Covid Road Trip - Heading To South Bend & Day 1...

I'm not gonna' lie: Memphis needed to be a longer visit. But the reality is that there was only so much to see because of the Covid situation, so I'll have to make a point to get back there once we're able to move beyond all of this.

So, with Memphis in my rear view mirror, I set my sights north for South Bend, Indiana.

The drive to South Bend was a bit on the long side, but it wasn't without its diversions. After driving in Arkansas for a bit, I saw a sign which I couldn't ignore: "Johnny Cash Boyhood Home".

How could I not?

This house, in as area known as Dyess Colony, stands out in the middle of nowhere. I have my GPS set to avoid dirt roads, and I ended up on a dirt road. Seriously, it's out there.

For all your Johnny Cash souvenir needs. Like, maybe 40 years ago...

And, dirt roads or not, you always had to be careful driving and be mindful of other traffic:

As I said, the drive was long, but there was no shortage of entertainment. This "travel center" was a small gas station next to a REALLY big Bar-B-Q joint:

And, just in case you forgot you were in the middle of the Bible belt...

Now, I've not mentioned it, but one of my goals for this trip was to get rejuvenated and reinvigorated with regards to my tattoo project. The reality is that I've been slacking on it, and I needed to give it a good kick in the ass.

Well, I did just that in South Bend.

The offer was extended to me to stay at a friend's photo studio, The McDonald Studio, in South Bend. Not only was I able to have a comfortable bed, a hot shower and morning coffee, I would also have the unfettered use of the entire, fully equipped photo studio:

The McDonald Studio, South Bend, Indiana...

My first full day in South Bend saw the tattoo shoot start to ramp up. Not only did my buddy text a number of people to come down for the shoot, he put together a rather impressive charcuterie board for those coming down to the studio:

Tasty eats...

I'm not going to post any of the tattoo shots here but, suffice it to say, it lit a bit of a fire under me and I'm looking forward to getting back to Florida so I can really kick it into high gear.

With that said, I found myself looking forward to my second day in South Bend and a place I've always wanted to visit.

Stay tuned...