Highway 61 Revisited: 1,699 Miles from New Orleans to Pigeon River, by Tim Steil

My first thought upon slipping Highway 61 Revisited: 1,699 Miles from New Orleans to Pigeon River out of its shipping carton was "Cool! Another coffee table book with amazing photos." The large format—11" by 12"—and the drop-dead gorgeous photos I discovered as I quickly leafed through the book seem to confirm my first impressions of this new opus by Tim Steil. But, just like many first impressions of places we pass through quickly on road trips, my first glance at Highway 61 Revisited was setting me up for a big surprise.

I was breezing through the introduction and a passage describing the beauty of the land and the noble character of the folks who live along the road when I noticed this passage: "…There are also places where you can stock up on crack cocaine and get your ass shot for running your mouth…" Whoa! I Thought. This is no Reader's Digest book! Maybe I should drop down from light speed and see what else the author has to say. A line or two later, the author writes, "If you pass through Clarksdale, Mississippi and choose not to stay at the Riverside Hotel, you are denying yourself one of the best experiences of your life…" Wait a minute again, I thought to myself. I've been through Clarksdale and I have never even heard of the Riverside Hotel. From that second forward, I was completely hooked. With Tim Steil as my personal guide, I was transported almost magically into a realm of roadside adventuring in a land I thought I already knew and understood...[More]