We took a ride over the river into Memphis proper to check out some interesting things we'd read about. We were in Memphis in 2012 on our first RV trip and hit a lot of the "must see" attractions so this time we saw some old and some new things we missed last trip.
We'd heard about a new mile long pedestrian/cycling bridge called "The Big River Crossing". The bridge allows walkers, runners and cyclists access to both ends of the 32 mile long Mississippi River Trail. The walkway was built attached to the Harahan Bridge, a cantilevered through truss bridge which was completed in 1917. The bridge is 4973' from end to end, the longest span is 791' and it rises 109' above the river. Pretty awesome when you consider it was built 100 years ago.
The Harahan Bridge and The Big River Crossing
A very nervous pedestrian. Note the truss bridge construction above the walkway.
Massive riveted truss construction
A view of downtown Memphis taken while straddling the AR/TN border
The Big River Crossing lit up at night
The Rt. 40 bridge with her pearls on
We were famished after our long walk so we headed into town for lunch at Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken. We both had a leg/thigh combination with slaw. Once again Lynda had fried okra and I opted for baked beans. Experience has taught us that Memphis style fried chicken is crispy, juicy, SPICY (!) and delicious!
From Gus's we waddled down the street to the National Civil Rights Museum. The museum is inside the former Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated and extends to the boarding house where James Earl Ray fired the fatal shot.
I only took two pics outside.
The wreath on the second floor balcony denotes the spot where MLK was shot. The cars in the foreground are representative of those driven by MLK's party.
The entire motel has been turned into a museum dedicated to African American history in the U.S.and their struggle for equality from the 1600's to present. The tour ends with a walk by MLK's preserved room at the Lorraine. The boarding house across the street is filled with evidence about the assassination and it's ties to James Earl Ray as well as the bathroom where the shot was fired.
It took us close to 3 hours to tour the museum and I was and still am disturbed that African Americans are fighting the same battles they have fought since their emancipation.
After that we needed a lift so we headed back to Beale Street, home of the Blues, to cruise around and listen to some music.
There are huge art deco guitars everywhere that beg to have their picture taken with you. So, we obliged.
Lynda with one of her favorite country singers
Me and one of my favorite blues singers
Once again we were hungry so we stopped at the Blues City Cafe for some BBQ and Blues. The ribs were great but alas, no decent pic. The band, "Brandon Cunning" was fantastic with their renditions of 50's and 60's Blues, Elvis, Buddy Holly, etc.
The band was great but the lead gutarist, on the right, was unbelieveable
This was a great end to a, mostly, fun day.
Tomorrow, off to Branson, MO
BUT WAIT...
OH YEAH, we almost forgot about Irma, that hurricane we ran 3 days and 750 miles to get away from. Well, she caught up with us the next morning! We woke to driving rain and high winds but, after much debate, we got on the road and finally outran Irma for good about halfway to Branson. Whew!
From our campground in Osage Hills State Park in northwestern Oklahoma, we drove about 12 miles west to the town of Pawhuska, OK to reach the entrance of The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, which is owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy. The Preserve, which contains about 39,000 acres, is the largest tract of remaining tallgrass prairie in the world. The original Great Plains stretched from Texas to Manitoba, Canada.
The road through the Preserve is unpaved and dusty. The Conservancy burns sections of the preserve each year to stimulate new growth of grasses and to kill any invasive plants.
