Motorcycle Mojo – July 2019

48 MOTORCYCLE MOJO JULY 2019

percussion of a woodpecker. The

unmistakable whistling of an elk

rounded out the opus. In Port Gibson

for my morning coffee and fuel, I found

myself immersed in southern black cul-

ture. The matronly woman behind the

counter said, “What you want, baby?”

and “Yo change is 45 cints, baby.” And

when three loitering older men began to

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they all seemed to know), she said to

me with a smirk, “Ah ’pologize fo’ de

reg’lars.”

North of Jackson, dark clouds began

to threaten, so I pulled over to button,

zip and Velcro every opening in my

gear. Almost immediately, however,

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ankles. At Jeff Busby Campground, the

second free campground on the Trace,

I called it a day. The tropical storm had

caught up with me and I hunkered into

my bivy to wait it out.

I awoke to a misty, overcast morning,

concerned that the storm in the Gulf of

Mexico may be following me north. But

by 10 o’clock, the sun was shining and

cotton puffs adorned a bright blue sky. I

put on my walking shoes and strapped

the wet boots on top of my luggage,

tongues to the wind, and by afternoon

they were completely dry.

A Rich Musical History

At Tupelo, I veered off the Trace to visit

the boyhood home of Elvis Presley.

A museum stands between the house

and the (relocated) church where Elvis

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I also dropped into Tupelo Hardware,

which continues to operate much as it

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Farther north, the Trace cuts through

a corner of Alabama and I detoured

again, this time to Tuscumbia, the birth

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place of Helen Keller. It was inspiring to

hear in detail how this amazing young

woman overcame incredible disabilities

and obstacles. Before I left town, I also

had to visit the Alabama Music Hall

of Fame. The list of talent is striking,

from Emmylou Harris to Lionel Richie

to Tommy Shaw of Styx. It was too late

in the day to visit the famous studios

in Muscle Shoals, but I began to hum

the tunes of artists who recorded there,

Louisiana canals are straight, maintained, and named just like ordinary streets, but make sure to give the locals all the room they need.

TRAVEL NEW ORLEANS TO NASHVILLE