Roadtrip Day 1: A little bit country & a little bit rock’n'roll – with a side of slaw
Dallas — Little Rock – Memphis – Nashville
Well on part one of this four-legged journey we managed to accomplish our overzealous plan of stopping over in both Little Rock and Memphis before calling it quits in Nashville for the night. To fit it all in, however, required waking up at 4:15am and being on the road by 5am — and 15 hours later we pulled into the parking lot of our hotel…
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The day began as any roadtrip probably should: In utter darkness… & in the rain.
We finally had the luxury of packing a car -- albeit a small one -- for college.
The sun finally came up on the horizon about 3 hours in, as we crossed Texarkana into Arkansas and headed to our first official stop: the Clinton Presidential Library & Museum in Little Rock, AR. This was on Anna’s “must-see” list, and it was really very interesting – though it’s one of those museums where there is too much information to fully process all in one go. Personal favorite, of course: the temporary exhibit on Haiti and all the projects Clinton has been involved in there – both during his presidency and now through the Clinton Foundation.
At the Clinton Presidential Library & Museum in Little Rock, AR
Crossing the Mighty Mississippi as we got into Memphis.
In Memphis we stopped in Graceland – as everyone says you should – and as we pulled up said “that’s it?” – as everyone said we would. Sure it’s not an over-the-top in size, but green shag carpeting on the ceiling of the Jungle Room? Mirrored walls and ceilings in the basement room? And then, of course, there are the incredibly subtle ensembles ‘The King’ was known for…
subtle.... really subtle...
Having been up for nearly 11 hours and on the road for a fair share of that, we finally stopped for our first real meal of the road-trip… For all you fellow carnivores and rib-lovers out there: if you get to Memphis, you have got to go to Neely’s BBQ. Anna & I split the pork rib “slab” which we’re pretty sure means we just ordered a pig…
And we ate it ALL. in true Texas style…
(Note: Our hands still smell like bbq. And we aren’t complaining) We rolled out of Neely’s proud of our accomplishment, but sluggish with an impending food coma… but we fought it off, rolling on into Nashville for the night. Neither of us could even think about another meal for the day. Good thing we made it count!
Fun fact: There are 3 different varieties of “potentially icy bridge” signs between Dallas and Nashville…
- Straightforward: ”Watch for ice on bridge” It’s brief. It’s simple. It makes you cautious.
- General fact: “Bridge ices before road” True. But why do I care?
- That sign said WHAT?: “Bridge may ice in cold weather” Not only do all the letters get squished smaller on this sign because of the wordiness, but it’s as vague and non-committal as they come. It may ice, and in case you needed reminded, that happens when it’s cold. How cold? Well, cold.
Just your standard road-trip photo of the sunset in the mirror... Somewhere between Memphis and Nashville
And thus the day ended as it should, as well: On the road in utter darkness, yet again. Only now we get to stop, get some shut eye, and hit the road again in the morning (though not quite at 5am…)
Up next for us:
- The Hermitage – Andrew Jackson’s residence
- ‘The minister’s treehouse’ – The world’s largest tree house
- … and whatever else we can find along the way!
