Louisiana joyride

After leaving Clarksdale we headed off to Arkansas and spent the day travelling en route to Shreveport. We stopped off in Helena, home of the King Biscuit Blues Festival, and had a good brunch at Granny Dee's restaurant in downtown, before buying some records amd nik naks. Later we stopped in Brinkley, a one horse town that was the birthplace of Louis Jordan, who has a small display in the local museum. They will be marking the 100th anniversary of his birth next month. It was near here that they rediscovered the Great Ivory Woodpecker three years ago - 60 years after it was believed to be extinct. Travelling on through Hope, birthplace of Bill Clinton, we eventually arrived at Bossier City where we stayed the night. I was stopped for speeding on the way and let off with a warning by the Arkansas police.
Next dat was uneventful, apart from a trip out in the evening with the other Stompers to the Noble Savage, q pretty good bar/restaurant where I ate bison and listened to a blues band, which featured Bunter for part of the time. Across the road was a statue of one of Shreveport's most famous sons - Leadbelly - whose early blues recordings while in prison were a major influence on the likes of Lonnie Donegan.
This morning we set off for Louisiana and had lunch at Natchatoches (pronouned Nakatish) the oldest town in the state, and then went on to Lafayette, where we ate sushi downtown. I was stopped for speeding again - and let off again, this time by the Lousiana cops. The festival starts tomorrow but the town is clearly gearing up for it already.