Actually, we, need your help.

Starting the second week in June a writer friend of mine and I (I'm a photographer) are riding from New Orleans, Louisiana to Itasca, Minnesota. We will be following the Mississippi River from south to North (headwaters of the river).

And yes we know it will be hot down in the south come June.

We are going to ride only the “blue highways” and back roads. Jim and I will be blogging about our travel in words and photos published daily. We are talking with one of the lager news paper chains. It appears our stuff will be published through them.

This is where YOU come in. What roads should we take? What places should we make sure to see? What holes-in-the-wall cafes must we stop at? We are looking for the road less traveled. We will be avoiding the highway like the plague. We are looking for the hidden gems, the lesser know back roads and routes-- the scenic beauties.

We are looking for the best and most scenic routes. We hope to stay within 10-15 miles of the river at all times. Either side of the river will work for us. Please, please, suggest away.

Post them here, or send them to me at:
itriumphed at gmail.com (sorry, you'll have to type it -- trying to avoid spam).

I will post our blog website address on the forum when we get the details nailed down.

Thanks in advance for you help.

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Truax2007 Bonneville: Headlight modulator, Napoleon bar end mirrors, Renntec Engine Guard, MC Resources Luggage Brackets, MC Resources Seat Rack, Tourmaster/Cortech Saddlebags, GenMar Handlebar Risers, National Cycle Windshield, center stand .

get ready to bake

Ok, that aside I have ridden hwy 1 north through Mississippi which parallels the river and it is quite a cultural experience. Very sparce population, lots of poverty and just something completely different. (Banjo theme from Deliverance)
You may want to take a look at the Natchez Trace pkwy. Kinda boring after a while but it's pretty neat if you havent tried it and you can sample it heading north. From Baton Rouge head north on 61 and pick up the Trace to 61 again and head on to Vicksburg. From Vicksburg, pick up 465 and pick up hwy 1. Get ready for some crazy stuff. Hwy 1 is an experience in itself. Be **** sure to have a full tank of gas and plenty of water before you hit hwy1.
If you find yourself in Sikeston Missouri stop in at Lambert's for a fine meal at a great price and catch those rolls when they throw them at ya.
*Warning* get to the west side of the Mississippi river before you get to Kentucky. May want to leap west over the river on interstate 155.
Have a great trip and you guys be careful out there!

I'll send you some contact info to your e-mail in case of an emergency.

Try Interstate 35 and if you see a place called McDonald's make sure you stop in.

Toad

Toad (LOL),

We got one of those "McDonald's" here too! Maybe it will catch on.

Actually near me is a Burger King that is not part of the chain, in fact it is so old the owners sued Burger King and won for using the name. Now BK (corporate) can't built a store with in 30 miles of the original as part of the settlement.

We're listening... keep the ideas suggestions coming!

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Truax2007 Bonneville: Headlight modulator, Napoleon bar end mirrors, Renntec Engine Guard, MC Resources Luggage Brackets, MC Resources Seat Rack, Tourmaster/Cortech Saddlebags, GenMar Handlebar Risers, National Cycle Windshield, center stand .

I've done the Trace and Highway 1. Beautiful green everything in the summer. Kudzu everywhere! Plenty of historical stuff along the way if you do your research and know where to look. I spent an afternoon at Vicksburg. Great place and fascinating Civil War history.

Thanks to all those sending routes and suggestions... keep em coming.

I could especially use some routes heading out of New Orleans and suggestions for routes heading North.

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Truax2007 Bonneville: Headlight modulator, Napoleon bar end mirrors, Renntec Engine Guard, MC Resources Luggage Brackets, MC Resources Seat Rack, Tourmaster/Cortech Saddlebags, GenMar Handlebar Risers, National Cycle Windshield, center stand .

About 10 years ago there was a PBS series called "Great Drives" that documented five great American highways. The really interesting segment was Levon Helm driving Highway 61 from Memphis to New Orleans in a 58 Buick, retracing his roots and a lot of Blues history. I did a little checking on the web but didn't find the video available anywhere but there is a little info here: http://theband.hiof.no/videos/great_drives.html
and here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283733/plotsummary

The food channel did this trip last year.. they followed the MIss north from Lou up.. each segment covered a few hundreds miles... you may want to check out those episodes... can't recall the name, but someone here may... great show...

good luck with the trip

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Originally Posted by JasonS

The food channel did this trip last year.. they followed the MIss north from Lou up.. each segment covered a few hundreds miles... you may want to check out those episodes... can't recall the name, but someone here may... great show... good luck with the trip

Feasting on Asphalt..the river run.

try www.altonbrown.com. he just put out a book on this show.

regards,

Gerry

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Gerry Petrecca

2001 Sprint ST (Blue).

In Arkansas, I would suggest the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum in Piggott (link). The museum is a house that belonged to his wife's family and he wrote a portion of "A Farewell to Arms" there. To get there, you could travel up the Crowley's Ridge Scenic Parkway (link) starting in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas which has a history with blues and early rock and roll.

As far as restaurants, I would suggest the following:

Kelly's Restaurant (family style) - Junction of SH 1 North & US 64 in Wynne
Woody's BBQ - Junction of SH 14 & US 49 (in a camper behind the gas station) in Waldenburg (open I think W, Th, F & S only)
Bonnie's Place (family style) - on the town square in Piggott

If you wind up straying to the west of the Mississippi, I would suggest Craig's BBQ on US 70 in DeValls Bluff. No trip to Craig's is complete without crossing the highway and going to the pie shop afterwards.... Both have been there for at least 50 years....

Other restaurants to consider would be Doe's in Greenville (steaks sold by the pound and great tamales) and Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ in Memphis...

If you want to stay as close to the river as possible, the Great River Road would be a possibility (link)...

I hope these suggestions help...