Graceland and Dr. King

My first stop this morning was the airport to pick up Patti. She flew in to ride the rest of the trip, her first time to do this.

We went right to Graceland from the airport. Harley did it up nice, getting us an area to park our bikes for free and a discount for the admission. I really did not expect what all is involved with Graceland. There is of course the mansion itself but across the street is like some kind of a strip mall carnival  . We met our friends at the Graceland Harley Davidson Store and boarded a shuttle to get to the mansion. It was neat to go through the gates with the music notes on them that I have seen so many pictures of and then to ride up the long driveway and get out at the front door. Graceland, the mansion and 13 acres, was purchased by Elvis in the late 50's for $100,000. Elvis liked the name so he kept it and the rest is history. Over the years he added garages, stables, a building that houses a  gym and racquet ball  court and garages for his many vehicles.

The mansion itself is a lot smaller that I expected but some of the furnishings lived up to the "gaudy" reputation that you read about, especially in the Jungle Room and the basement.  As you first walk in you see the living room with the famous stained glass and the 12 foot long custom made couch. The dining room, and kitchen are about what you might expect to see in any home that was done in the 70's and then you get to the jungle room and it's Hawaiian theme, pretty wild. The upstairs of the home is private and no tours are allowed there. The back yard has a pool and a smokehouse and still houses several horses on the grounds. There was one building that housed a display of all of the awards that Elvis received as well as all of those skin suits that he wore. After lunch we visited the Elvis Automobile Musem that houses many of his cars and many of the cars that appeared in the movies that he made.



The last stop on the tour is the Memory Garden where Elvis, his parents and a grandmother are buried.

By the time we got done with the tour of Graceland and another dealer visit on the other side of the city it was late afternoon. We went back to the hotel, freshened up and hit the trolly again. This time we headed downtown to the site of the Lorraine Motel, the site of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The motel and the building across the street where the shot was fired are being restored as a museum and historical site. It is one of those places, like Dealy Plaza in Dallas that tell the story of the history of our country in my lifetime and I always feel a special urge to visit when I can.

Tonight Harley really did the blues part of this tour up right when they hosted a party for us on Beale Street. There was classic Memphis Blues from a really good local group and some of the best barbeque you could ever get. They served ribs, catfish, tamales, coleslaw, new potatoes, chili, peppers, sausage, and a killer apple cobbler.

Another street car ride and we are back at the hotel to rest up for the trip to Nashville tomorrow.