Finding ghosts
Early in the trip, Terry Adams said that ghosts surrounded us. It's a bit unsettling when you think about it, but it seemed to be the one common thread that tied all of the locations together as the trip progressed. From the ghost of Sam Walton in Bentonville, Arkansas, to the spirits that lingered at the Vicksburg Civil War Battlefield in Mississippi to the ghosts of Sun Records and Beale Street in Memphis, there were ghosts at every turn.
We were surrounded by spirits that had an impact on the history of this country. Monday, I returned from a four-day 1800 mile iron butt ride from Iowa to Vicksburg, Mississippi and back. Along the way, there were plenty of laughs, a discovery of Americana and an enriched sense of the people and places that make this country great.
Here are a collection of photos from the trip. There are quite a few, but for me, the best images are the ones captured in my mind screaming down the highway at dusk while watching crops come out of the fields in Arkansas. Watching the crop duster pilots push their luck while spraying fields. Or the beautiful moon and thousands of stars in the Mississippi sky while cautiously night riding at the end of a long day. All great memories for sure now that we are home safe and sound.
I'd love to hear your feedback. Let me know the photos that stand out as your favorites. Enjoy!
For more than two decades, Joseph L. Murphy has had the pleasure of meeting and connecting with people from all walks of life through photography. He has photographed presidents and heads of state, traversed the winding alleyways of the Fes Medina in Morocco, photographed the sprawling countryside and people that make up Argentina and covered events that have defined the U.S. Most recently, Murphy’s travels have taken him to Cambodia, Mexico, China, Vietnam and Ecuador.
He has spent the past 20 years specializing in agriculture photography for multiple organizations, publications and marketing projects.
A graduate of the University of Iowa, Murphy determined at an early age that his love of photography would shape his vision for life.