(and they're off...like a herd of turtles)

Famous Last Words: "If 70 year olds can do this year round, surely we can handle 1 month". Those were Julie's words of encouragement (challenge) ringing in my ears headed to Memphis for our first stop yesterday at the Graceland RV Park (Heartbreak Hotel). For those who have not had the privilege of driving a 30 foot C class RV on a Chevy 3500 chassis, it's a bit like a church van...pulling a church van...with a sail on top...add to that a camping stove rattling in your ear...on top of a propane tank...5 bikes on the back...and trucks passing on all sides. Side note...Mississippi, it's really time to fix your roads.


We did make it to Memphis and through our "itinerary" with great enjoyment. We got up to the top of the Peabody Hotel for the Duck Palace experience and to Beale St. for some BBQ and meandering.






As a Graceland veteran, I forget how spectacular Graceland is and what a fantastic story of Elvis they tell. It is a bit anticlimactic now since they have replaced the human tour guide interaction with iPads...and if you know anything of my family's great technical skills...you will know that those were a hit...worked like a charm...not frustrating at all. There was one family member, however, who was not as impressed. At the end of our day, when recounting all of the wonderful things we learned about Elvis and his music, Grace Trapp reminded us that..."he died on the toilet". Which although historically accurate, seemed really inappropriate...and also hilarious. Nothing like a little 6 year old perspective on life to bring us all back down.

This morning we made it down to the Arcade for a big breakfast before heading over to the National Civil Rights Museum. It has been well maintained and the archives are growing. I forget how recent 50 years ago actually is...but the museum is now collecting great oral history accounts from normal people who lived through those climactic years in the 60's when the South was desegregating. It's both encouraging and also frightening to see how appalled our children are at the common practice of slavery, discrimination, terrorism, and bigotry. Sweet Annie cried when she listened to one story of a little boy (James Thompson) who was beaten and jailed for kissing a white girl...at the age of 9.