Family Vacation - Memphis, Tennessee

Today we bid a fond farewell to our friends the Porters. Our two full days as guests in there home were fun and relaxing. It's so nice to be able to keep our friendship strong even though we no longer live across the street from each other. We felt right at home with them. The kids had a hard time saying goodbye to their childhood friends, but with texting and Facebook I'm sure they will be able to keep in touch. Thank you Jeff and Anita for making us feel so welcome!

Our journey to Memphis took us through the southeastern part of Missouri, the North Eastern part of Arkansas to the mighty Mississippi River and finally to Memphis. The drive was very scenic through the Ozark mountain plateau. The drive was on mostly two lane highways. As we crossed over the Arkansas border and entered the town of Mammoth Springs, I pulled into a small state park so I could do a geocache and get my find for Arkansas. We did the Mammoth Springs ParkCache. A very pretty spot, and a nice excuse to get out of the car and stretch our legs.

Upon arrival in Memphis, we headed straight to the mecca of all Elvis Fans everywhere, Graceland. I was never a huge Elvis fan, but Chris' Mom and Dad where big time fans. Chris still remembers the day her Dad came home from work and tearfully shared the news with her and her Mom that the King was dead. So, visiting Graceland had some definite meaning to her. The experience was definitely more than I expected. The tour was very in depth and interesting, with personal audio players giving each of us a walking tour of the mansion. The kids got a kick out of all the crazy 70's era decor and fashion. In the end it opened their eye's to an entertainer that clearly touched and continues to touch millions of fans around the world. This point was brought home by the many people at the grave site that sat in silent, tearful mourning. Over 30 years ago, and still making an impact on people. That's a legacy.

From Graceland we headed to downtown Memphis and Beale Street. There we found the blues club owned by legendary blues guitarist B.B. King. We were treated to a delicious dinner of southern food. Alex and I had BBQ chicken and ribs, Chris had fried catfish and Catie and Nik had burgers. While we ate, we were entertained by local blues musician Blind Mississippi Morris. Morris and his guitar player put on a good show for the 100 or so club patrons. Just another example of the cool stuff we get exposed to as we travel about the country. Another first for our family.