Three Guys, 6000 Miles, and Southern Heat. "Graceland"

[Allof75]

This report comes roughly one month after the trip was completed, so pardon the delay. Anyway, perhaps some of you saw my updates thread titled "Graceland," there you'd have found out the general basis of this trip. For those of you who haven't I'll go more into detail here, plus pictures from a real camera! So here goes nothing:

I've known a couple of my friends since way back in Middle School, and at some point during our high school days we had the moonshot of an idea to drive to Graceland in Memphis Tennessee from our homes in sunny Southern California. We talked about it here and there for several years, but never really seriously until this past spring. With all of us in college, and by some stroke of luck having a semblance of a disposable income, we decided "why not?" and began preparing. We didn't really have a specific list of destinations in mind, and honestly made 100% sure not to have a definitive time schedule, so as not to be rushed and really get to take in our new-to-us surroundings. We'd all done plenty of travel before, but never to any part of the South for some reason. Maybe it was the heat. Either way, after we arranged the supplies we'd need we set off in Mid-July, taking Interstate 40 for the next several hundred miles. From here on I will break it down into pictures associated with days. Enjoy! :sombrero:

First off, we decided to head to Grand Canyon National Park, yes a tourist destination, but something so breathtaking in person that we couldn't help but stop. We wandered through after our initial drive from SoCal, but then had a ridiculously overpriced meal and camped in a nearby national forest. These pictures are from my iPhone because guess who forgot his memory card... (bought one later at a Walmart in Winslow AZ).

In order to sleep three, I slept in my car on my sleeping platform (as it should be :elkgrin, strung my Eno hammock to my roof rack for one friend, and set up another tent away from the vehicle.

The morning after we decided to explore. Blown away by the truly spectacular size, it was a moving experience truly.

Me on the edge.

Weather-wise we truly struck it rich as it was a gorgeous 85* clear day. After hiking around a bit away from the hordes, we packed up and headed towards our next home in Santa Fe, NM. First however, we stopped in the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Parks to witness the truly dazzling array of color and formation.

Sorry for the lack of pictures of my rig, I was honestly having too good of a time to take many. If you want to see more, check out my build in my signature.

Thousands upon thousands of years ago people saw nearly the same view. Incredible.

Here's proof. Luckily my 18-135 lens has jussst enough zoom to have captured this, as you're not allowed within more than 50 feet of the petroglyphs for obvious reasons.

Moving into why they call it the painted desert, incredible color.

We started our descent into this painted range with a quick hike.

I suppose I should say fell (with style) into the Painted Desert.

The beginnings of the petrified forest, oddly there's a lot left despite over a hundred years of tourists picking them up...

Gorgeous formations of crystallized wood.

As the sun set in the Arizona desert we began the trek to Santa Fe.

 

[Allof75]

Continued....

A large thunderstorm cancelled our plans of camping in Santa Fe National Park, and anyway it was about three in the morning upon arrival and none of us wanted to play with a tent in the dark of an unknown forest with pouring rain. So we stayed in a cheap-o motel in town and decided to modify our schedule to fit in a day of wandering around. We had a fantastic time wandering around the built landscape of the city and the natural landscape of the nearby national forests. An excellent experience all around.

As a train guy, seeing this sky car really was fascinating. Beautiful piece of American design right there.

We visited the state capitol and did other touristy things.

Until we ended up in something more the speed of ExPo-ers- forests. Not exactly what you picture when you think of New Mexico, but beautiful and peaceful nonetheless.

After our excursion into the forest ended, we headed back into town for a meal to prep for our next 14+ hour drive from Santa Fe NM to Memphis TN. We decided on the cannonball approach because we figured there was nothing worth noting in northern Texas or Oklahoma. Our night set off with a fierce thunderstorm, the strength of which I had yet to see anywhere else. Massive lightning strikes lit up the Amarillo sky while rain overwhelmed the windshield wipers, it was truly an incredible sight. And being that I was now copilot for one of the first times on the trip I attempted, and failed to sleep to be ready by sunrise.

After powering through the night, I took over at sunrise in an Oklahoma City outskirt, and promptly received my first speeding ticket and the shock of 75% humidity. Afterwards, we ate a fantastic lunch in Little Rock, AR, with some of the best burgers I've had.

