Memphis to Nashville

Here's a little trick - if you want to go to Graceland (you know, Elvis' home in Memphis), but don't want to pay $40 per person to see it, show up from 7:30am to 8:30am and you can walk the grounds and see the Meditation Garden. That's exactly what Zack and I did. It would have been cool to walk through his house, but because Elvis is past my generation, it didn't seem worth it to pay that kind of money (please don't hate me Elvis fans!). Elvis' Meditation Garden was really pretty though and was on the side of his house so we had a great view of the whole property while walking to the garden. The garden had a swimming pool, fountains, and the tombstones for Elvis and his family members. There were a few historical plaques which gave a little background and hardly any tourists were there (because of it being the off season) so it was a nice quiet morning for us. Score!

Commentary by Z: Just realized I have heard of 0 other people named Elvis. Just had to look him up to make sure that his real name was Elvis and it wasn't just some nickname - yup, it's Elvis.









Zack and I also took a some time to see the National Civil Rights Museum in downtown Memphis. The museum was built around the Lorraine Motel - where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. They have preserved the motel and added a few posts on the sidewalk where people can watch different movie clips talking about MLK and the events leading up to his assassination. This was a really cool moment for me because I was reminded of a very important part of history. Growing up we talked about the civil rights movement in school and I have seen pictures and read stories/books about certain events, but being able to see these places for myself was a great experience. It gave me a greater appreciation for the things that many brave women and men have done. I think it's important to not only read about monumental events in history but to then go see where they took place for ourselves - it made an impact on me and was worth the time.

Commentary by Z: I had no idea that he died while supporting Memphis' sanitation worker strike. I always thought it was related to something else - something he was running and protesting for - but he just went to Memphis because they asked him to come speak and lend a hand. The more you know!









Our drive to Nashville was another pretty drive. What I love about this trip is that the drive is totally different everyday.

Commentary by Z: _Totally_ different. We went from brown plains in Kansas to slightly hilly brown plains in Oklahoma. What a change!
I'm not familiar with any of these places and so the drive is more exciting to me and never seems to drag on.

For dinner we met up with Tanner, one of Zack's lifelong friends and the friend we are staying with while in Nashville. He introduced us to Edley's Bar-B-Que, which is another great place to get bbq. This trip has offered us a LOT of great bbq. Good thing I'm not tired of it yet!

Commentary by Z: She's so tired of it.
Tanner had to go back to studying for his med test, but suggested that we head down to Broadway for more live entertainment (our favorite!). This street, much like Memphis, is famous for its live music in the bars - it was just a bit bigger than Beale Street with windier roads and a longer strip! The place was lively and a fun hangout if you don't mind loud music (mostly country) coming from every bar because many open their windows or doors hoping to attract a crowd into their place. It worked for us though because we stopped in places where the band caught our attention. We did this for a few blocks and then called it a night, which was probably a good thing because if you have forgotten, I am STILL sick and needed to get to bed. Don't worry though, I called the doctor and got meds to make me better!

8th leg of the journey: 3.5 hours. 224 miles.