Wednesday June 29, 2011

Lord Almighty I feel the temperature rising....…..the more I drive the hotter it gets. Last night was very warm sleeping inside the camper. It was uncomfortable and it will probably be the last night without the air conditioning.

Had a great truck stop shower and headed to Graceland, the home of the King. So far, Graceland was the highlight of the trip. Toured the house, his cars, and his airplane. What struck me the most was the 70’s décor everywhere. The dark rooms, dark furniture, and shag carpets were so 70’s. It reminded me of the décor of houses I entered as a kid. Elvis was indeed the King. He had his hand in music and film, had some extravagant outfits and was the ultimate giver. His generosity and appreciation to his fans had few limits. He gave to everyone; every municipality in Memphis benefited from his generosity. He gave cars and money to total strangers. He even donated a million dollars to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

At the end of the tour, next to the swimming pool, were the graves of Elvis’ parents and the flame marking the grave of the King himself. On the bottom of the gravestone was the logo that could be found everywhere from the tail wing on his plane to the ring on his finger…..the TCB with the lightning bolt…..Taking Care of Business.

Disturbing to me was the fact that nobody tried to help him when he needed it most. He died alone at Graceland in much the same way that Michael Jackson did. So much power and so many resources but no one with a brain to help them in need……sad really.

Next stop, a tour of the Gibson guitar factory in Memphis. It was only ok. The machines were loud and the speaker was underpowered. I probably only caught half of what he said. If I had the script I know I would have done a better job. The dude just couldn’t project……

The actual process of making the guitars was very interesting, including the painting, buffing, and adding on of all the electronic bits as well as testing it at the end. A walk up and down Beal Street in Memphis concluded the visit.

Two and a half hours later I was checking state number forty four off the list, in Shreveport Louisiana. Walked to a couple of casinos filled with southern degenerates and on the way back to the truck was startled to find the branches of five large trees bending under the weight of a million swallows. The were wild and noisy…..

Used the generator overnight to keep the camper cool…..it was still in the 90’s well after midnight. The AC was lovely and amazing!