The Great Mississippi River Mark Twain/Delta Blues/Mississippi Barbecue Tour

As soon as I can get my new RB Racing custom two into one exhaust bolted onto my 2021 Harley Davidson Electra Glide I’m gone.

I love my bike, but the stock exhaust and factory tune are starving her, so I’m having Twin Cities Harley Davidson soup her up so she can freely breathe in and exhale (loudly!) like the two-wheeled hotrod that she was meant to be! 

And then….

Anyway, hopefully within a week or so I’ll be starting at the source of the Mighty Miss in Minnesota and weaving along on the back of the back roads and little towns the Great River favors all the way down to New Orleans. Still, although I can’t wait to belly up to the oyster bar at Felix’s in NOLA, that most joyous terminus isn’t the point. It’s the ride.

The search will be on: I want to trace some of the steps of my hero, Mark Twain; I want to explore the heart and soul of my favorite music—the blues of the Mississippi Delta and the geniuses who originated it—and perpetuate it still, and; I will be literally sniffing out the most pungency-expelling kitchen exhaust fans I can find that will lead me to the old school southern BBQ joints I have always longed to visit. I was raised on the ribs and the Boogaloo Sandwiches of Brothers Barbecue on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit Michigan, and later, the ribs from the old dude who set up his illegal smoker in a parking lot off the Interstate in Vermont—they no doubt trace their recipes back to towns like Clarksdale, Ocean Springs, and Starkville…. I’m going there now, seeking Barbecue Nirvana.

Along the way I want to write about it all.

I’m shooting for daily entries, but I might miss a day here and there, depending upon variables such as beer, late/all nighters, and beer. I really hope you take a little time to come along with me for the ride!