Kentucky
On the road from St. Louis, we crossed back over the Mississippi into Wickliffe, Kentucky. Everyone seemed a bit wary of us California travelers. We ate a delicious breakfast at Wagon Wheel cafe (biscuits & gravy, eggs, sausage, bacon), though we got some strange looks from the local crew.
Tennessee
When we rode to the top of the Gateway Arch in St Louis we met a family from Tennessee. We asked them what the one thing we HAD to eat while we were in their home state and all of them agreed BBQ was the must have from their state. So our first stop in Memphis, Tennessee was Ray’z World Famous BBQ. Their BBQ pork and chicken sandwiches were overflowing and we weren’t sure if we were supposed to pick up the sandwich and eat with our hands (seemed impossible) or use a knife and fork.
As we drove into Memphis over the Mississippi River, we saw a gigantic pyramid overlooking the city with the “Bass Pro Shop” logo hanging on its side. We were intrigued and had to check out this gigantic outdoor store. Turns out it also houses a hotel and a tall 30-story elevator to the top with a lookout that lets you see all of Memphis. It feels like you’ve entered a small amusement park because of the grand foyer, turnstiles at the entrance, and maps and schedules for activities throughout the store. It’s a whole different world out here in Tennessee.
We decided to go visit the home of Elvis, but after paying the $10 parking fee, we found out it’s about $40 per person to tour the mansion and we weren’t quite willing to fork out just short of $100 for a self-guided tour of a house. We had paid half that amount to see Hearst Castle, which seemed much more impressive. I wanted to instead use the money for a mineral bath in Hot Springs National Park, but Skylar wouldn’t go for that either. Fortunately they refunded our parking fee and we made our way to Arkansas.
Arkansas
I excitedly tried catfish for the first time in Little Rock, Arkansas. We found a popular joint called Eat My Catfish and ordered catfish, hush puppies, and chicken. The catfish was ok; I liked the fish, but the fried batter was a bit tasteless. I still prefer the fish & chips from CA Fish Grill. We were ready for a nice, easygoing evening so we found the local movie theater in Benton, AR and watched Finding Dory on the big screen. It was a cute movie (didn’t surpass the original but it was very well done).
We drove down I-30 a short ways and found J.B.’s RV Park & Campground to stay the night. We were happy to find a friendly staff and clean showers that allowed for an easy, relaxed night’s sleep in our faithful Prius: “Blue By You.”
