Day 37: Rest Day in Memphis, TNA Full Day In and Around Memphis With Charles Smith and His Family - March 8, 2008
What a enjoyable day with the Smith family in Memphis! They were fantastic hosts. Araceli fed me me so much food! She whipped up a huge breakfast for all of us this morning and the night before we feasted on lasagna! Yay! Like in my Italian tradition (that's my heredity; most of my great grandparents came over "on the boats" in the 1880's), she was constantly offering me food, coffee, snacks and even the kids' candy. A sweet sign that she cared. My body was sore as always, and I distinctly noticed how I grunted, winced and hobbled from time to time around the house. I think Charles and Araceli were a little concerned for me! "Are you sure one day of rest is enough?" asked Charles. Ahhhhhh ... and the bed I slept in! Wow! They could have some sort of bed & breakfast just with the large and soft bed in their guest bedroom. I slept like a rock on it and should have captured a photo of it! I washed the few clothing I had with me in their washing machine too. They did all sorts of favors for me - things I am sure they considered just ordinary things - but it meant so much. The only important thing on the agenda today was to visit a bicycle shop, where I bought extra tubes and had that back tire examined. I explained to a bike mechanic about the four flat tires in one day in Mississippi two days earlier and I received confirmation of what I was 98% sure about: The tire was fine. The problem was those Mississippi roads! One empathic worker shared a similar story of someone having similar woes on "terrible Louisiana roads." I have been urging Charles, by the way, to take up bicycling (mountain or road) as a form of exercise and leisure, and we spent some time looking at bikes. Charles and I also wandered around Memphis. Being the photographer and adventurer I am, I wanted to get out there and see the sites of the city. Charles, a 30-something man with a wife, three kids, a mortgage, a minivan, a hard-working job, a large lawn he needs to mow and countless other responsibilities, does not get out as much as he should. He pointed out my visit challenged him to at least get out a little more now and then. We visited the National Civil Rights Museum, briefly visited a park next to the Mississippi River and ate fabulous BBQ, and you can see all of those pictures below. The day of rest was helpful to all parts of my being, the bicycle shop visit was necessasry and the sightseeing was quite enjoyable, but what made this day special were the Smiths. As is usually the case in life, the people I was with made the day memorable and deeply meaningful. It was fairly lonely out there on the bike most days, and it is difficult to describe my appreciation for days of fun and fellowship with friends like these. Special thanks to the Smith Family - Charles, Araceli, Rachel, Sydney and Carter! :) All the best,
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It snowed some more overnight in west Tennessee! This next morning, the sun came out (although it was fairly chilly!) to glean beautifully on the blankets of white snow. |
Charles and Sydney. |
 The kids playing in the snow! :) |
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To learn more, their web site is: www.civilrightsmuseum.org. |
This was my first visit to Memphis, and I always wanted to visit the National Civil Rights Museum. The Lorraine Motel, the site of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., was converted into a large museum. There are very thorough exhibits in chronological order beginning with the European discovery of the New World, slavery, the era of Jim Crow and the various integration and civil rights struggles. The walking tour leads to a finale of sorts with the two actual motel rooms that Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders were in on that fateful day in April 4, 1968. One event I was not acquainted with was the "March Against Fear" in 1966. James Meredith, the first student at the University of Mississippi in 1962, stated that despite all the civil rights accomplishments to that point in time, he still felt intense fear, as a black man, about traveling and being in various parts of the South. Bravely, he decided to walk from Memphis, TN to Jackson, MS to confront his fears and just days after entering Mississippi, he was shot but survived the attack. The march continued with thousands joining the effort to march the long way to Jackson. You can read more about that event here: Wikipedia Entry and John Phillips Photos. Why did I mention that event? Well what about loose and intimidating dogs? Did the marchers have many problems with vicious dogs? (Read "Day 34" to learn about my experiences with unleashed dogs chasing me in southeast Arkansas.) And here I was thinking I was a tough guy bicycling through the South with loose dogs, roads with little shoulder and a plethora of trailer trucks. Naaaaaaah! Those people who, a generation ago, courageously marched and protested with the possibility of great danger to themselves, all the while using non-violent techniques - those folks have my profound respect. Two comments about the museum: This was a meaningful visit, and I dare say this place is a "must visit" for those who love liberty ... or those who take liberty for granted.
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This was somewhere near the McDonald's that stopped at. With all the riding, I was always super hungry! |
Stand about one block north of the National Civil Rights Museum. |
Not sure where. Is that the Memphis Orpheum? |
We stopped along this pretty park near downtown Memphis. I know, I know, the novelty and pull of the Mississippi River was too much! |
Might as well include myself in a photo! ;) |
A better view of buildings in downtown Memphis. |
Being in Tennessee, Charles wanted to take me out for BBQ, which is not just any kind of BBQ, but Memphis BBQ, which has its own style! The restaurant's web site is: www.corkysbbq.com. |
There we were, all happily holding up our yummy BBQ food! :) |
 I ordered this amazingly large amount of ribs, basked in a special dry sauce. The tender meat pulled off the ribs so easily! My sides were baked beans and BBQ potato chips. Yea baby! |
Me eating a tender hunk of BBQ meat. I know, maybe that picture wasn't necessary! :p) Just some more links related to my love of eating that will help you conclude I am a freak: |