It was raining and cooler, 64° at 6 am, on Monday the 16th of September. It was the perfect weather for a duck on my 260th walk of 2024. The water cleans the earth like positive thoughts cleanse your mind. Same bridge, different day. The all night rain filled the creek.
Today we caravan from Mountain View AR to Memphis TN. Again, along the way I give tidbits about the area.
The Batesville Motor Speedway is a 3/8-mile red clay oval racetrack. Racing modifieds, super stocks, hobbies, super stars and front-wheel drives on Friday nights in season from March until early October. The Batesville Motor Speedway helped launch the career of NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin.
Even the silos near the track are checkered!
Many of the stone houses were built in the early 1900’s. Cottages, bungalows, farmhouses and cabins dot the green hills in a hodgepodge based on eras and building styles. And among these styles are homes affectionately known as “Giraffe Houses.” This striking rock technique can be found in many rural areas of Arkansas, but the Ozark region seems to be the epicenter for frequent sightings. The specifics of “Ozark giraffe” building styles were rooted in rock masonry techniques taught during the Depression-era. The materials required for this type of architecture were cheap, and widely available all over the Ozark region. Sandstone was split into slabs and then mortared together. These various shades and shapes of stones, along with trademark wide mortar strips, created the “giraffe” pattern of these exteriors.
Oil Trough is located southwest of the White River, in a rich area of bottomlands known as the “Oil Trough Bottoms”. Above the bottoms is the Oil Trough Ridge, composed of black limestone. There are legends that the area was named for the wooden troughs used by hunters to store their bear oil. Some accounts indicate that the bear oil was placed in the troughs and then floated downstream as far as New Orleans, for use in cooking, cosmetics, hair dressing, and tanning leather.
Arkansas is the top rice producing state in the US. Rice is grown in 40 of Arkansas's 75 counties. Long grain brown rice is primarily grown here. In 2023, Arkansas accounted for 49% of the total US rice production and harvested more than 49% of the total acres planted in the US.
Arkansas ranks 3rd in the nation in cotton production—producing approximately 11% of the US cotton. Notice the remnants of the burned fields? The use of prescribed fire in Arkansas's cropland can be an important part of a crop management plan in row crops such as rice and wheat. Agricultural burning helps farmers remove crop residues left in the field after harvesting grains.
Musicians love Memphis. According to Memphis Travel and Billboard Magazine, the city has gotten more than 400 shoutouts and mentions in songs, more than any other city in the world.
Memphis was founded in 1819 on land previously inhabited by Chickasaw Indians. It lies on the Chickasaw bluffs above the Mississippi River where the borders of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee meet.
We arrived at Graceland Campground and had time to get set up and relax a bit, before our guided city tour. Memphis is the Home of the Blues. That facts come alive on our city tour aboard the nation’s only music bus.
Taylor, our guide, is a gigging band musician who plays and sings selections from the city’s rich musical heritage, while entertaining us with history, and behind-the-scenes stories of your favorite Memphis personalities.
Along the way, we saw:
Stax Museum of American Soul, which was the original home of Stax Records. In 1957, Jim Stewart founded Satellite Records, with a loan and the support from his sister Estelle Axton, the duo relocated Satellite Records to Memphis in 1959, setting up shop in an old movie theater. From this partnership, Stax Records emerged and so did its name—combining the first two letters of Stewart and Axton. The establishment of this new company marked the beginning of a transformative journey in soul music.
In Memphis, Stax Records quickly became a beacon of musical diversity, blending emerging rhythm and blues styles into a branded “Memphis Sound” of soul music that would evolve to captivate global audiences. With input from luminaries like Rufus Thomas, Stax earned a reputation as a haven for local talent. Also helping to define the label’s signature R&B sound, songwriters David Porter and Isaac Hayes scribed lyrics tailored to the Stax performers. On loan from distributor Atlantic Records, the livewire vocal duo Sam & Dave paired with Hayes and Porter with hits like “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Coming,” solidifying Stax’s place as a powerhouse of rhythm & blues music.
The label’s roster expanded to include talents like Eddie Floyd, whose anthem “Knock on Wood” became a cornerstone of Stax’s repertoire. Otis Redding, perhaps the label’s most treasured star, left an everlasting legacy with his evocative and emotive vocal performances on tunes like “These Arms of Mine” and “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” Tragically, Redding’s life, along with those of four teenage members of the Bar-Kays, was cut short in a fatal plane crash in 1967, leaving a void in the music world that could never be filled. Stax launched and supported the careers of artists such as the Staple Singers, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, Wilson Pickett, Albert King, William Bell, Eddie Floyd, Jean Knight, Mable John, and countless others including spoken word and comedy by Rev. Jesse Jackson, Moms Mabley, and Richard Pryor.
