You can view all of our photos from the LMV 2008 Survey by downloading:
http://www.csulb.edu/~clipo/LMV/LMS-Survey-2008.kmz
You might also try:
http://www.csulb.edu/~clipo/LMV/LMV-Survey-2008.kmz
and opening the file in Google Earth.
Tim hanging out at Blues Alley...
Today we supped at Abe's BBQ in Clarksdale, MS. This little BBQ place is near the cross roads of Hwy 61 and 49 which, legend has it, Robert Johnson traded his soul. The BBQ is spectacular. For those in the know, it almost as good as Horton's in Kennett, MO. Really. Amazing BBQ with only marginal vinegary sauce, vinegar slaw and outrageous beans. The BBQ here is as good as any I have ever had. Holy cow delicious.
Once again, Tim looks fondly at his BBQ pulled pork sandwich (and tamales).
A seriously great plate of food.
Last night we hit points 1-4. The first point (2) was a mound located in trees beyond the Mississippi levee. It certainly is an earthen pile but it also has lower linear features extending parallel to the levee. This could mean that it is an old levee -- which could be where the mound came from -- or the mound dirt was used as part of the levee. It's hard to tell since the ground cover is entirely poison ivy and the actual surface is non-visible (no way to look for artifacts). Even if it was archaeological it may not have many artifacts around. So this first one remains an enigma.
The other points seems to be remnants of construction. There is a lot of development around here -golf courses, etc that creates lots of pile of earth. Given the older quad maps, these three seem to be recent in origin.
We made it as far as Tunica today - not very far. We are staying at the glorious "Horseshoe Casino and Hotel" which is a crazy clump of hotels on the edge of the Mississippi. The casino itself is in an old meander of the Mississippi - now completely filled in -- on barges in excavated holes filled with water. I assume this is to meet the legal requirements of being a "riverboat" -- yet the river is probably a 1/2 mile away. Strange and sad. The northern points we are going to look at are around here and we should be back on the road shortly.
Interstate BBQ
Tim sadly waits for his pulled pork...
Tim looks lovingly at a pulled pork samdwich...
The rest of lunch...
> So it begins.... First stop ducks unlimited for a geospatial
> conference. Next stop jim neely's interstate barbeque!
>
Surfing has been good lately - great weather, nice waves. Last week we had visitors to the archaeometry lab from Vanderbilt University. We took them on a surf session down at Seal Beach.
I was sent this link to the classic Leonard Nimoy "In Search Of..." Easter Island episode today. It is a classic (and now historic) document about the island. It has some good footage of attempts to move the statues via sledges... some crazy conjectures. I think this was my first introduction to EI when I was a youth...
