Elvis, Cairo and Memphis BBQ
What
a great day! I apologize for that hamfisted account last night. I
was tired. Still tired but maybe better tonight. I want to recount
some prominent people who were born in or closely associated with MO
aside from the usuals: TS Elliot, Langston Hughes, Eugene Field,
Dale Carnegie, Linda Godwin (look it up) Gen Black Jack Pershing and
Gen Omar Bradley, August Bush, George Washington Carver, Calamity
Jane, Jesse and Frank James, Marlin Perkins, Walter Cronkite.
Surprise!! Another surprise was the speed of the current in the
Mississippi. Much faster than the St. Lawrence.
Visited
Cairo, Illinois, and the confluence of the Ohio and the Mississippi.
Could not drive down the road so had to take a look from a bridge.
The photo shows a barge chain headed down the Mississippi. An
important place in the formation of our country and I have always
wanted to see it. Cairo is a run down, poverty filled village. Very
depressing to just drive thru it. Imagine Heuvelton, twice as big
and twice as hot with half the buildings vacant. It was 87 today.
The
drive to Memphis was uneventful until we got there. Terrible
traffic, road construction, spaghetti highways, minimal signs. We
drove right past the exit for Graceland and had a devil of a time
getting back to it. Even the GPS lady got lost looking for a
recommended restaurant. Finally found it: The Germantown Commissary.
Excellent BBQ ribs and sausage. We both ate all the ribs and meat
and kept the bbq beans and coleslaw for lunch tomorrow.
I
know nobody cares about Graceland but I might as well include a
sentence or so. It is opulent in the style of the 50's. Deep shag
rugs throughout, lots of color, extravagance (340 yards of paisley
cloth, pleated, as wall and ceiling covering in the billiard room).
The grounds are large and so there was room for stables and pastures
for the horses; a building for a handball court; a trophy building.
The King had money and did not mind spending it (as we later found
out he spent a lot on other people who needed help). I am not going
to describe every room. Youtube has a lot of tours and here is one
for those interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4QkkpYf0_I.
Lisa here. I have a new appreciation of Elvis since touring his mansion and grave site. We couldn't use the video camera or flash photography but got photos of the rooms. Will post a few.
Going
to Beale Street tomorrow as well as Mud Island River Park, where we
can walk along the Mississippi, and then we will head down to
Vicksburg.
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