Thursday, October 29th, 2026

The riding days are getting easier. Yesterday’s ride from Batesville to Clarksdale Mississippi was about 165 miles, which used to feel like a long day, went by easily. It likely is a combination of getting over the initial aches of sitting on the bike and on calmer roads, with less wind. So far, Clarksdale is exceeding my expectations. The town has just as many rundown buildings as other parts we have traveled through, but they have something I haven’t seen in these other towns and that is a rich culture around live music, Delta Blues to be specific. There is music in just about every restaurant and café.

Last night, we got to see Lala Craig perform at the Ground Zero Blues Club. I had never heard her music before but she put on a great show. And the band she played with Element 88 sounded great. I’m excited that we changed around our schedule a bit to get three nights here in Clarksdale. Getting into our more cultural section of our travels, with Memphis and Nashville upcoming. There really isn’t anything like live music. Especially when it is from artists that clearly are passionate about what they do.