Day Five: From the King to the River

Today was one of those days that felt bigger than the miles we traveled.

We woke up in Memphis with one simple mission: pay our respects to a piece of American history.

We cranked up our Elvis Playlist and we were bound for Graceland.

Fun fact: in the US, the White House is the only home with more annual visitors. Not sure what that says, but is says something about America.

With an $85 admission ticket,  Graceland may not have fit the budget for the full tour this time, but that didn’t matter. We walked the grounds, took in the atmosphere, picked up the obligatory t-shirt, and stood outside the famous gates where millions of fans have gathered over the years and left their mark. TCB baby, TCB!

Sometimes you don’t have to go inside to appreciate the story. Only a little sad to not see the Jungle Room up close. It was still a fantastic stop. We walked over a mile which was nice since I recorded about 321 steps yesterday with all the car time.

From there, we traded rock and roll for the mighty Mississippi and some more walking.

A short 15 minute drive brought us to West Memphis Delta Park, where we stretched our legs and did something we’ve never known we wanted to do. Walk across the Mississippi River and back again.

Standing above that broad ribbon of water, watching a barge work their way along, it was easy to appreciate just how much of America’s history and commerce has flowed through this place.

We were talking about it after, just imagining Settlers merrily making their way inland, and, BAM,  you hit that river. What a majestic barrier. Today we crossed three times. By RV and there and back on foot. We got our steps in today!

Of course, you can’t leave Memphis without barbecue.

We skipped the polished tourist spots and found exactly what we were hoping for: a little hole-in-the-wall serving up classic Memphis BBQ and Mexican Food. To say it was a dump, insults every dump, everywhere. I told Susan when we got back in the RV, “This will be the best meat ever or we may die of food poisoning.” It was awesome. Susan just had another portion of our 1 pound sandwich for dinner.  My favorite part was the rubber hose, old school pneumatic Bell. Like they used to have at gas stations. People would pull up and that classic “DING DING”. So cool. We stopped at the Arkansas Welcome Rest Stop for our picnic.

Hole in the wall for the win.

With full stomachs, we pointed the RV west and settled into an easy drive on I 40 toward Arkansas. The weather could not have been better, and the miles rolled by effortlessly until GPS perfectly routed us around an accident and we arrived at Gulpha Gorge Campground in Hot Springs National Park in good time.

Tomorrow we’ll explore the park itself and check off National Park number two of ten on this summer adventure.

The road report remains encouraging:

– Tire repair: Still holding air.
– All RV systems: GO.
– Driving weather: Perfect.
– Fuel economy: Up to 11.8 MPG.
– Distance from home: 1,116 miles.

Every day out here seems to find its own rhythm. Today was about music, rivers, barbecue, and the simple joy of watching the country unfold one mile at a time through the windshield.

Tomorrow is another adventure.