The Lorraine Motel was forever etched in America’s collective memory with the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, but even before that fateful day, the property at 450 Mulberry Street had a fascinating history in its own right. Before it was the Lorraine, it was the Marquette Hotel that catered to black clientele in segregated Memphis. Built in 1925, the
Marquette Hotel was a typical Southern hotel accessible only to whites in its early history; it was renamed the Lorraine Motel after the second floor was added. In 1945 black businessman Walter Bailey purchased the hotel, which he re-christened the Lorraine after his wife Loree and the popular jazz song, “Sweet Lorraine.” The motel became a destination for blacks and appeared in the Negro Motorists Green Book or “Green Guide,” which identified establishments that welcomed black travelers when Jim Crow restrictions offered limited options for services and lodging.
By the end of World War II, the Lorraine had become one of the few black establishments, and one of the only hotels providing accommodations to African Americans. Early guests to the Lorraine included Cab Colloway, Count Basie, and other prominent jazz musicians, in addition to later celebrities such as Roy Campanella, Nat King Cole, and Aretha Franklin. Partly because of its historical importance to the black community of Memphis, Martin Luther King chose to stay at the Lorraine during the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers strike. On April 4, 1968, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel, just a day after delivering his prophetic "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech at the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ.
Sun Studio is known worldwide as “The Birthplace of Rock’n’roll”. It is the discovery location of musical legends and genres of the 50’s from B.B. King and Elvis Presley to Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis; from Blues and Gospel to Country and Rock’n'roll. Today our goal is to spread the story of Memphis’ history and culture through the music that put Memphis on the map. Taylor told us stories of B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf and Ike Turner before Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, & Roy Orbison who were all drawn to the new Sun Sound.
We drove past Beale Street. It played a pivotal role in branding Memphis as one of the most musically rich cities in the world, and was prominent in hosting some of the first black business owners in the south. In 1841, developer Robertson Topp named the street after a Mexican-American War hero, Edward Fitzgerald Beale. After the Civil War, Beale Street became a center for Black commerce and culture. It was home to many Black-owned businesses, including the first Black church in Memphis, the Beale Street Baptist Church.
Along the high bluffs of Memphis you will find "Cotton Row." Most of the buildings of Cotton Row were constructed to meet the needs of buying and selling cotton. The Row was designed to be utilitarian instead of elaborately decorative. For example, large doors were constructed on the ground floor so cotton bales could be moved in and out easily. In its prime, the Row was full of seed and hardware stores, farming supplies, and silo companies. Cotton Row Historic District is one of the National Register-listed districts recognized (and protected) by the City of Memphis as a local historic district.
As a young man, Danny Thomas had a simple goal: to entertain people and be successful enough at it to provide for his wife and family. But work wasn’t easy to come by. As he and his family struggled, his despair grew. He wondered if he should give up on his dreams of acting or find a steady job. He turned to St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes. “Show me my way in life,” he vowed to the saint one night in a Detroit church, “and I will build you a shrine.” That prayer to St. Jude marked a pivotal moment in his life. Soon after, he began finding work, eventually becoming one of the biggest stars of radio, film and television in his day.
And as one of the world’s biggest celebrities, Danny used his fame to fulfill his vow to St. Jude and to change the lives of thousands of children and families. Danny’s shrine to St. Jude was originally to be a general children’s hospital located somewhere in the south. Danny’s mentor, Cardinal Samuel Stritch, recommended he look to Memphis, Tennessee, the cardinal’s hometown. By 1955 Danny and a group of Memphis businessmen he’d rallied to build the hospital decided it should be more than a general children’s hospital. At the time, the survival rate for childhood cancers was 20%, and for those with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) — the most common form of childhood cancer — only 4% of children would live. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital opened its doors on February 4, 1962, based on Danny's dream that "no child should die in the dawn of life." Since then, they have made incredible strides in childhood cancer research. They have helped improve the survival rate of childhood cancer from 20% to 80%. And ALL, the disease with a virtual death sentence in 1962, now has a survival rate of 94%.
Elvis Presley's early apartment in Memphis, Tennessee was at 328 Lauderdale Courts, a public housing complex located at 185 Winchester Street. The Presley family moved to Memphis in November 1948 and lived in rooming houses for almost a year before moving to Lauderdale Courts. The Presley family lived in the two-bedroom apartment from 1949 to 1953. When Elvis got a job and the money he made, pushed the family above the threshold of income to live there. Today, the apartment is available for overnight stays and includes a stack of Elvis movies in the living room and a 1950s refrigerator in the kitchen. Some say that guests are handed a parking pass with "Elvis's Guest" written on it when they check in.
Memphis is one of the birthplaces of blues music and is associated particularly with composer W.C. Handy, who immortalized the city’s Beale Street in one of his songs.
