Tupelo, Mississippi - 2

On this day we went back downtown to look at the hardware store where Elvis's mother purchased him a guitar instead of the 22 rifle Elvis wanted. This store was built in 1914 and still serves the people of Tupelo. In 1948 the place beside the hardware store was purchased and again in the 1970's another store was purchased. The original building has the hardware store in it, the second building has a mixture of Elvis stuff (lots of guitars for sale), the last building has some toys displayed in the front and yard items. The same family has owned this store since it was built in 1914 and there were a couple of them still working there that remembered Elvis.

 
 

After leaving the Hardware store we decided to go and visit the Car Museum that one of the employees from told us about. This building is about the size of a Walmart. In it they have approximately 200 cars and trucks. Some of these are on loan to the museum from individuals. I enjoyed walking up and down the aisles looking at the exhibits. I believe that Charlotte even liked it especially when she spied a car that Elvis had purchased and given away. Also in the museum on loan from an individual is the original #43 race car that Richard Petty won his 200th race in at Daytona Beach in front of president Ronald Reagan.

After the Car Museum we headed back to the RV to feed Mysti and take her for a ride in the car. We had decided to ride up the Natchez Trace Parkway for a little ways and them come back. This road is like the Blue Ridge Parkway in that its a part of the National Park system. The Trace starts in SW Mississippi and goes all the way to Nashville, Tennessee about 447 miles. Just like on the Parkway there are sites to see and trails for hiking, but the trace goes through the bottom lands and valleys instead of mountain tops. This road follows the original trail that was carved into the land by pioneers traveling by foot, horseback and wagon. In certain areas you can hike out on a trail to see the original trace trail. We stopped at one pull off and hiked up a trail for about 5 minutes to see the graves of 13 unknown Confederate soldiers buried besides the original trail. No one knows who they were, how they died or where they came from.

We drove up the Trace for about 50 miles and then decided to come back a different way instead of driving back down it. On the way back we went through a little town named Belmont in the NE corner of Mississippi. As we were driving through we saw a big warehouse with RVs all around it and found out that this is where Tiffin Motorhomes does the painting of all their motorhomes. In case you're not aware, Tiffin is one of the best builders of Motorhomes and tops in customer service.

We got back, fed Mysti and decided to go out to eat. We ended up eating at a restaurant called Harvey's. The food was delicious and we left stuffed. When we got back to the RV Charlotte checked the weather for the rest of the night and the next day. It didn't look good, weather was calling for severe thunderstorms in the morning. Charlotte suggested that we get up early and leave before the storms hit. When I got up off the floor from the shock of her saying that, we started getting things ready for early departure the next morning.

More to follow!






























































































































 

Tupelo, Mississippi

We had 2 days in which to explore Tupelo. We started off by going to Elvis's Birthplace where they now have a small museum, mediation chapel along with the house he was born in and the church that he attended growing up in Tupelo. We really enjoyed going through the complex and seeing the house, church and various items on display in the museum. One thing we both learned during our visit was in 1957 Elvis was asked to come back to Tupelo and do a concert at the Tupelo Fair Grounds. While in Tupelo he went by the home where he was born and noticed that it was for sale. Elvis visited with the officials of Tupelo and struck a deal with them in that he would donate the proceeds from the concert back to the City Of Tupelo so that the house and 13 acres would be developed into a park for the neighborhood children. Just another example of Elvis' generosity that is missed by so many people.  The house where he was born stands in the original spot and has been restored to its original condition, decorated with furniture from that time period. Later on the actual building where Elvis attended church was moved to this location and became a part of the "Elvis Presley Birthplace Park". It was in this church that Elvis was first exposed to Gospel music and also where he learned to play the guitar and sing. As you leave the area the last thing they have for you to see is a replica of a 1939 green Plymouth sedan that the Presley family drove to Memphis when they left Tupelo, Mississippi in 1948 looking for a better way of life.

This home was built by Vernon, his Dad and brother with $180.00 borrowed from his employer, they were share croppers.
1) Back of the house
2) Ken and Charlotte in the swing on porch
3) Front of the house

 We were told that the Presley's did not have wallpaper but had used newspaper and a flour/water mix to insulate the home. 

 

 

After our visit to Elvis's Birthplace we went downtown and stopped at St Jeans Bakery & Cafe for lunch. What a nice surprise! We enjoyed our meal but most of all, the dessert!!! Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Iced cake in honor of the Elvis!!!  As we were finishing our deserts it started to rain, then thunder and lighting and then it really started to rain. After waiting a little while we made a dash for the car. By the time we got to the car and inside we both were drenched, so we decided to call it a day and headed back to the RV. The rain had settled in for the rest of the evening and so did we.

 

 

More to follow!