We pressed on and reached Memphis by around 3PM, dead tired.

 

[Allof75]

We Made It (The Elvis Part)

The same night, we awoke to experience Beale Street in all its glory. Perfect timing apparently because there was a car show going on amidst the already busy downtown. Between the the sound of BB King and the smell of BBQ, I was in hog heaven. Literally, because beforehand I had the best ribs I've ever tasted. Being a rib guy that's saying something. :sombrero: Charles Vergo's Rendezvous was the source.

These ribs were so good legend has it Elvis flew them first class to Las Vegas when he had a craving. Several prime ministers, presidents, and other dignitaries have been honored by them as well, it was truly eye opening.

Beale Street was alive and well.

After sleeping like the dead we were ready for the big day- making it to Graceland itself. After a quick early lunch, we headed over to be amazed by the grandeur of the location. We had our tickets and headed in.

As soon as you walk in, you're greeted by his front living room, where he'd play the white grand piano and his parents would sit. After is his formal dining room, then kitchen.

These are the stairs he came down every morning, reportedly fully decked out for the day. Then, as now, it's kept private from visitors.

Imagining the fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches made here, this is still a nice kitchen.

Going into the basement, you see his lounge with three tvs and a top of the line hi-fi. Apparently he heard LBJ watched three tvs at once, so he did too. This was his primary hang-out spot.

Judging by the carpeted everything, the pool room was wild.

The famous jungle room. Wood and shag covers every wall, with a small fountain. Much later in his career, Elvis cut some recordings in this very room, among them the hit "Moody Blue."

Separate from the house was his father Vernon's office, and also the room where every piece of Elvis mail came through.

Rolling green hills provided room for horses, and apparently golf cart races.

After taking you through his private firing range, the tour guides you through a converted section of the house now housing his awards and gold records. The sheer amount of fame and success he enjoyed was insane. Gold records line the walls of several rooms.

His Grammy and dozens of nominations.

His signature blue suit from one of my favorite Elvis movies- Blue Hawaii.

One of my favorites for other reasons- ridiculously cheesy setups and situations. A real shenanigan movie. I mostly blame the production company and Col Parker for that one, Elvis showed legitimate potential, but his manager, the Col, kept him pumping out dance number schlock.

Of course, the attire from the incredible '68 Comeback Special, which reinvigorated Elvis' career after the above movies (amidst dozens of others) kept him from recording or touring.

More awards

And jumpsuits!

The award room being his former racquetball court, of course it has a lounge. What was hilarious was literally every room in his house had a wet bar- every single one pictured. The parties and happenings were wild I have no doubt.

Leaving the mansion, we passed through the famous gates, where throngs of fans once waited for a glimpse. The signatures are strong after years.

 

[Allof75]

Elvis Continued

After the mansion, we toured his car collection- lots of interesting choices in cars, beautiful Ferraris, Mercedes, Rolls-Royce, and of course Cadillacs and Lincolns.

The only Cadillac he kept from new, his mother's favorite car- the '56 Cadillac Fleetwood. By far his most recognized car.

Pardon the quality of the picture, the lighting was really poor and no flashes allowed, there was a teeny tiny bit of eye-candy for overlanders- a pink Jeep CJ5 with crazy roof/upholstery. Apparently this was one of the grounds vehicles around Graceland for many years.

Continuing the transportation theme, we saw the Lisa Marie, Elvis' second and larger jet, a Convair 880. This, and the smaller plane, the Hound Dog 2 are apparently potentially being removed from Graceland, so I count myself as lucky to have toured both.

The interior is extremely nice- stereo, TV, to-ground telephone in every room, private bedroom, curtains, and of course shag rug and wet bars. Honestly having been in President Reagan's Air Force 1 near my home, I have to say the Lisa Marie is more luxurious.

The skies opened up as we left the planes, and our final view at Graceland was of THE jumpsuit. It's the Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite jumpsuit in all its red, white, and blue eagled glory and awe inspiring to have viewed it. A reported 1.3 BILLION people watched the concert, more than the landing on the moon. I can't imagine one concert that has topped it, even since. Absolutely one of my favorite parts of Graceland and Elvis Fandom in general.

Having buckets of warm summer storm dumping on us, we left and headed across town to Sun Records.

