CC Trip - Memphis

Drove back through AL, MS, and into TN again, this time to check out Memphis.  Went to Graceland, Elvis Presley's home and now a museum.  About 500,000 people pass through Graceland each year, and at $ 28 - $ 59 per person, plus the gift shop and other vendors, well, you do the math.  

Elvis was born in a two room house in Tupelo, Mississippi.  He started singing in 1955 and the rest is history.  He sold over a billion records, more than any other artist. 150 of his albums or singles went golden, platinum or multi-platinum. He starred in 33 successful films and had 14 grammy nominations with 3 wins.  Like him or not, he was a phenom.

No pictures were allowed inside the mansion, and visitors are only allowed on the first floor and basement,  but let me tell you, it was over the top. This was decorated during the 60's and 70's, so you can imagine....... Picture shag rugs all over.....including the ceiling!  Rooms of trophies and framed golden and platinum albums, his horse stables, his car collection, and two jets on the grounds!

He died in August, 1977 and is buried on the grounds of Graceland next to his parents.

 

 

Couldn't miss the famous Duck March at the Peabody Hotel.  This is a twice daily tradition which started many years ago as a prank on some friends.......There are 5 resident mallards who live in a caged area with a "pool" on the roof, and who spend most of the daytime in a lounge in the Peabody's lobby, swimming in a fountain.  

At 11 am and 5 pm every day, The Duckmaster rolls out the red carpet, and on cue, and to their music, the ducks exit the fountain, waddle down a few steps onto the red carpet, 

where they shake off the water, and march to the elevator, 

which has been reserved for their trip upstairs!!!!

I had all I could do to keep Tony from getting his shotgun!

Here's one of the Memphis trolleys:

 

Took a Mississippi Riverboat cruise and got a history lesson while aboard. 

The Mississippi originates in the hills of Minnesota, and flows 2300 miles south to the Gulf of Mexico.  Only 1900 miles of it can be navigated.  Here's a view of Memphis from the Riverboat:

Memphis, called the Bluff City because it sits up on the bluffs, is across the river from Arkansas.  The world record catfish was caught off Memphis and weighed in at 116 lbs !!!  The bait??   SPAM!!   A 10 foot alligator and 12 babies were seen in the river in recent years, thought to have migrated upriver after Katrina.   Fed Ex, Piggly Wiggly and the St. Jude Foundation are some of the businesses that originated in Memphis.  

Captains on the riverboats earn $1000 per day;  It takes 2 miles to stop a southbound ship.  If you were stationary on the water, in one minute, 20 million gallons would speed by.  Tenders bring pre-ordered supplies along side the ship while it's moving, so that the ship does not have to stop, saving $1000 per hour.  Since the crew are at sea at least one month at a time, the female cooks have to be over 55 years old.  ( I resent that).

We visited the Gibson Guitar Factory, one of 3 in the country.  

Fine woods used in construction are imported from around the world.  Due to the time it takes for glue, paint and lacquer to dry, it takes 3 weeks to produce the finished product.  35-60 pieces are shipped per day.  The most famous Gibson is the Les Paul model, named for the famous blues musician - these guitars start at $2500 today.  Tony has a Les Paul, Jr. bought in 1960 - After seeing the prices on these models, his short list now includes restoration of the guitar.

Couldn't leave Memphis without a stop on Beale Street, where you can hear the blues playing as you walk by the bars and cafes.  We stopped by Coyote Ugly Saloon ( no I didn't dance on the bar ), and had a cold one at BB Kings Blues Cafe.