Graceland28 Dec 2017
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It was a cold but gorgeous morning in Decatur when I left...
The tiny sign in the distance welcomes me to Mississippi.
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| You guessed it. I went to Graceland. I'd visited Graceland some 25 years ago when Caryn, a good friend of mine, and I drove across country to meet her husband in DC. They'd been transferred and she didn't want to drive it. Would I do it? You bet! Anyway, we stopped and toured Elvis' Memphis home on that trip and I had the obligatory grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich - Elvis' favorite. The weather was good and it was a fun stop. Well, my visit this time was not nearly so fun. It could have been if the people-movers had been more organized and the temperature had been way above the 24 degrees (lower with the wind chill) we had to stand and wait in for 37 minutes! It took me hours after I got home to thaw out. The house hadn't changed that I noticed, but all the gold and platinum records, awards, and his glittering over-the-top outfits in an adjoining building were gone and other memorabilia had taken their place. I took the cheapest tour, $41 plus $10 to park, but they had other, more expensive tours and I imagine those goodies and more can be found on the VIP tours. It was warm in the "mansion" and it was fun seeing Elvis' world again. I've always liked him, but was never an ardent fan. However, he is the only celebrity featured in one of my dreams! I was fifteen years old and I dreamt he kissed me and asked me to go steady. It's also one of the few dreams I remember. I guess that means something. Across the street, the complex has grown exponentially. Besides the huge ticket/lobby area and much bigger cafes/restaurants and new buildings housing VIP tour stuff, the "Guest House" across the street is new. I should have taken a picture of it...wasn't thinking. Next door to Graceland, the Guest House is an enormous and very impressive hotel. All part of the Elvis conglomerate. I thought I noticed one change outside Graceland, but questioned if my memory had failed. When I got home I found a picture on the internet which verifies I haven't lost that memory yet. I have none of the 1992 photos with me. Anyway, that was yesterday. I was going to leave today and head to Mansfield, Missouri (Laura Ingalls Wilder's home for the last 50+ years of her life) for the night and then Coffeyville, Kansas, for the weekend. I was really looking forward to it as I was going to meet up with three ladies in Coffeyville with whom I worked at Amazon in '13 and '14. They were Amazon full timers and live locally. Instead, I spent hours on the computer trying to figure out how I could arrive in Chanute, Kansas, on Tuesday while avoiding zero degree weather over the weekend. It's been cold since I left Nashville, but this weekend is going to be REALLY COLD. I ended up deciding to stay here another night and leave early tomorrow for Tulsa. It'll be the longest day on the road (the most miles, anyway) that I've ever done pulling the 5th wheel. It'll go down to 8 degrees one night in Tulsa, but it's my 'warmest' solution without creating a southern tour or cancelling the appointment in Chanute - the reason for this years' Adventureland and Amazon gigs. I checked weather.com for multiple possibilities for destinations and I figured I'd have to face the enemy no matter where I landed, so I just tried to make it as bearable as possible. This is not the fun part of RVing that's for sure. But I guess days like this are what make good days so extraordinary. Because when it's good, it is indeed very good. I look forward to seeing a few of those days on the way home to California. Right now I'm just looking forward to making it to Tuesday. Yes, I had a grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich at Gladys' Cafe before I left. |
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