A great tour near the end of the day led to an absolutely monumental place. Elvis, Johnny Cash, BB King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and a whole host of others had their start here. Even if you don't like any of them, pretty much any music post 1954 owes a debt of gratitude to this place. Their sound was absolutely pioneering gold, and forever changed what we listen to, undeniably. To think I stood where those greats did, and such a shift of culture began was truly shocking. To the same level as the Grand Canyon is breathtaking for its grandeur, so is this place. I am so happy to have gone here. Truly a lifelong goal and dream of mine. This microphone, other than the bricks, and sound tiles of the studio are the only things which survive from that era.

From here, having our collective consciousness blown, we headed towards Nashville for the night.

 

[Allof75]

Eastbound and Down

Having a cup of coffee in Nashville after leaving our campsite and a quick lunch, we toured the city a little bit. It was beautiful, but I was itching to get to the Smoky Mountains.

Leaving, heading towards Gatlinburg, TN we cut through some of the lushest, most truly beautiful country I've seen. Great rolling hills with layers upon layers of foliage, it was an incredible sight. There's even the official fuel of NASCAR- Sunoco there. :elkgrin: Anyway, we pulled into Gatlinburg late afternoon and were able to witness the full brunt of the mid-summer tourist rush. We have beach traffic where I live, but this was a whole other animal. I've never seen so many minigolf places in one area. Anyway, I actually really got a kick out of it, and we set up camp in a remote edge of the park, oddly enough near a gravesite. Because when you're in Smoky Mountain NP, you have to camp there too. :sombrero:

The arrival was smoky/foggy.

We explored a little too much before dinner and ended up crossing into North Carolina.

We ran across the Appalachian trail, something I would love to hike someday.

We went into town for dinner and back to the campsite around midnight for sleep. Because of the dense foliage, I experienced probably the deepest dark, I've been in mines, and rural areas literally hundreds of times, but this was a pitch blackness that was stunning. Between that and the dripping heat, it was a long night of staring into the abyss. On the bright side we woke up to this:

We crossed much of the park and went on a couple mile hike into the backwoods.

Pretty neat small tunnel you can climb through.

Finally reaching the peak we were able to get a good look around the granite hills and lush forest.

We hiked back down, and continued heading through the heart of the park.

Nearing the edge of the park, we stopped at its highest peak- Clingman's Dome, 6000 and change feet. Not much by Western standards but impressive for the area. Still beautiful.

Very cool space-age designed dome.

Leaving the park, we continued through North Carolina and into South Carolina for our destination in Myrtle Beach. Turns out it was a hellhole. I'm sorry if I offend anyone, but I really did not enjoy that night of the trip, hot, packed, out of the way, and disgusting it was bad news. We left for Florida asap the next morning.

 

[Allof75]

SC, GA, FL

Having left in the morning to book it towards Jacksonville Florida, mainly to get out of Myrtle Beach, we were passing through the coastal forests and harbors of Georgia in no time. We luckily had time to stop in the beautiful city of Savannah for lunch, and to look around at their seaside developments. Absolutely beautiful colonial town, with such rich history you van really get enveloped in.

One of the many city squares

On the way to lunch, tree lined streets everywhere.

Antebellum construction everywhere

Seaside fun

We also made a point to stop in a colonial graveyard. Revolutionaries, pioneers, and civil war soldiers all buried here.

From here we moved on further south, the heat, and humidity rising with it. We reached Jacksonville around midnight, and had to scramble to find a hotel, as apparently there was an issue with our previous reservations. We woke up the next morning to set our feet in the Atlantic, and for me to change the oil on the pathfinder- 3800 miles since the last change. This would be the most difficult oil change of my life, and given the 100* temperature and 90% humidity and beach parking lot location, it was by far the sweatiest I'd ever been. But before we knew it, I'd lifted the 60 lb skid plate back into place, buttoned everything up, and we were on the road for Pearl River Louisiana, just outside New Orleans.

 

[Allof75]

We ventured into New Orleans the following morning, and most of what people had told us was true- beautiful french-influenced city, fascinating culture, hot as hades. That's pretty much it, combined with a little bit of seediness to make the morning/afternoon that much more interesting.

We were there in no time, and enjoyed a solid lunch at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. We'd been wanting to try one the whole trip.

