The end of day 1 of the cross country trip found us in Memphis. After 9 hours of driving, the opportunity to tour the city was brief.
No stop in Memphis is complete without going by Graceland.
Memphis – August 2021 – A Couple of Hours Around Town
Tag: Memphis
Signs of Change Across America – August 2021
After an entire lifetime of living in the east, life has dealt us a curveball, resulting in us relocating from Ohio to Arizona. We took the opportunity to take a bit extra time during the 2000 mile move to stop and see a few sights along the way. Some of the more extended stops will have their own posting.
Let’s start by leaving Columbus
Time to head west.
First state – Kentucky
Our first stretch break was south of Louisville at Bernheim Arboretum. In addition to the natural scenery there were many sculptures.
After a very long drive across much of Kentucky, we reached the Tennessee border in the far northwestern corner of the state.
It was on to Memphis for the night. We saw enough sights in our brief visit to Memphis to warrant it’s own posting.
The next day started with a drive across the Mississippi River into Arkansas
After extended stops in Little Rock and Hot Springs (postings follow this one), we found ourselves near the small town of Murfreesboro at the Crater of Diamonds State Park. This park is known for being an open diamond ‘mine’ where you pay $10 and are welcome to go dig around for diamonds.
The park has a sign detailing recent and records finds – each day someone find small diamonds, and every once in a while a big find is made.
We did not strike it rich so we continued west, passing Texarkana, which as the name suggests is on the Texas/Arkansas border.
Our last brief stop of the day was in Sulphur Springs, Texas. Their very nice courthouse square has a public restroom with one way mirrors, so you can ‘take care of business’ while watching the world go by 🙂
A couple more hours lead to a great sunset while arriving in Dallas.
The next morning started out across West Texas, passing the town of Cisco (must be where they got the name of the company)
Our first extended stop of the day was in Abilene (posting to follow).
Texans are very proud of their home.
The drive across Texas continued, passing wind turbines then oil derricks.
After 575 mile we were through Texas (or so we though…), arriving in Hobbs, New Mexico.
Eastern New Mexico was still oil country but it quickly transitioned to the mountains. The peak of our trip was in Cloudcroft, New Mexico.
After dropping more than 4000 feet we arrived in Alamogordo, home to White Sands National Park (individual posting later).
The plan was to drive the 70 miles to Las Cruces for the night but there was a landslide, resulting in a detour adding an addition 50 miles, resulting us ending up back in Texas (briefly) again.
Eventually we made it to Las Cruces, and the next morning started on the literal home stretch.
After 2000 miles we have reached our new home state! With this move we have a fantastic opportunity for new sights and experiences, so stay tuned….
Virtual Travel – Tennessee
Welcome to Tennessee.
State Capital & History
1958 1974 1977 1978 1993 2008 2015 2017
Nashville is the state capital, with the capitol building dating from 1859.
State Symbols – Tennessee is the ‘leader in the clubhouse’ with over 60 state symbols, including 10 state songs and 3 state trees. Among the most unusual are:
State Cowboy Poet Laureate – David Nelson. A 16 paragraph resolution has identified David ‘Buffalo Bill’ Nelson, a humorist and performer the State Cowboy Poet Laureate.
The State Bicentennial Rap Song.
TENNE-, TENNE-, TENNES-SEE!
Oh, how proud we are of thee!
Volunteer State since 1812 –
Glad our fathers picked here to dwell!
Presidents, Presidents – proud are we!
Jackson, Polk, and Johnson – three!
Crockett, Forrest, and John Sevier;
Alvin York and Hull lived here!
Baker, Gores, and Kefauver,
Served our country with honor!
U.T., Memphis and Vandy U.,
Tennessee Tech and Sewanee, too!
Appalachian Mountains, mountains high –
Reaching up in the smoky sky!
Tennessee River, flowing through –
We will cross near the Choo Choo!
Dollywood and Walking Horse Show!
Opryland and the Opry Show!
Whisky, whisky – sipping smooth –
Moon, Moon Pies and Goo Goo Goos!
Reelfoot Lake and cotton fields,
Natchez Trace and Civil War fields!
Mocking birds and raccoons grow,
And tulip poplars and iris show!
Bessie Smith and Memphis blues –
W.C. Handy and Elvis, too!
Eastman, Oak Ridge, and TVA –
Nissan, Saturn, and Country Music pay!
Chickasaw, Sequoyah, and Cherokee –
Cumberland Plateau and Mississippi!
BIRTHDAY WISHES ON 200 YEARS –
GIVE TENNESSEE A BIG, BIG CHEER!
As most people know Nashville is the center of country music,, with many tributes and landmarks around the city celebrating this history.
Memphis – Tennessee’s largest city, and one of the home of the Blues. (All Memphis photos from the internet)
Graceland – Elvis’s home.
Bridges & Bi-ways
1972 – Reelfoot Lake 1988 1993 2001 – TN Highway 96 Double Arch Bridge – Natchez Trace Parkway 2002 – Nashville Speedway and Stones River
Travelling about the Tennessee countryside reveals some unique and quirky sights.
Lane Motor Museum in Nashville has a great collection of micro cars.
Beech Aircraft Museum in Tullahoma has a fantastic collection of aircraft.
Mountain Roads
1979 1981 – Lookout Mountain 1993 1994 1995 – Greay Creek Bridge on State Route 40 Polk County 2000 2003
Central Tennessee is home to numerous waterfalls.
Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Home to some of the tallest mountains in the east, this park was dedicated in 1940. It was created in response to the clear cut logging that was occurring, destroying the area. (Photos from Pintrest)
Flowery Tennessee
1985 1989 1999 – First Lady Promoting Wildflowers along Freeways 2000 – Cerobala Skyway 2005 2007 – Tennessee State Flower 2011 2013
The Tennessee State Flower – the Iris. (photos from internet)
Nashville’s Cheekwood Botanical Gardens (photos from Pintrest)
Roane Mountain near Asheville is home to the largest Rhododendron Garden in the world. (photos from Pintrest)
RDZ Photography 