Back from our Memphis Run

[Barry1951]

We left East Texas Thursday afternoon, 5 couples of us from our Peace Fellowship "biker gang" as our son, Josh, calls us. We rode to Hope, Arkansas and spent the night. NOTE, , ,if you are in Hope and eat at the ONLY Mexican food place in town that serves adult beverage, , , check you ticket real close, , , All I will Say, , , ,

Anyway we had a good time BS'ing and just enjoying the company.

We left around 7:30 Friday morning, headed to Memphis, riding and enjoying. We decided to ride the slab instead of backroads so we could get to Memphis early in the afternoon.

Checked into the EconoLodge on 3rd st, about 4 blocks from Beale St. Nice older hotel with a parking garage to keep scooters safe.

We walked to Beale St and listened to some good music, , ,rather LOUD, , ,but good.

We looked and listened for a while and then back to the hotel for a rest and shower before heading out for the evening excursion, , , , There are LOTS of strange folks on Beale St at night, , , LOL, but also good music both in the clubs and on the sidewalk.

We watched one 3 pc band set up outside a closed theater, , , ,singer was an older guy, , ,50 at least, , who had not missed many meals, , wearing faded overalls that would not/could not fasten on the side, , ,singing new style rock/blues, , , , it was in the least, , interesting, , ,the guitar player and drummer were real good.

Went into another club and listened to some good old style blues until they began playing r/r.

We walked a while and looked and just had a good time. Us older "gang" hit the racks about 11 to get some sleep.

We got up Saturday and met for breakfast and decided to go to Mud Island. It was one of the most interesting places we saw. There is a scale model of the Mississippi River from Cairo Illinois all the way to the Gulf. The model is in the walkway and shows all of the flood plain and tributaries along with the town along the Mississippi. The model is about 1/4 mile in length and well worth seeing.

There was a "Dragon Boat" festival going on with bands, college groups, and lots of families.

We listened to one band playing karaoke for everyone that wanted to join in. This was probably the best band we heard in the whole trip.

At the semi-pro baseball stadium, there was a festival supporting ROnald McDonald House, , , after the entry fee, , ,it was all you could eat from the vendors, , ,best vendor, , ,BLUE BELL ICE CREAM ! ! ! ! !, , yep, supported them several times, , , LOL.

We went to the Gibson Guitar factory and drooled over the different models, , ,

Saturday night, , ,we all met in Ross and Ann's room for snacks, meat, cheese, crackers, drinks, and lots of good fun with our group.

We pulled out Sunday morning about 7:30, having decided to ride back roads and avoid the interstate.

We saw lots of beautiful scenery, watched as they harvested different crops along the way, corn, rice, and another grain we could not name.

We made our last stop in Jefferson, Tx, at Annie Skinner's for supper and re-hash of the trip. We made it home about 9:00 pm, with 796.3 miles on the odometer, tired but with memories that could not be beat.

We are already planning our next trip, , , , ,

If anyone is in East Texas, Diana, to be specific or the area, , ,come on out to Peace Fellowship Church and join our "biker gang", we do have a ball whatever we are doing.

Thanks to Ross and Ann, Gary and Cindy, Bo and Jo, Russ and Nannete, and to my wonderful wife, Patti, for all of the fun we had and plan to have in the future.

Next ride, , , , , , Holy Smokes BBQ Run to Huntsville, Tx, , a BBQ place runn by the New Ebenezar Baptist Church to support their church. All you can eat, brisket, links, chicken, all the fixin's served family style, , , , ,

[b2dad]

We are all going to St. Jude's this weekend and would have loved to have you with us.

 

On the flip side...Memphis is pretty cool anyway. Beale Street is awesome! Glad you all had a good time. Next time, you need to come visit Nashville. Lots to do there too.

 

Patti