Memphis + Music City
January 31, 2017
Tennessee, USA
Howdy Y'all and welcome to God's Country- aka Tennessee
First stop, Memphis. As usual we strapped on our tennis shoes and wandered down the crick in search of adventure. We have found that this form of exploring is the most efficient. It kills so many birds with just one stone. Exercise, sight seeing, meeting locals, scoping out the surroundings, winder (window) shopping, tuckering out the dogs.... and the list goes on and on. We walk an outrageous number of miles each day (~8-10/day) and that combined with the inconvenience of not having a shower readily available is son of gun. So we headed downtown for a quick yoga session and a rinse but unfortunately realized too late that the studio did not have a shower. Oh well, what can you do? We ended up down the street at the YMCA, finally had a hot shower and were ready to take in everything that Memphis had to offer.
The Grizzly Riverwalk Trail was really close to the Bass Pro Shop that we were camping at, so it ended up being a place that we frequented. We liked it because it was always busy, and was a great place to meet locals and see the huge Mississippi River. There are river boat tours, families out and about, an ice skating rink and it just seemed like the place to be. If you take the trail far enough it leads to the Harahan Bridge which is the longest pedestrian bridge across the Mississippi and takes you right into Arkansas.
We spent a day taking in the sights in downtown Memphis. The whole area is packed with historic restaurants, recording studios and bars but perhaps the most iconic museum is the Lorainne Motel. This is the home of the Civil Rights Museum and the sight of Martin Luther King Jr's assassination in 1968. After learning more about his efforts and the influence he had politics, equality and his overall legacy I felt empowered - like anything was possible. This moment alone made the trip to Memphis feel worth it. It was very powerful and I recommend seeing it if you're able to.
Just walking downtown you can learn so much about the music scene there all those years ago. There are celebrity "stars" all along the sidewalk in front of the Orpheum Theatre which was used to house big acts as well as off Broadway shows and traveling productions. Beale Street feels a little bit like New Orleans, but in a cleaner, less congested way. There are record stores, Elvis memoribilia, BB Kings restaurant and tons of places claiming to have the best bbq in town. We got several suggestions from people but ended up at Blue's City Cafe after talking with the bar tender on the street. They were known for the Food Network Featured ribs - so we had to try them. They lived up to the hype!
We had pretty good luck with strangers in Memphis because we also ran into a guy that offered us two tickets to the University of Memphis vs UCF Men's Basketball game at the FedEx forum. It's also the Memphis Grizzlies home court. Brit was pretty sure we were going to get arrested for using scalped tickets but we got in just fine and it was a really cool thing to see. I haven't had a chance to watch many sporting events on this trip so it was good to see something live.
Visiting Memphis overall was very cold but I was really satisfied with all of the people we met and the things we saw. After leaving we learned that it was one of the most violent weekends they had in the city in a while and we were glad that we got out of there safely.
The Grizzly Riverwalk Trail was really close to the Bass Pro Shop that we were camping at, so it ended up being a place that we frequented. We liked it because it was always busy, and was a great place to meet locals and see the huge Mississippi River. There are river boat tours, families out and about, an ice skating rink and it just seemed like the place to be. If you take the trail far enough it leads to the Harahan Bridge which is the longest pedestrian bridge across the Mississippi and takes you right into Arkansas.
We spent a day taking in the sights in downtown Memphis. The whole area is packed with historic restaurants, recording studios and bars but perhaps the most iconic museum is the Lorainne Motel. This is the home of the Civil Rights Museum and the sight of Martin Luther King Jr's assassination in 1968. After learning more about his efforts and the influence he had politics, equality and his overall legacy I felt empowered - like anything was possible. This moment alone made the trip to Memphis feel worth it. It was very powerful and I recommend seeing it if you're able to.
Just walking downtown you can learn so much about the music scene there all those years ago. There are celebrity "stars" all along the sidewalk in front of the Orpheum Theatre which was used to house big acts as well as off Broadway shows and traveling productions. Beale Street feels a little bit like New Orleans, but in a cleaner, less congested way. There are record stores, Elvis memoribilia, BB Kings restaurant and tons of places claiming to have the best bbq in town. We got several suggestions from people but ended up at Blue's City Cafe after talking with the bar tender on the street. They were known for the Food Network Featured ribs - so we had to try them. They lived up to the hype!
