I pass through Woody Guthrie’s hometown in Oklahoma, not much to see but a few murals and pass miles of flat lands and battle more strong winds through Arkansas then finally cross one of the steel truss bridges over the wide and dirty Mississippi river into Tennessee.
Graceland: I stop in Memphis for a couple nights and find the main entertainment street a fun place with many bars playing live blues music and a relaxed and friendly crowd. This is the home of blues as well as Elvis & Johnny Cash's early career. After much recommendation I drop into Graceland and learn the lifestyle, achievements and demise of Elvis’ life which was worth a visit.
Mississippi: my next state and of little interest, poor and not much going on by American standards. The land is flat with cornfields and grasslands as far as the eye can see. When I got off the main highway I was looked at suspiciously and met with dead end towns. I did manage to meet an interesting guy outside a motel one night who I shared a few beers with, Brandon, recently out of the army with a strong converted political opinion and knew a thing or two about motorcycle mechanics.
NOLA: I headed this far east to make it to New Orleans, the home of jazz, cajun cuisine and Hurricane Katrina. I stayed a
few days at a rowdy hostel and wandered around the town which has beautiful
districts, most notably the french quarter as well as an interesting history. It was founded by the French, surrended to the Spanish in the 18th century, returned to the French then sold to the U.S. The port was important during the slave trade and civil war periods and has flourished and struggled over time due to its environmental vulnerability. The city is alive, unique, smelly, beautiful, dirty,
colonial and diverse all at once. The nightlife here is surprisingly big and gets pretty loose. The young backpackers get a little exhausting but I meet some New Yorkers turned locals including a motorcycle journalist and knock back margaritas during a sunny afternoon. Everyone seems to be eating out, drinking and discussing the upcoming festivals all the time here.
