus tours to Stax, so no need for any cafés/shops for the locals or the rare foot travellers like us. 

On the way back we dropped into a cemetery full of blues artists, monuments to the roma and slaves and yellow fever mass graves. 

Then we hit the rail tracks again. And there was a bloody train sitting in our way AGAIN. So this time we followed the school kids to jump the huge links on the massive stationary (but could move at any time) freight train. No photo evidence available, as whilst Den was as nimble as the youth, Lou had to haul her ampleness over the grease covered industrial mechanism, with her less than feeble upper body strength, so given time was of the essence, we chose speed over death. It was a mixture of cool and terrifying. And Lou is covered in bruises. 

As the day ends and we sit on the swing bench sipping a beer, we both talk again about the rich and poor divide being so stark here. There isn't a gradual fading out of wealth as you enter a poorer area, it is rammed up tight against each other. The railway shacks stop and right next door are the manicured lawns of the middle class houses. 

We are the only white people on foot within a 3 mile radius and some of the few riding the bus. Everywhere is in decay or is pristine. No inbetween. Every road has someone drinking/sleeping rough/suffering poor mental health. 

And everyone carries on saying "Hi" and chatting to us. Today we met the Ethiopian guy running the corner store. He was talking about being here 25yrs and how the system crushes you and despite what happened back in the days of the civil rights movement, that he is living the divide every day. 

Awesome: Stax - no more to say. 

Banjo: Minding our own business watching TV, to be assaulted by an emergency announcement on transvaginal mesh failure. Eeuw. 

Diner: Home cooking tonight. 

Co-pilot: Den guided us in a highly professional manner today and retains a 10. 

Last full day in Memphis tomorrow. We're gonna be doing Gibson factory, civil rights museum at spot where MLK jr was murdered, plus art, blues club and BBQ joint until the early hours. 

Y'all be having a good time now. 

They went down the Mississippi, the Ohio, the Cumberland, all them rebel rivers

Just got back from seeing his Bobness, it was awesome and the perfect end to a perfect day. Set list: http://www.bobdylan.com/us/tour/2015-04-30-orpheum-theater

Our mode of transport this afternoon:

sailing down the Mississippi with swallows darting around us. 

We sat in shady streets in downtown, sipping cool drinks, chatting to a guy from Oregon who reads the Guardian on-line everyday and wanted to make sure we weren't Cameron fans! Then got our diner groove on:

and ate/struggled through a fried oyster po boy, a talapia po boy, hush puppies, corn and fried okra. Washed down with beer and a 10oz margarita:

We then saw Bob, sitting by a great couple who have emailed their extensive list of Triple D diners on our route. 

Awesome: The trains wailing in the distance. It makes you come over all Folsom Prison. 

Banjo: nothing freaky today, though everyone appears obsessed by our accents. We did see some entertaining signage:

Amen to that!

Diner: As outlined above. Let the bingo challenge commence:

Love of co-pilot: No navigation required today, but have to walk to buy a sat nav tomorrow and - ironically - may get lost! Will Lou cling on mid table???

Say it Loud

We have been to the Brooks museum of art today, to see an amazing exhibition from activist photographers of the civil rights movement. Each photo was superb. As we walk around Memphis and experience the edges of the projects where we are staying, then flick on the news to see Baltimore under curfew, you know that the fight goes on. 

Later we spent some time sampling local beers and cocktails - where we were asked for ID! Then walking home, we got invited to the local turbo island (Bristol ref) - we declined the kind offer. 

One thing that is becoming ubundently clear to us, is that you either have a car or pretty much don't go anywhere. The buses are crap and stop at 5pm, pavements are collapsed and when people give as walking times to get anywhere, they clearly haven't done it themselves. There's not even walk in entrances to stores or food shops through carparks. So there has been much trudging - exacerbated by Lou's poor sense of direction. But EVERYONE we see says 'How y'all doing?'!

We are chilling on the porch tonight, eating pork rinds and joining the "Go Grizzlies" call, which we assume is sports related and not about the conservation of bears. 

It's up in the 80s with a cool southern breeze. Feeling the love. 

