Blogs from Memphis, Tennessee, United States, North America

After breki we went on a tour around Graceland. They have Elvis' house and land (Graceland) on one side of the road and then a stretch of land on the other side of the road which is where they run all the tours from and have built all different museums, and restaurants dedicated to Elvis. They run an audio tour through his house and grounds including his grave. It was really interesting but a bit sad again! Some of the rooms in his house are decorated really funky, but there was a few really tacky things as well.We then went to Sun Studios 'where Rock and Roll began' and went on a tour. The guide was so excited and enthusiastic and you could just tell he loved music and all the history that is involved in ... read more

After taking a few pics of Beale street in the day (def doesn't capture it) we drove to Nashville, Tennessee! After checking in at our hostel we ventured into town for a late lunch. They have country music playing from random boxes in the streets and there is a surprising amount of corporate offices/ people. We went to the 'Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum' and did yet another interesting audio tour. On the way home we found a white castle which was heaps exciting (from the movie- harold and Kumar Go to white castle).We then crashed for a couple of hours due to exhaustion. For our late dinner we went to Broadway where all the 'honky Tonkin'' happens! All the bars down this strip are older/ dingy but all playing live country music and ... read more

Got up early to pick up our rental car for our week long road trip around the South. Still am baffled by how many shredded tyres are on the road. On the way to New Orleans we had it all flying back at us and had to weave around a huge piece of it while going 70 miles an hour. We stopped in at Jackson for lunch at a little restaurant in the funky hondren district. Laura and I both got traditional Cajun meals. Mine was just red beans with rice and Laura's was a crawfish (small lobster) poboy (huge sub sandwich). Jackson is pretty ugly in the city but there is beautiful houses out in the suburbs. We made it to Memphis in time to go to the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr ... read more

DAY 14……14/042012 We left the town of Sparta at around 1030, and headed back onto the Blue Ridge Parkway for the last time, although it has been a fantastic ride over the last 400 miles, I think it has been fairly tiring for Lynne, and the trike suffers a bit on the steep climbs because of the gearing. After about 100 miles we came down out of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and decided to head for Pigeon Forge, which although was another 100 miles on, was on flatter roads, and back to 55mph. Well we crossed the State line into Tennessee, State number 10, and that’s when our problems began. A sign that said road closed ahead seemed fine, as there was bound to be a detour, well no there was not, the main ... read more

Wednesday 14th Dec - Nashville to Memphis This turned out to be a bit of a weird day. We woke up not knowing if we´d stay another night in Nashville and as it turned out we didn´t. For what seemed to be a pretty big place there wasn´t that much of a city centre and it certainly wasn´t typical with the absence of all the usual chain shops and restaurants you got everywhere else. Strange but quite refreshing. Instead they´d been replaced by honky tonk bars, boot sellers and other independent vendors. We stuck with our Mexican for the 2nd day running to make them the 1st people to gain some repeat business from us! Then at 4 we left the hotel for a short yomp to the Greyhound station about 10 blocks away. After waiting ... read more

Today was always going to be the busiest day of my trip. There is so much to do in Memphis and only 1 day to do it in. Had a bit of a "sleep in", it wasnt really a sleep in, but it was later than other days. Woke up at 8.15am to head downstairs and grab a quick bite to eat before Graceland. We had an included audio tour of Graceland. It was really nice. My first thought was that for something described as a "mansion" it was pretty small. What it lacked in size it made up for in style. Most of the rooms would be considered as stylish today, with only the Jungle Room and the kitchen looking noticeably outdated. Not only did we see the house but also a range of awards ... read more

I have heard the phrase, "going the last mile", or "the last mile of the way", or even people talking about meeting a 'milestone' in their lives, but only the last few months has those taken on a new meaning. This time last year Anthony and I started running for better health. It's that time in our lives when things aren't where they used to be, and the midlife spread has nothing to do with peanut butter. Well, if truth be told it probably actually does, we go through it almost as fast as our daily fiber. But I don't have to explain if you are over 45, you know what I mean. A dear friend of mine, Tammy Fowler, has been an incredible incourager. She started running a couple of years ago too, and this ... read more