B.B. King also occupies a central place in the history of the blues in Memphis. A blues festival is held annually in August, and other events throughout the year celebrate the city’s musical heritage.
Memphis made a huge contribution to the development of soul music as well, with Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave, and Al Green being just a few of the significant soul artists who recorded in Memphis or called it home.
Also located in the city is the Memphis Rock ’n’ Soul Museum, which was developed in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution.
A park on Mud Island, in the Mississippi, includes a five-block-long scale model of the river. Located near Mud Island is the 32-story stainless-steel Pyramid Arena hosts sports events, concerts, and shows. FedEx Forum (opened 2004) houses the Grizzlies, the city’s professional basketball team.
We stopped at the Peabody Hotel, to see the ducks. How did the tradition of the ducks in The Peabody fountain begin? Back in the 1930s Frank Schutt, General Manager of The Peabody, and a friend, Chip Barwick, returned from a weekend hunting trip to Arkansas. The men had a little too much Tennessee sipping whiskey, and thought it would be funny to place some of their live duck decoys in the beautiful Peabody fountain. Three small English call ducks were selected as "guinea pigs," and the reaction was nothing short of enthusiastic. This began the Peabody tradition.
In 1940, Bellman Edward Pembroke, a former circus animal trainer, offered to help with delivering the ducks to the fountain each day and taught them the now-famous Peabody Duck March. Mr. Pembroke became Peabody Duckmaster, serving in that capacity for 50 years until his retirement in 1991. For more than 90 years after the inaugural march, the ducks can be seen in the lobby fountain daily.
We enjoyed dinner at Marlowe's. Since 1974, they have been providing the best in Memphis hospitality and BBQ to locals and visitors from around the globe.
Missy always does an awesome job with our group. The meals are always delicious and plentiful!
Memphis has also been called the birthplace of rock and roll. Elvis Presley was one of many musicians who launched careers from Memphis’s Sun Studio. After Presley’s death in 1977, his city mansion and burial site, Graceland, became a shrine (opened to the public for tours in 1982).
Sunny and 66° at 6:30 am on Tuesday the 17th. It was an excellent morning for my 261st walk of 2024. Experiences shape our lives, don't you agree?
“We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience.” – John Dewey
It was a full day at Graceland for our caravanners. First they got to see a film about Elvis.
Then they boarded the bus and went across the street to explore the personal side of Elvis Presley with an interactive iPad tour of Graceland Mansion, hosted by John Stamos and featuring commentary and stories by Elvis and his daughter, Lisa Marie.
In early 1957, Presley gave his parents, Vernon and Gladys Presley, a budget of $100,000 and asked them to find a property to purchase, with buffer space around it. At the time, Graceland was located in southern Shelby County, several miles south of Memphis's main urban area. Presley purchased Graceland on March 19, 1957, for a price of $102,500. Constructed at the top of a hill and surrounded by rolling pastures and a grove of oak trees, Graceland was designed by the Memphis architectural firm, Furbringer and Erhmanis. It's a two-story, five-bay residence in the Colonial Revival style, with a side-facing gable roof covered in asphalt shingles, a central two-story projecting portico, and two one-story wings on the north and south sides.
The Living Room is to the right of the entrance. The painting that hangs in the room was Elvis's last Christmas present from his father, Vernon. Behind an adjoined doorway is the Music Room, framed by vivid large peacocks set in stained glass.
Downstairs in the basement is the TV room, where Elvis often watched three television sets at once, and was within close reach of a wet bar.
The last room in the basement is the billiard room. The walls and ceiling were covered with 400 yards of pleated cotton fabric after the two basement rooms were remodeled in 1974. It is such a cool look, but the fabric pattern is very bold!
Presley enlarged the house to create a den known as the Jungle Room which features an indoor waterfall of cut field stone on the north wall. The room also contains items both related to and imported from the state of Hawaii because, after starring in the tropical film "Blue Hawaii."
Presley's grave, along with those of his parents Gladys and Vernon Presley, his grandmother Minnie Mae Presley, Elvis's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, and his grandson Benjamin Keough are located in the Meditation Garden next to the mansion. A memorial gravestone for Presley's stillborn twin brother, Jesse Garon, is also at the site.
Once you are done in the mansion, you can board the bus back to the more than 200,000 square foot entertainment complex featuring museums, restaurants, gift shops, and more.
I love the display of iconic performers who's outfits are located in one museum.
Also the barbie doll looking display of Elvis's jumpsuits and capes. I am sure this is just a small portion of the collection!
Each caravanner got a voucher for lunch. We enjoyed lunch at Gladys' Diner. It features classic American cuisine, including burgers, hot dogs and pizza - plus one of Elvis' favorites - Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches. I did not get that sandwich....
We ended a great day, by preparing for our move with our Travel Log Review. We also included some of the "little known facts" about the caravanners and some tips and tricks.
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