Cruising Mississippi Blues Highways Photo Gallery

This mural was like the Delta Blues itself, an amazing artistic expression coming out of gritty rural surroundings.

Road map to the Delta

They say Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads. True or not, the story has spawned a life of its own, with Clarksdale laying claim at the intersection of Highways 61 and 49 - the Blues Highways.

Cotton is still king in the Delta, with the crop dominating the agricultural region.

Red's Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi, one of the surviving juke joints in the Delta.

Robert Johnson's legally recognized grandson, Steven, set us straight on the devlish legends surrounding his kin.

Vicksburg is placed on a strategic bluff overlooking the city - the main reason why thousands of Americans fought over it during the Civil War.

It's a good idea to check the museum times before riding out to visit...

Big sky. Big humid, sweltering sky...

We saw a creepy crawly thing swerving through the water. Our west coast eyes say it was a water moccasin, but who knows, we didn't get a closer look.

Highway 1 is the Great River Road, which shadows the levee protecting the Delta from Mississippi floods.

Jim and Jack were previous tennants at our shack.

Doe's Eat Place was closed when we stopped by, but we hear it has the best meals in Greenville.

Hot Tamales and their red hot... Another Johnson song. We ate some good one's here in Rosedale at the White Front Cafe.

A visit to the Cat Head in Clarksdale is mandatory for all music fans.

Opening lines to a Johnson song Cross Roads Blues.

The Hopson Plantation was the first cotton producer to mechanize.

A conversation will Shack Up co-owner Bill is definitely part of the experience. Be prepared for some good conversations when you head down South!

Two products of American industry, the Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic and a mechanized cotton harvester, which revolutionized the cotton industry and labor in the rural Delta.

The Shack Up Inn really is out in the sticks, and yes those are real life sharecropper shacks.

The Shack Up Inn office decor. Try and find this at the Motel 6!

Sipping coffee on the porch of the Shack Up Inn.

A bluesman plays some licks at the Ground Zero Blues Club.

Bill 'Howlin Mad' Perry celebrated his 61st birthday with long sips of whiskey and some inspired blues sets.

Joshua 'Razorblade' Stewart belts out the blues down Mississippi way.

Only two photos of Mr. Johnson are known to exist. We spotted this poster inside the Shack Up Inn.

The Shack Up Inn is a rustic alternative to the bland budget hotels, at about the same price.

Cypress swamps were picturesque.

Mississippi swamp.