|
IT’S UP TO YOU TO GET AWAY!
Memphis, TN
George Burns once said “The secret to a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good end, and keep the two as close together as you can!” Great advice, but there are exceptions! One exception is on an extended vacation with your airplane…and you just don’t want it to end.
After having flown, or traveled, to so many vacations spots at home, as well as Europe and Asia, I decided there was still so much of our own amazing country I hadn’t been to. So, my wife and I set up an itinerary to do that. It began at home in Upstate New York, extended westerly through the northern United States, down along the California coast, and back home via the southerly route. The actual route was dictated by places we, or I, had never been to, but only read about. We planned to stay longer at places we liked, and take our time. After all, our pilot and plane wouldn’t leave without us! The plan was for about a month.
First, it included the great Cleveland, Ohio, air show, where my daughter and son in law met us. From there, we would fly to Mackinac Island, MI, again, and then along to the Dakotas, to witness the lonely plain where Col. Custer met his fate. From there to spectacular Glacier National Park, in Montana, across the Rockies to California, then southerly along the coast, where we visited my other daughter and her family.
The route home took us to historic Santa Catalina Island, across the spine of the southern Rockies, to the red rocks of beautiful Sedona, Arizona, and on to the pueblos of Santa Fe. It was at this point we had to decide whether to continue directly to the Atlantic coast or make a stop. I opened our travel book…and the decision was made. How could we pass by the City of Memphis and not stop to visit Elvis!? We booked our hotel on my laptop, fueled before departing Santa Fe, and left for one of our longest flying days…about 6 hours in the air, with a stop in Sundance, Oklahoma, for fuel (which was the cheapest fuel on the entire trip). We landed in Memphis in late afternoon, rented a car from the FBO, and made the short drive to our hotel.
Now, I don’t take my wonderful wife for granted, but there are some things a man just has to do…and eating ribs is one of them. For some strange reason though, I always equate whatever I eat, in a restaurant, with a meal that you would, or would never, eat on your first date with someone. You know, it’s the meal you order that makes you look so messy and gross that a first date would be the ONLY date you would ever have with the person! Chicken wings, corn on the cob, and ribs are right at the top of the list! Trouble is, I love them all, and here we were, in Memphis…one of the most famous rib cities of all! “Mmf. Can’t help it,” was all I could say, as I swiped layers of wonderful, tangy red barbecue sauce from my hands and face. I could watch my wife’s eyes glaze over and go blank as she transported herself back to high school. Thinking about that wonderful date she had…with someone else, that would not now look like me…perspiring from hot sauce, hands slathered in red, crumpled napkins piled all around me, and a crazy grin.
Finally, I sat back, stared at the ceiling and said, “I can’t believe I ate all that! Man, I’m starting my diet first thing tomorrow!” That brought her back to earth, as she rolled her eyes, glanced at her watch, and called the waiter over for the check.
The tour actually begins in a small plaza across the street from the home. No one is allowed to drive, or be unaccompanied, going onto the grounds of Graceland. From the plaza, tours are brought to the front of the home, by a bus, in small groups. Each group is then guided through the home and the grounds by a docent. The home, while having great curb appeal, was more modest than I expected. The history of the king of rock and roll, though, was all right here. It was a museum of Elvis, from the gold and platinum records on the walls to the fuzzy bedroom, and on to the recreation room, where Elvis spent time with his friends. Finally, we went to the quiet gravesite, next to his parents, in the rear of the yard.
It was interesting, touching, and well done. At that point, tour guests are allowed to roam freely throughout the grounds, even to climb the stairs and step inside his 2 private jets that are part of the display. Whether a fan of Presley or not, it’s a tour I would highly recommend, through the home and life of a person that made music history in this country. I would also recommend that you go on line (www.elvis.com) ahead of time to purchase your tickets. It could save a great deal of time, waiting at the gates, when you arrive.
Following the tour of Graceland, we drove into town, to the Civil Rights Museum, which we had only read about recently. The museum is built around the site of the Lorraine Motel that was the scene of the shooting of Martin Luther King, Jr., on April the 4th, in the tumultuous year of 1968. The room he was in that day is exactly as it was at the time of his assassination, and the museum across the street includes the bathroom window that the shot was fired from, allegedly by James Earl Ray. It’s an awesome depiction of a sad time in our history, and the museum is much more than we expected.
At the museum, we were especially pleased to see some history displayed of Harriet Tubman. This woman was not only a major influence in freeing the slaves prior to the Civil War, but was also a resident of our City of Auburn, New York, in the years before her death in 1913.
Depending on your location, Memphis is pretty centrally located, and easily accessible by private plane. We opted to fly into Memphis International (MEM) because of weather, as we wanted a precision approach. Turns out we didn’t need it, but the F.B.O. couldn’t have been better. Prices were reasonable, and the people were friendly and helpful. As always, if flying into a larger airport, I would call ahead to each of the available F.B.O.’s, and determine their prices for tie-down and fuel. Phone numbers are available in the AOPA Airport Directory, and costs may vary greatly from one to the other.
The City of Memphis is absolutely great…from its music, to its rich, and sometimes sad, history, to its food. If you can make it with a short flight…or even plan on a longer one to visit Memphis, do it! It really has something for everyone. For more information, log in to: www.memphistravel.com. I would warn you, though, if you love barbecue, and ribs…don’t make the trip a first date with anyone!
John Bouck lives in upstate Auburn, N. Y. He is a commercial and industrial real estate broker, licensed in New York and Florida. John flies a Cessna 210, as well as a Cessna 180 on amphibious floats. With over 2,000 hours of flight time, he holds a commercial license, with instrument rating, as well as seaplane rating, and is a CFI. He can be reached at: jcbouck@verizon.net
|
As
soon as we arrived, a giant pink Cadillac limousine was just pulling
out of the parking lot. I asked the desk clerk if someone famous
was in it, and he told us the passengers were just some of the
guests. A local famous rib joint sent a pink limo for anyone eating
at their restaurant! It wasn’t a hard decision for us. I love ribs
and my wife loves limos. As soon as we settled into our room, we
called the desk, they called the rib joint, and 45 minutes later I
had a six inch high, 15 inch long, platter of barbequed ribs! My
wife had that strange “I can’t believe it!” glare in her eyes that I
pretended I didn’t see, as I over-indulged once again.
Next
morning, we were off to Graceland. I really don’t like big crowds
and had prepared myself for wall to wall elbows at the home of the
greatest rock and roll legend of our time. I was in for a
surprise! Graceland, and the tour of Elvis Presley’s home, may be
commercial, but it was extremely well organized, super interesting,
and just plain pleasurable. 
That
evening, after a full day of history, we drove down to famous Beale
Street, for dinner. Once again, we had underestimated what to
expect in Memphis! Beale Street, in Memphis, is as famous as New
Orleans’s Bourbon Street…and just as noisy! While New Orleans is
famous for its jazz, Memphis is the home of the blues…and there are
blues bands everywhere along the street! They could be there 24
hours a day for all we knew. After dinner, when we finally got
tired of walking up and down the street (which was closed to
vehicles) and went back to our hotel, things appeared to be just
warming up on Beale! For us, though, we were winding down, and
ready to dream about our day from the comfort of a king bed.