Rest day at last

First, it was a restless night in Senatobia. The interstate truck traffic buzzed on all night long. I did manage to get in 7 hours of sleep, but needed more.

We entered Memphis today after a 64 mile ride. I think that the last 14 miles were on Memphis roads. The thought of the day was from HJ who said that we should all receive a button reading "I survived Elvis Presley Blvd." When we reached it, Graceland was 1/4 mile to our left. The directions to the hotel were to the right. Several of us turned left to see Graceland. You can only go on the grounds of Elvis's house on a bus tour. None of us elected to do that but we did brush by the souvenir shop and some other kitschy stuff. There was quite a crowd there for early in the tourist season. John and I took a few pics and then headed down Elvis Blvd, a six-lane and then four-lane road with no shoulder most of the time and many potholes. At least the motorists were courteous and gave us a wide berth.

Further back on the route, we were under the flight path of jet planes going into Memphis International Airport. I could see the flaps drop as they approached the airport. We had been seeing planes on approach and takeoff for many miles before that. When one jet seemed to be just above our heads, I yelled out "Duck!". Not sure if any of the other 5 riders heard me, but I thought it was amusing.

The housing quality improved immensely as we rode through the Memphis countryside. The proximity of good-paying jobs in Memphis fuels the construction of a great many very large homes. No dogs to speak of today. There were two outside of Senatobia raising a ruckus but they never left their property. I was passing Kathleen and KimMarie at the time and they were thankful for me running a blockade. Truth is that I had not seen the dogs, but I would have blocked the dogs had I seen them.

Our hotel is in downtown Memphis and has close proximity to many attractions which I intend to see during the remainder of today and tomorrow. I will not post again until Thursday.

Days stats: 64.2 miles, 14.9 mph, 2200 feet climbing (700 was advertised for today). The headwinds were strong today and 14 miles of city traffic slowed us quite a bit.

Highlights of the day: Seeing a church named Mount Calm and a cemetery on the hill next to the church. Thinking about what else Graceland means to me.