Memphis to Mississippi

I received a letter from one of my fans, errr, rather a comment on an old blog post, requesting more info on the journey from Memphis to Baton Rouge. Looking back at those posts, I do see that the reporting was spotty. I think I was feeling the impending end of the trip and was withdrawing into self pity, despair and mounds of BBQ ribs. That kind of fat intake can choke off blood to the brain, and I'm just now recovering some cognitive function.

So answer your question, Pete, no, I didn't travel down the actual Mississippi River. I tried to follow the river as best I could by using Highway 61. The thing is, that can get boring and I'd have missed some interesting stuff. I'd say I was generally within 50 miles of the river from Minnesota to New Orleans.

Regardless, here continues that saga through a series of snapshots of the South, from Memphis to Baton Rouge.

Go back to here to catch up on Memphis.

After Memphis, I drove south and quickly exited Tennessee and entered Mississippi.



I lived in Greenville, Mississippi around the ages of 8 to 11 and had not been back since then, so the welcome sign rang true.

By the way, the rest stop right past the border was the single nicest roadside rest stop of my entire trip. Clean bathrooms, security guard on duty, even free wireless Internet! The place itself looked like a little plantation home. I slept like a baby in my truck that night. I think it was around Hernando, MS off Interstate 55. If Mississippi is the poorest state in the Union, you wouldn't know it by the highway rest stops.

Here's what Mississippi looks like (pretty much):



There are some rolling hills here and there, but for much of the state it's flat delta, meaning the land was created by silt that the Mississippi river has deposited over the eons. That's also some rich soil, hence the agricultural economies. And hence King Cotton:





More later.

Mahalo, J