Elvis, Elmwood, and A&R--February 1

We decide that it is finally time to put water in the RV. Once done we head for Graceland, just next door to where we are parked. It’s not really Elvis Presley RV Park; it’s Graceland RV Park. We could walk to Gracland, if we wished.

We opt for the Platinum Ticket—no pikers, we. It gets us into 6 different venues rather than just the mansion. We bypass the picture opportunity, get our audio guides, and board the bus to go across the street. The tour is done at your own pace; nice. You can move through as quickly or as slowly as you wish. It’s all downstairs, which consists of living room, parents’ bedroom, dining room, kitchen, basement rec rooms, and the jungle room. “The upstairs was Elvis’ private area and we wish to respect his privacy.” The house was called Graceland when he purchased it at 22; at that time it was out in the country. No more. He added on the Jungle Room but in all it is a pretty modest abode, by comparison with what we read about today. Vernon’s office behind the house, the trophy room with yards and yards of gold records and costumes, and the racquetball court are part of the mansion tour. It’s pretty tacky with shag carpet on the walls and ceiling of the jungle room, lots of stained glass and glitter. But somehow you can picture Elvis in these spaces. Boy, did he love mirrors—ceiling, walls, no floors, though. The graves of Elvis, his parents, and his grandmother are also part of this tour. I had read that his middle name was Aron (thanks, crossword puzzles), but the gravestone says ‘Aaron’. Turns out that he thought it WAS Aron but his birth certificate says Aaron. His death certificate says Aron, which led many people to claim that the ‘real’ Elvis hadn’t died.

We also tour the Lisa Marie, the airplane he bought and outfitted for a million dollars. It features a living room, study/bedroom, Elvis’ bedroom, and 2 half baths. Not too shabby. He kept a pilot and crew on call 24 hours a day and once flew to Colorado so Lisa Marie could play in the snow for 15 minutes. He also flew a group to Denver for peanut butter sandwiches.

Roadfood.com recommended A&R for Memphis barbecue; their slogan, “Anybody can take the heat 2 the meat, but only a few can barbecue.” In true Memphis fashion, it comes with slaw on it, but we get a side of slaw anyway. Good barbecue, but Hecky’s is better.

Last stop in Memphis, Elmwood Cemetery. It is noted for its 4 sections: Confederate, Union, black, and white. It is one of thoese arboretum cemeteries with huge old trees and huge old monuments. Lessons learned: don’t try to take an 11’ RV into an old cemetery with overhanging trees. We try to follow the audio tour route (without the audio tour), figuring it was the most interesting but the trees do us in. We think we find a gypsy section because one of the gravestones has this 4 foot high drawing of gypsy caravans and a camp on it. We give up and head for Columbus, MS.

Ms Garmin is talking to us again, thanks to my update last night. My Mac is recharged. The sun is out. It is 60 degrees. Life is good. Once in Columbus, we look for a place to watch the Super Bowl. It is Club 509 on Main St, advertising 2 for 1 beers. Mississippi only allows beer sales on Sunday if you are a bar and not a resort. 509 has a tapas menu, perfect for watching the Super Bowl, and only 3 tables of watchers. And, hey, they have the 3D glasses so we can watch the half time commercial. What more could you ask for?