Da Blues...

So, spending a second night in Clarksdale, working in some of the streams up here.
I was almost whupped by a clay bank today. It rained up here yesterday, and we went in this really incised stream, with really steep clay banks. WEEL, it wasn't too hard to get down...slide, gravity, all in my favor. Getting back up..not so much fun! My calves & thighs hurt. My wading boots didn't have enough grip in the heel to help me make footholds...I think I slid back down and into the stream about 4-5 times. ARGH! I got so mad!! Finally was able to make it up to the vegegation, which made going somewhat easier, but the first 8-10 feet were horrible. Esp after the 3rd attempt! The next stream was classic delta...2 ft of water over 3 feet of muck...nothing like try to walk in that stuff. Very good work out for the legs!

Later in the day we were at another stream with a pretty good size bridge, and when we got down in the stream we realized a dude had a tent up in the bridge, with a homemade ladder and a kayak! Crazy. Least he was friendly and warned us the river was up 2 ft, and probably not wadeable (it wasn't...measured over one biologist. :-) not me, but another one tried it. He got wet. Nothing like getting water in your waders when you KNOW you are downstream of a wasterwater treatment plant discharge.)

We have a contractor from Vermont with us, so tonight we went to Ground Zero Blues Club so he could hear some blues. It was good! I like the blues anyway, but live Delta blues, really cant get much better. Tonight Bill "Howl-n-Madd" Perry was playing. There is a blues festival this weekend, so there were some other good blues muciscans in the room, and they joined at various times to jam. Robert "Bilbo" Walker, the harmonica & drum players from "Foghat" - they were pretty cool. Another harmonica player "silver fox". It was great! Then a couple of "locals" Razorblade and "Tater" joined in at the end. There were LOT of non-mississippians there. A big group from Norway, LOTs of what I could call "old hippies". Intresting color. I never realized that so many Europeans tour our little Delta.

Well, off to bed, after taking some ibuprofen for my sore legs! :-) I get to go home tomorrow afternoon. YEAH!