From Texas we headed North to get some scheduled work done on the trailer and coach. It was a sprint to get there, but we did pass through Memphis and stayed long enough to get in a couple of sites.
We stayed at the Tom Sawyer RV Park in West Memphis. It is right on the Mississippi river which provided some entertainment watching the barges work the river. The river was very strong while we were there and those ships were burning a lot of diesel going upstream. I was able to chase down some of them in the Kitfox.
Trivia question..... what was the worst maritime disaster in US history? No, not the Titanic. It was the steamship Sultana that exploded just north of Memphis due to a boiler malfunction. About 2500 died. They were primarily Union soldiers who were returning home after surviving Confederate prison camps. President Lincoln was killed that same week and the country was numb to large casualty counts, so the entire event went mostly unnoticed.
A short drive across the river brought us to the most impressive Bass Pro Shop ever. It was built in what used to be a hotel. Even if you have never fished in your life this is worth stopping in to see. It has a hotel, restaurants, a bowling alley, lots of dead animals, aquariums with live fish and a ride to the top for a spectacular view of Memphis (line was too long, we passed).
And of course when in Memphis a call on Graceland is required. Not sure if it was Covid, the heat or just a lot of Elvis fans passing away, but it was not crowded at all. There is a significant facility across the street from the actual Graceland home that houses all kinds of Elvis memorabilia. Cars, outfits, gold records were all on display. As we walked around we had to wonder how long the Elvis mystique would continue to draw crowds. Hopefully they will pick up a younger audience to continue to fill the tour groups.
And then it was off to Northern Indiana to drop the trailer off at InTech for repair. We also took the coach to Spartan in central Michigan to investigate some issues that had come up.
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