Awesome/didn't know: The black panther symbol emerged during the civil rights movement, not through the Black Panthers. 

Banjo: A man excitedly presented his large lump of quartz to us as we walked down the street. As you do. Oh, and there is life after meth apparently. Thank you local convenience store for that piece of handy information subtly emblazoned across your frontage. We also experienced sugar fries with our meal lastnight. Not recommended. 

Diner: Healthy salad - think we're hitting a downtown diner pre His Bobness tomorrow evening, so as to get the bingo  challenge underway. 

Love of co-pilot: Lou got us lost again lastnight and misread the bus timetable this morning. She has plummeted to 5/10. This does not bode well for her navigation role to get us out of Memphis by car on Sunday. 

Guns and cats

As many of you know, we think the two above subjects should be closely linked. Fortunately on our trip to the boho area, we stumbled across this offer of upskilling in the armament area, handily accompanied by sitting targets a few blocks on: 

1. Adult education classes alive and well

2. Some sort of rescue cat shop 

- yep, that's cats in buckets in the window. They live there. But you don't need to go in folks, you can share their aromatic delight right from the sidewalk. 

Thank you citizens of Memphis for helping us live our dream. 

Lock and load. 

Walking in Memphis

We are in America!!! 

Evidence:

Finding our bearings today. Air bnb place great and 30min walk to downtown. We got our first glimpse of The Mississippi. It was emotional. We then toured Sun Studios 

where Lou sang into one of the original mics. The X marks the spot where Elvis recorded his first hit. 

The city is gearing up for Beale St Festival this weekend, so as we want to hang with the yoof, we're catching up from jet lag and chilling on the porch 

and then going out in the boho bar area tonight.  

Seen a lot of desolated areas and a lot of homeless guys. Not expecting that to get any less as we travel. 

Our host comes from a town with 5 prisons in which her entire family is employed. It's the sole employer of the town. Her mum is a prison reformer. Small world!

As per early post...

Awesome/didn't know: Big Mama Thornton's original Hound Dog nearly bankrupted Sam Phillips of Sun Studios,  for copy right violation of Rufus Thomas' Bear Cat response record. More violation fees informed his decision to sell Elvis. 

Banjo: There's a cat igloo in the bathroom. 

Diner: Healthy smoothy - sorry to disappoint. 

Love of co-pilot: Lou got us lost walking into town. The workers in the subsequently discovered industrial backwater stared a lot. As tired and disorientated from travel, she is awarded a 9/10. 

Mississippi selfie

The walking dead in Detroit

Waiting for our connection. V tired. 

Watching live images of the riots in Baltimore. 

. 

And so it begins

Checked in 5 minutes ago. Den has lost his boarding card. Den has used my id to check his bag. Den has found boarding card in pocket. Den thinks it's endearing. Lou doesn't. 

Road Trip Tunage

You can listen along with us here:
https://open.spotify.com/user/1186145500/playlist/7o01Bx8e8qUyOR9AmeWiRr

We take only partial responsibility for the music, as we were provided with a number of tracks by you kindly folk. These were supposed to reflect road trips and H61 geography, history, music and politics. Many of you strayed from the brief! But there is a fine selection nonetheless. Some good ol' metal to the floor stuff and there is also a sprinkling of 'Our Tunes'. 

Plus 'America' by The Nice, which is as testing as a giant unfoldable map (see previous post).

Right that's it, we're off on Monday, so see you in Memphis!

Stuff wot we will tell you

I did not know that/Awesome Dude!: Things that have surprised/delighted us.

Is that a banjo I hear?: Freaky weird shit.

Diner Bingo: Welcome to the flavour town, Triple D, righteous world of diners.We will take you on a cheese smothered ride of cardiac wonders.

Love of co-pilot: We are the worst co-drivers. Recent 'discussions' have included giant map v satnav. The scale will go from:
1: 'Shove that giant map that will no longer fold flat, (like I said all along) where the sun don't shine and go walk to the next stop', to:
10: 'Expert driving darling, how could I ever doubt your navigation abilities? You are the compass to my life and the GPS of my soul'.