Driving Day 6 - Clarksville, AR to Memphis, TN

Today was another drive day but a lot shorter than previous drive days.  Once we got to Memphis, we also had plenty of time to visit Graceland and Beale Street.

Last night about 12:30 am CDT, a pretty loud thunderstorm lulled me to sleep - I miss a good thunderstorm - even if they are a bit spooky during the night.  When we left Arkansas, it was raining pretty heavily and tapered off the farther east we went.  But it did rain on and off all day - a nice change of pace weatherwise.

The more east we go, the landscape gets greener and the gas prices get cheaper.  Right now, the average gas price is $2.29/gal for Shell. 

Of course, we passed some interesting things.  One was a sign to Toad Suck Park - no kidding - click the link to find out how the name came to be.  We also passed a lake that looked like it might be an overflow area as there were a lot of trees in the lake and it looked like they might not always be under water.  We saw a lot of religious billboards - Jesus Saves, the 10 Commandments, Scriptures, etc. - one sure way to know you're passing through the Bible Belt.  Along with these, there are also billboards for adult stores - guess the sinners need to be saved.

Coming into Little Rock along I-40 we spotted a beautiful church right along the freeway.  It was the First Pentecostal Church of Little Rock.  Had I been in the exit lane, I would have pulled off to check it out - by the looks of the linked pictures, I can see we missed something special.

When arrived at Memphis, we were in 3 states in a space of about 20 minutes.  We crossed the Mississippi River from Arkansas to Tennessee.  Then as we were looking for the exit to get downtown after our Graceland tour, we ended up in Mississippi.  I knew MS was close but never realized how close.  We had a good laugh about that - it was our bonus state.

Before I talk about Graceland, I want to urge anyone reading this blog to get out and see our country - we have so much history and beauty - you won't be disappointed.  If you've ever wanted to take a road trip - short or long - don't wait.  The best thing to do is get off the interstates as much as possible.  Because we have a timetable, we're planning our stops along the interstates but no less disappointing.  Many years ago, I read a book titled "Blue Highways" written by William Least Heat Moon.  I plan to re-read it when I get home.  If you've got wanderlust, I highly recommend this book.

Now....    Graceland

No trip to Memphis is complete without a visit to Graceland - whether or not you're an Elvis fan.  The house itself is not as grand as you would have expected, but nonetheless impressive.  It is still decorated the way it was when Elvis died in 1977.  The pool room is decorated with 350 yards of fabric - floor to ceiling, including the ceiling.  In one room, he even had the ceiling carpeted with the same carpeting as on the floor - it helped the acoustics for his jam sessions.  Even the kitchen is carpeted. 

We took the Platinum Tour which includes the mansion and grounds, his car collection, his airplanes, his movie museum and a look at the private Elvis (we didn't get to this one).  There is one building dedicated to his gold records and other trophies - very impressive.  The upstairs rooms of the mansion are off limits as Elvis always visited with his guests downstairs.  Plus the upstairs is kept private out of respect for Elvis.

He was a very generous man and there is one wall displaying checks he wrote to various charities.   Elvis, his parents and his grandmother are buried at Graceland in the Meditation Garden he had built on the estate.   There is also a memorial marker for his twin brother who was stillborn.  The mansion is in an area that looks to be on the worn side and not altogether savory.  I'm sure when he bought the mansion at age 22, the area was quite different and probably rural.  The mansion sits on about 13 acres.  His daughter Lisa Marie still owns the house and all artifacts, but she sold 85% of her interest in everything else, including the land, to the company that manages it all.

After our Graceland visit, we went to Beale Street Entertainment District which is a 3 block section of the street dedicated to blues clubs and restaurants.  It wasn't at all crowded while we there, but we could see that it probably gets pretty crazy.  The 3 blocks are closed off to cars.  Of course there was music everywhere. 

We also walked to the Peabody Hotel as I wanted to see the Peabody Ducks in the hotel lobby fountain  - turns out they're only there at 11 am and 5 pm daily.  We probably won't see them on this trip as we're headed to Troy, IL tomorrow to visit with my brother and his wife.

Check out our Graceland photos and Beale Street photos.  Stay tuned...