We had pretty good luck with strangers in Memphis because we also ran into a guy that offered us two tickets to the University of Memphis vs UCF Men's Basketball game at the FedEx forum. It's also the Memphis Grizzlies home court. Brit was pretty sure we were going to get arrested for using scalped tickets but we got in just fine and it was a really cool thing to see. I haven't had a chance to watch many sporting events on this trip so it was good to see something live.
Visiting Memphis overall was very cold but I was really satisfied with all of the people we met and the things we saw. After leaving we learned that it was one of the most violent weekends they had in the city in a while and we were glad that we got out of there safely.
Next stop, Nashville.... Or at least thats what we thought. After driving west on highway 40 and not being in any sort of hurry, we decided to make a pit stop at at the states largest vineyard in the small town of Humboldt. After finding the perfect parking spot to setup shop for the night, we let the pups roam the open space before we made our way inside. The winery's very kind and lovely owner (former Miss Tennessee) was very inviting. The combination of the small town feel and Italian architecture was right up our alley. So we ended up spending the evening learning everything about wine culture and enjoyed a wine tasting. We even indulged in some port that went swimmingly with chocolate. To cap it off we ventured through the vineyard and watched the sunset over the hills of Tennessee. Britney probably thinks that I am the most cheesy romantic guy in the world and hey, I agree.
After an evening in Humboldt we woke up refreshed. Nashville was only a few hours away and made for just enough time to plan out the next couple of days. With a loose plan in our pocket of activities to do and things to see, Britney was super excited to finally arrive. I on the other hand was less thrilled and I'm not quite sure why. I think that traveling into cities with dogs and finding the right place to park stresses me out and puts me in a weird state of mind. But putting those thoughts on the back burner, we bundled up and hit the cold streets. Seeing everything on Broadway from the Jonny Cash Museum to the iconic Tooties Bar, we quickly toured the city within an afternoon. We stopped into a boot shop to try on some hats and boots and then made our way down the row to some bars to listen to some live music. We stopped into a few places but Brit had forgotten her ID in the van so she had two big black X's on her hands making it harder to stick around for drinks. On our way out of the city we were stopped by a tv producer and were asked to participate in a short segment for Gabriel Iglesias' "Fluffy Breaks Even". It was really awkward and Britney hopes that we don't make it into the final edit. We had plans to continue the site seeing and activities the following day but we woke up and weren't really feeling like heading back into town. I guess that once you've seen two country bars you've seen them all but that might just be us. The way that we are traveling makes it harder to enjoy the bar/ party scene in most places. Its not usually a problem as that isn't our biggest priority anyway but this time Brit was a little bummed.
Next stop....... somewhere in between Nashville and Louisville.
-Blake
Homochitto National Forest + Jackson + Oxford // A Week in Mississippi
January 29, 2017
Mississippi, USA
Mississippi! Does anyone else spell it in their head every time they say it? There is also a line from FRIENDS where Phoebe says "Mississipete" and that plays in my head too, but anyway!
After New Orleans we really wanted to spend a few days in the woods. Blake had done some research and found a park called Homochitto National Forest that had full hookups for just $13 a night which is almost un heard of so we were sold. The drive there from New Orleans was really pretty and I was getting excited about taking a hot shower - it's the little things.
Once we got there, we set up camp and really sank in. The weather was perfect - a little rainy but otherwise warm. Cloudy days are a red heads best friend, so Blake was doing as many outdoor activities as he could squeeze into each day. We would wake up most mornings and go for a walk before relaxing, making breakfast and catching up with our favorite PBS cooking show personalities... (We really have turned into 75 year olds). The campground we were at felt like a summer camp and once the weekend rolled around there were a lot of other people and families that showed up. There was a lake with a hiking trail and lots of little benches and gazebos to lounge around on. We asked the host for a hiking map of the area and she gave us one while rambling on about 100 other things. She was really chatty so I was only half listening while figuring out where our hike would start. There was a 10 mile trail nearby that we really wanted to do so we woke up early the next day, packed up and headed out. About a mile in I started hearing gun shots and then remembered that one of the things the host said was "be really careful out in the woods - it's prime huntin season and those dogs will blend in." Blake played it cool and acted like he thought it was still fine until we stumbled on an actual hunting camp where a guy said that he didn't recommend we continue. Oh well! We ended up walking the road and wandered out of the park a ways. It was still a fun day despite our plans being derailed a bit. We spent the next few days working out, paddle boarding, long boarding and just enjoying the quiet.