We even had a cup of *iced of course* coffee at Cafe Du Monde. There's definitely plenty of tourist traffic here, but nothing too over the edge. No Gatlinburg TN for sure. First cigars of the trip as well, as the smoke shops in the town are well known. Beforehand for some reason we hadn't yet had time... Anyway, after we were through with the 100*+ heat, and again that humidity, we headed towards our plantation tour at Oak Alley.

Beautiful decadent driveway. It seems like the plantation system was a form of America's royalty, in terms of wealth, land occupation, and the "blood line" effect. Having been built on the backs of one of the worst human rights violations in world history, the excess of the mansion is even more astounding. But I suppose many royal families have operated on much the same themes. Anyway, here are the pictures of the extremely grandiose architecture.

Imported Italian marble, because why not?

It is hard to believe that but 30 years ago this mansion was in deep disrepair, and a cattle ranch of all things. The home was a barn for many years, and luckily an extremely generous matriarch preserved and restored the plantation to almost its former accoutrement.

From here we moved on to Austin Texas, one of my friends taking the wheel, I was able to catch up on a little sleep.

 

[Allof75]

From the Austin, we wandered around the downtown a little, but eventually went down to San Antonio, Texas. There we toured the Alamo, an interesting piece of American history for sure.

Here she is

The obligate picture by The Alamo.

And some of the better known fighters at the Alamo. Unfortunately no pictures inside, sorry everyone. :sombrero:

We went through the river walk, grabbed some BBQ and made a cannonball run, part 2 to El Paso Texas. We left the next morning to book it across New Mexico, stopping at a fireworks stand to pick up some fun for home. (Pardon the iphone pic)

From there we went straight through to Tombstone AZ, another tourist-y location, but luckily I was able to snag some steer horns. Been wanting those the whole trip.

A truly historically-interesting place turned into a Knott's Berry Farm style attraction. Kind of sad really. Honestly it would have been more interesting as a ghost town state park or something, but nonetheless I had a good time.

Afterwards, we just barely made it somewhere I'd always wanted to go- Saguaro National Park. It was absolutely beautiful, with the perfect lighting of a dramatic monsoonal thunderstorm. Couldn't have asked for a better location. I've spent a lot of time in the deserts near me, and none were quite like this. Very much worth the trip if you get the chance.

Here's the last picture of the warhorse, last picture of the trip. I am so proud of it- 6500 miles, the A/C on the entire trip, loaded with gear, guys, and food near or exceeding the GVWR, 80+ miles per hour, and it averaged right around 18mpg. The only scratch was a broken interior trim panel thanks to a certain moronic friend. But overall, good enough for me considering the load, conditions, and Thule rack. Very proud, and I'm treating it to some upgrades.

We ate dinner in Tuscon, and again cannonballed our way home, driving through the night. Unfortunately me in a food poisoning daze the entire time. Chinese was a bad idea. :smilies27 I was home by 5am, after about 12 days of continuous travel.

So that's it, I hope you all enjoyed it, I know I had a blast and will remember the trip fondly.

 

[Allof75]

Updated

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

WOW!!! Man, you guys have some pics that are exactly like some I took on our road trip. The pics in graceland, smokies, savannah GA. Here is my thread;

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/127448-Family-Road-Trip-through-Twelve-US-States/page4

 

[4x4x4doors]

Nice report on a whirlwind run.

Question on the Alamo "no inside pics": You didn't have any to share or they weren't allowed?

 

[Allof75]

WOW!!! Man, you guys have some pics that are exactly like some I took on our road trip. The pics in graceland, smokies, savannah GA. Here is my thread;

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/127448-Family-Road-Trip-through-Twelve-US-States/page4

Wow, in a fellow Nissan no less. Very nice. :elkgrin:

Nice report on a whirlwind run.

Question on the Alamo "no inside pics": You didn't have any to share or they weren't allowed?

Oh yeah, forgot to explain that, photos aren't allowed inside because I suppose they consider it a working memorial.

 

[mortonm]

Great trip! Sounds like a lot of fun!

 

[Allof75]

Great trip! Sounds like a lot of fun!

It sure was, one heck of an adventure.

 

[stioc]

It sure was, one heck of an adventure.

Very cool adventure indeed, you guys covered a lot of miles in just 12 days! Thanks for sharing the pics.