Our timing was perfect.
We rolled into Memphis on a hot Monday afternoon and quickly found the heart of downtown: Beale Street. Despite the fact that it was “Elvis Week” – the annual celebration of all things Elvis – things were surprisingly quiet. I’m a huge fan of BBQ, having made weekly Famous Dave’s lunches a tradition while working at NIST. The best BBQ sandwiches are always enjoyed “Memphis Style,” which means there’s a big pile of cole slaw on top of the meat, MmmmMm good. So we found a touristy place on Beale and devoured plates of BBQ pulled pork sandwiches with some cold beers.
Memphis style in Memphis!
Fishing on the mighty Mississippi
River walk on the Mississippi
After lunch we drove down to the “River Walk” for a stroll on the east bank of the Mississippi. It was blazing hot, so we made the walk brief and only took a few photos, then headed off to find a campground. The place we picked was literally across the street from Graceland, Elvis’ estate. I’m sure things looked differently back when he resided there; now the place sits on a 5-lane road dominated by strip malls. We splashed out for a small cabin with A/C that night, and it turned out to be a very wise move. A big thunderstorm rolled through an hour after we checked in, and we watched from our porch as a small tree cracked in half and took down some poor guy’s RV awning. It was quite the spectacle at the RV park, but thankfully the damage seemed minimal. It would have been very interesting if we were in the tent during the storm, but I’m sure that will happen at some point soon.
The storm roared through.
The next morning we took advantage of the free wifi at the camp and launched the blog (woohoo!), then headed over to see what this whole Graceland thing was all about. It was actually pretty neat. Although we didn’t opt for the 3-hour tour, we did enjoy the visitor center and Elvis’ airplane display. Of his two planes, the best was the Lisa Marie (aka “Hound Dog One”), a big 4-engine jet that was all decked out in the finest 70’s style leather and suede – looked pretty comfy!
Hound Dog One
That afternoon we hit the road yet again and ended up in Hot Springs, Arkansas!
viaje al sur 
How was Hot Springs, Arkansas? That spring is impressive, from what I’ve read.
By: Jesse Von Fange on August 17, 2009
at 11:23 am
Sounds like a great time. The BBQ looks excellent. Keep up the posts and enjoy Hot Springs. It’s an interesting town with some neat history.
By: Darrel Davis on August 17, 2009
at 12:39 pm
Love the food pics!
By: Anne Hartley on August 17, 2009
at 7:50 pm