When we left Homochitto we headed toward Jackson! I wasn't really sure what to expect because all I knew about it came from an episode of that Antony Bourdain show and the 36 hour book we have - neither of which painted a great picture. But we were pleasantly surprised! We parked in a cute little neighborhood called Belhaven where the houses are adorable while also looking a bit neglected. It sounds like a strange combo and it is, but it works. Charm all around! Our first stop was the home of Pulitzer Prize winning author Eudora Welty. It's an iconic little piece of the cities history right across from a college campus which makes the whole area feel homey. We wandered around for quite a while before hopping back in the car and moving to the next neighborhood that the book recommended called Fondren Corner. It was a trendy area of town that you can tell has done a lot of growing in the last few years. They have cool new stores with design centers, cafes, and restaurants as well as an all organic co-op and clothing stores. There are some underground bars in this area as well that looked like a good time if we had been there on a weekend. We had to stop by the diner that they filmed a few scenes of the movie The Help in. They said that they had the "best malts in the South" but I didn't taste test since I had already had "the best popsicle in the South." I had an image in my head of Jackson being a run down, slightly sketchy town and I ended up feeling the opposite about it! Not exactly a vacation destination but a nice place to visit if you're around.
Oxford was next on our list and probably the part of Mississippi that I was most excited about. Seriously, just move me in to one of those sorority houses right now. I'm fascinated by the college culture in the South because there is so much tradition and pomp and circumstance and being there made me even more curious. We walked around Ole' Miss the first day we were there and it's not as big of a campus as I thought it would be, but you can tell they have a lot of pride! The town square was really cute and it reminded me of the show Hart of Dixie. Did any of you watch that? It was stupid but I got a little wrapped up.. southern charm just gets me.
If you go you also have to check out William Faulkner's home. It was so pretty and well taken care of. I am a little embarrassed to say that I have never read any of his very famous works but it was still really cool to see. The property is beautiful and has these huge Oak trees lining the walk way and the prettiest Magnolia trees scattered around the rest of the property. It was a nice place to wander around and one of my friends told us that it's also a tradition there to take a shot of whiskey at his grave site! We didn't get around to it but I did float the idea.
We didn't luck out with the weather unfortunately - that seems to be a reoccurring thing for us, but it was really rainy while we were there. The next day it rained from sun up to sun down and we tried to make the best of it. We are kind of limited with indoor activities because of the dogs so we sucked it up and put on our rain gear and went for a walk. After those 10 miles and my workout afterward it ended up being a 15 mile day for me and I was freezing! I guess it was better than being cooped up in the van watching Judge Judy all day though (I've done that before and you don't feel great afterward - it also makes Blake extra sassy because he starts to channel Judy.)
One thing we try to do in most cities that we spend time in is turn one night into a date night and experience a few different restaurants or bars. The night we were there we started out at The Blind Pig. It kind of reminded us of our favorite bar in Fort Collins so it was fun and we just sat and had a few beers before walking to a nearby hotel called The Graduate. It was the cutest hotel I have ever been in! Pink wood floors and gold accents - my dream. We headed up to their rooftop bar and listened to some live music while scarfing queso. At this point it was pretty late and our options were limited so we tried a place called Venice Pizza Co. It turned out to be a chain which was sad but the pizza really was so delicious.
The following morning back at the park - we were walking around wondering if every old guy we passed was Archie Manning (one of them really may have been) when this couple stopped us to chat about our RV. This is Blake's favorite thing. He loves meeting new people and its even better when they're older and have questions for him - he could talk all day and I think it reminds him of his old boss Darrell that he talks about all the time. But! They told us about this cute town not too far from Oxford called Water Valley. They said it was a must see and since we weren't in a hurry to get anywhere we thought we would add it to the list. It was so small that you could walk the whole main street in 5 minutes but it was sort of like stepping back in time. They had a little grocery store/market that sold local veggies and honey and had a little food counter inside where you could order soup or casseroles to go. There were kids running around with ice cream cones and riding scooters - it just felt like a nice, slow, small town Friday afternoon. I don't know if I would recommend going out of your way to see it but it was cute. If you're a lover of old victorian homes then it might be right up your alley!
We spent a whole week in Mississippi which was longer than we expected and we really had so much fun there. If the humidity in the summers wouldn't kick our asses then it may have been on the list of potential places to move - but I would never have a good hair day again and Blake would sweat through a new shirt every hour - so, we're moving on!
Next up is Tennessee!
- Brit
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