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leaving Memphis and headed to Tupelo, Mississippi

I got up around the same time I usually get up.  After a cup of coffee I went outside and hooked the car up so that would be out of the way. After getting it all ready to tow I stowed the chairs under our RV and went back inside. Mysti greeted me when I came in so I took her for a walk so she could do her business. When we came back Charlotte was stirring, so while she showered I fed Mysti. When she was done and dressed we had some fruit for breakfast. When I had taken my showed and dressed Charlotte decided to do one more load of washing and everything we had would be clean. While she was washing and drying our laundry Mysti and I went for a long walk down by the river. In about 45 minutes Charlotte had washed and dried our clothes so all we had to do was bring in the slides, dump the waste, stow the water hose, disconnect the electricity and we were on our way.

The trip to Tupelo, Mississippi shouldn't take much more then 2 hours so we won't be rushed. We knew that we were going to have to endure traveling on some bad roads as we left the area. There are some roads in Memphis and West Memphis that could really use some repairs and there aren't the back roads, but I40, I55 and I240. Seems like they just ignore them until they get so bad they come out and lay a piece of steel plating about 4' x 8' x 2" over the hole instead of making the repairs.

After about 30 minutes of driving we were on a good road headed to Tupelo. In about 1 1/2 hours we were pulling into "Campground at Barnes Crossing" the place we were going to spend the next 3 nights.

After we got set up we decided to drive around and explore Tupelo. Of course the first thing Charlotte wanted to do was check out the mall. They have a beautiful Mall and it's very big. We walked around, checked out some stores and Charlotte ended up buying a little something. (This is the first Mall I have been in since leaving Brandon needed a fix!!!!-Charlotte) On our way to downtown we came across the area where they had a tornado touch down in April 2014. Most of the buildings are still there as they are working to clean up the damage.

After we reached downtown we drove over to see the house where Elvis Presley was born. We found it without any problems and decided we would visit it tomorrow as it had already closed for the day. On our way back we stopped by a pizza restaurant called "The Lost Pizza Co". We split a large garden salad and a small pizza. his was the first pizza we've had since we left home and boy was it good. We left felling good, not stuffed, but just right. We stopped by Walmart on the way to the campground, When we got back Mysti was ready for her supper. After this we both just relaxed and waited for the rain to stop before going to bed.

More to follow!

Our Last Day in Memphis

I awoke this morning to the sound of our awning being beaten around by the wind. I hurriedly dressed and went outside to take the awning in. Overnight the wind had picked up and the Weather channel said Memphis was going to have steady winds about 15mph with gust occasionally reaching 25mph. I got the awning down and went inside to make me some coffee.

Charlotte got up and I wished her a Happy Birthday, Mysti gave her a lick ( guess that was her Happy Birthday ). I had been asking Charlotte what she wanted to do and where she would like to eat for her birthday. She said she would like to go to Corkys BBQ and try their ribs, Last year when she and the Renowned Ravishing Ladies were in Memphis for the Elvis Festival they had eaten there and she remembered that they were good. OK, Corky's it is!!!

I had a few things to do and Charlotte wanted to wash a load of clothes before we went anywhere. After we got our chores done and we had both taken showers it was time to head over to Corkys BBQ. When we got directions for them we found out they were about 25 miles away. That's no problem as we're not on a schedule, so off we went.

When we arrived at Corkys the parking lot was full so we drove around to the back and I got the last space. Also, we noted that they have a drive through window and a sign saying they would ship their ribs anywhere!

When we went inside we were greeted as we came through the door and shown to our table. In a few minutes our server was bring us un-sweet ice tea with lots of lemons. We order a 1/2 of an onion loaf to get started. When it came it had some great sauce to dip it in, it had a little smokey flavor to it. We ordered a rack of ribs to be shared by us, with slaw, beans and little rolls. Our waitress asked how we wanted them so I said I want mine with sauce and Charlotte wanted her half dry. In a little while we were looking at a plate of some good looking ribs!!

 

 

 

 

 

As we started to cut the ribs apart they just came apart. The bones just came right out of the ribs leaving nothing but meat, both the dry rub ones Charlotte had and mine which had the sauce on them. Now this was what we had been searching for!!!!. Each bite was as good as the first bite, the coleslaw tasted like coleslaw and the beans were just as good. At the end we both wished there was a Corkys close to us, but realized that could really be a mistake ( for the waist ). When we had finished there was only one more thing to try, either the pecan pie or the banana pudding. We decided to split a banana pudding and it was some of the best we've had. When we first sit down at the table Charlotte asked if they did anything special for birthdays and they said no. When our waitress brought the bill she had a small bottle of their BBQ sauce for Charlotte as a birthday present. This day turned into a wonderful Birthday for Charlotte. (Now that's the ribs I'm talking about!!! Expectation EXCEEDED)

 

What a wonderful husband I have he knows how to treat a lady on her birthday!!! (Charlotte)

 

 

If in the Memphis area we both highly recommend you eat at Corkys for the best BBQ in Memphis ( in our opinion )

 

 

When we left the restaurant we had to run by a Walmart to get some item to fix Mysti's food for the next few days. When this was finished we returned to the campground and just rested, no energy to do anything after that meal.

 

Tomorrow we leave Memphis and head to Tupelo Mississippi for 3 days.

 

 

 

More to follow!