Roadtrip (Pt.2) Nashville to Memphis

Friday 22nd September 2017

After a swim and breakfast we headed out of Pegram to visit ‘The hidden lake’ in another part of  the Harpeth River State Park.  We walked through the park and upon turning a corner came almost face to face [there was a fence between us] with a large deer.  Upon seeing us it frolicked in the opposite direction and disappeared into the forest.

Whilst walking we came across these unusual fruits.

Despite their green colour they are oranges, Osage oranges to be specific. They are grown by Osage trees, the wood from which is used to make fence posts and archery bows.  Technically speaking the fruit is edible but you can only eat the seeds, and they’re not easy to extract.

After our interesting walk we headed for Dyersburg just northeast of Memphis. Only two things of any significance happened along the way. Firstly, as we turned left into Deena’s for a coffee and washroom stop, we misread the carpark entrance and hit a raised curb with an almighty bang from both sets of tyres. The car was OK thankfully. Secondly, we visited Walmart for our first haircut.  Neither of us was particularly looking forward to this experience but needs must. We came out feeling pleased with the result and lighter and cooler.

We are staying, once again, in an airbnb accommodation.  We did intend to camp but with the temperature not due to drop below 79 degrees F we were not prepared to put up with the heat and the biting insects.  The accommodation is called ‘Stump on the pond’ and backs onto a small lake just northwest of Memphis in a village called Dyersburg.

Saturday 23rd September 2017

We headed straight for Memphis this morning, down the I-51, about a 90 minute drive.  We are in cotton farming country and it is interesting spotting the many cotton fields along the way. Tennessee annually produces about 550,000 to 650,000 acres of cotton.  It is harvested by machines that twist the seed cotton from the burrs that are attached to the plants’ stems. The cotton is used in the textile industry, for making cottonseed oil and adding to animal feed. This cottonseed meal is the byproduct that remains after the cotton seeds are removed.

Arriving in Memphis we parked at the road side and headed towards the Mississippi river to book a place on the river cruise for later today.  Having accomplished this we decided to walk along ‘Beale Street’ [this was on the advice of Julie’s hairdresser yesterday].  Beale street was hosting a ‘Corvette’ convention and was full of high end convertible cars, each one different from the next.  Our favourite was a bright yellow one – well what more can you all expect from two girls that drive an old, falling apart Ford Fiesta!

We listened to live Blues music and marveled at the number of named people there were emblazoned over the pavements. We did not feel completely at ease in central Memphis and although we did listen to some live music – which is what we came for – it did not really ‘float our boat’.

It was now time for our ‘Steamboat ride’ on the great Mississippi river. We enjoyed the fantastic weather, a bottle of beer and some nachos and cheesy dip whilst cruising down the river and listening to a commentary about the history of the river, the buildings on its banks and the bridges which connect Tennessee and Arkansas. One interesting building pointed out was the boat store – a supermarket for those who live and work on the river (i.e. barge pilots). Apparently, the pilot calls through an order in advance and a tender takes the provisions out to the barge when they’re nearby. This way time isn’t wasted on mooring the boat, as time means money on the Mississippi. Likewise, refuelling is also done on the river, without stopping.

We took a detour to ‘Graceland’ on the way to our accomodation tonight.  We decided not to afford the $90 each just to see the house, so we just called by to see what we could see for free.  Basically, we found the car park and the enterance and had a view of the outside of the two airplanes parked there. This was enought to curb our curiousity!

Our accommodation was just 15 minutes drive from Gracedland.  It is decorated in a 70’s theme – an interesting concoction of tie-dye materials and psychedelic colours with chalk board walls where you can leave messages for the host.  You can also hear the passing trains from our room as they make a loud blast from their air horns.  Jacqui enjoys hearing this sound – maybe its from all that train travel she has done over the years!

Sunday 24th September 2017

Having declined breakfast of ‘biscuits and gravey’ from our host we decided to head out without breakfast today and eat fruit on the move.  We decided to head back into Memphis and visit ‘Mud Island’ – part of the Mississippi River Greenbelt Park.  It is a long spit of land that is between the Mississippi river and Wolf River Harbour. We took a gentle stroll at one end of the spit whilst watching the world go by – people out for their morning exercise and the barges fighting with the river flow.

We then travelled to the other end of the where there was a large replica or scale model of the Mississippi river that enabled us to investigate some of it’s history, people and culture. We strolled around it for a couple of hours trying to get to grips with the many twists and turns and the many rivers and tributries that feed the great Mississippi.  The model was 600ft long with the scale being one of our steps to one mile of the river.

Next we visited the ‘National Civil Rights Museum’ for a bit more culture. Julie received a discount- the first time ever – because of age!  The museum is built around the former Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated on 4th April 1968.  His room is still intact and there is wreath outside to honor his passing. The museum traces the history of the civil rights movement in America.  We both found it a very humbling experience and it left quite an impact on us.

The words on the gate into the museum spoken by Dr Martin Luther King on April 3rd 1968, the day before he was assassinated say:

I may not get there with you, but I want you to know that we as a people will get to the promised land.

We have enjoyed Memphis.  It was totally different to Nashville which we preferred. We don’t go out after dark – everyone we spoke to advised this and we were happy to comply.  Tomorrow we drive to New Orleans.