2015 Trip – Tupelo, MS to Memphis, TN

Tues. 6/16… (Tupelo, MS) This morning the plan was to cruise around in the late morning and work our way to Johnnie’s Drive In in downtown Tupelo.  This was an Elvis hangout and he had his own booth.  We stopped at Sam’s again so Lydia could buy some shorts she had seen yesterday.  That done, we headed to Heirlooms Forever which is a sewing/quilt shop.  Lydia never met a quilt shop she didn’t like!  Needless to say we now have a project quilt for the motorhome ready to start when she returns home! We made it to Johnnie’s and didn’t see ‘the booth’ but we enjoyed the lunch anyway.  We both tried the pulled pork bbq plate and found it very good.  We did manage to bring some home for a leftover dinner.  On our return we noticed the fire hydrant was running again so we took Bailey down for some more water play time. After the big lunch we decided to fix blt sandwiches for linner. I did some work and some cleaning around the rig and then we settled in for the evening.  We heard from Rick and Janie that they were done with their alignment and the ride was like glass now.  They will leave tomorrow and join up with us in Memphis.  

 

Wed. 6/17…  (Memphis, TN) We left camp around 9:30 this morning.  We had 109  miles to drive with a fuel stop (Flying J in Olive Branch, MS) so we got into camp around noon.  We are now at Memphis Graceland RV Park, in Memphis, TN.  This park is literally right across the street from Graceland (behind their visitor center and their Heartbreak Hotel) and we chose it because we liked it when we were here in 2012. We didn’t tour the mansion before because we had seen it in 1990 but we will go again with R&J. Speaking of them, we spoke with them early this morning.  They were preparing to leave but got called in to one of the bays.  Mr. Tiffin wanted to look at another item before sending them on their way.  They said he actually met with them and was very nice.  We had met him at an RV show in Pomona a few years ago and he is indeed a southern gentleman.  After getting cleared they headed out and drove the 180 miles and got into camp at 4:30.  Lydia and I had stopped at the store and picked up some stuff.  We decided to fix dinner since they had such a busy day.  After the Chinese chicken salad and baked potato and éclairs for dessert we planned our next two days. We took a city tour last time we were here and enjoyed that so we have already called Memphis Best Tours and booked seats for the 9:30am tour tomorrow. They will be at the campground at 9:00am to pick us up. Of course we plan to tour Graceland but we also want to walk around Beale St. and go to the newly renovated Memphis Pyramid which is now a huge Bass Pro Shop.  I got a call this evening from Sandy Lake RV Park in Carrolton, TX telling me they have to cancel our reservations there (6/28-7/1) due to damage from the rains.  So I started looking for an alternative and found one.  We are booked again but now are south of the Dallas/Ft Worth area instead of north.  Oh yeah, my new Garmin RV760 GPS was delivered! I have it set up and on the charger getting it ready for when we leave here.

 

Thurs. 6/18… (Memphis, TN) Our driver showed up on time and took us to the tour base in downtown Memphis. Last time we were here was in 2012 and our tour guide was a black southern gentleman named Boyce. We were hoping he was still around and he is but today is his day off. 

 

 

So Willie was our guide for the day.  We saw Sun Studios where Elvis and many others (Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis to name a few) recorded their famous hits. 

 

 

We then went to Memphis’ St Jude Hospital.  This is a children’s hospital that was started by Danny Thomas who believed that no child should live with a catastrophic illness without help.  It is provided, free of charge, through generous donations to St Jude’s.  Danny and his wife are buried in an area dedicated to their careers and in their memory.  It was closed for a special event but we did get to go into the hospital and very briefly get to say hi to some of the kids.  Willie told us they only have 63 beds, including trauma rooms.  Most of the activity is from residents at Target House, Ronald McDonald House, and Tri Delta, who get transported from these temporary homes to the hospital each day for treatment.

 

 

We next went to The Peabody to witness the march of the ducks.  They have been doing this since 1935 when a manager of the hotel and a friend returned from a hunting trip and after several Jack Daniels, put live ducks in the hotel lobby fountain. The apologized but the guests said it was a cute idea and wanted them to stay. In 1940 a former circus animal trainer offered to train the ducks to march from the rooftop pens into the elevator and down to the fountain.  That tradition happens each day and at 5:00pm is reversed when they head back up to rest. What a life.  We also learned that duck is never allowed to be on the menu at the hotel restaurant!  We also learned that the ducks are changed out every 3-6 months although we are not sure where they go.  Maybe Peking……. J

     

 

Afterward we drove past the Pyramid, now a Bass Pro Shop (more on that later)

 

 

 

and then we drove down Main Street and saw the entrance that James Earl Ray used to enter an adjacent building and set up his rifle to shoot and kill Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4^th, 1968 at the Lorraine Hotel (room 306) across the street.  King was killed from a single shot from Ray. The hotel and surrounding area is now part of the Civil Rights Museum which has constantly been protested by a single woman, Jackie Smith, who stands outside the property 12-14 hours each day and has been doing that, rain, snow, heat, etc. for over 27 years! She had resided in the Lorraine and thought that the hotel should be set up for housing for the homeless.

     

 

Our tour continued to Beale Street, where we were dropped off for 45 minutes for lunch.  We chose The Rum Boogie Café where we had visited back in 2012 and liked.  We enjoyed pulled pork sandwiches and fried pickles. Very good. Our tour ended with a drive by of the Graceland Mansion.  They dropped off a few folks on our tour who purchased a combo package.  We chose not to do that since it is right by our campground. Willie dropped off the tour guests and we were the first as we were close by.  After walking the dogs and resting for a few hours, we drove back to downtown and went to the Bass Pro Shops.  Wow!  We had seen the original huge flagship store in Springfield MO but in this case Johnnie Morris went wild!  This pyramid is 32 stories tall and is larger than 6 football fields.  They even have a hotel in the building! It is impressive although each of the areas is kind of chopped up by the aquarium/mini lake that runs through most of the first floor.  They have an elevator that (for $10.) takes you up to the observation tower at the pyramid point.  You can go outside and walk on a plexiglass platform that makes you feel like you are walking on air.  We didn’t do it although the lines were relatively short.

 

 

 

Afterward we drove to Beale St. and parked in a structure ($5.) and walked up and down the street.  There were blues bands and solo artists playing in various areas. I bought Rick and I a Big Ass Beer ($8) which you are allowed to carry with you on the closed street. 

   We also went into Jerry Lee Lewis's Café and Honky Tonk and saw one of his motorcycles and also his car.

 

         

 

 

After that, we decided we were hungry so Janie and Lydia navigated us to Corky’s BBQ for dinner.  We had enjoyed this place before and we were not disappointed!  Probably right up there as the best to date. 

 

 

Since we had another beer Janie and Lydia again took over getting us back home.  We did have a little hiccup as they plugged in Elvis Park in Tupelo instead of Elvis Presley Blvd. in Memphis!  Luckily we caught it and only drove a few miles out of our way before making it home and turning in for the night.