As I mentioned in an earlier post, we had a very unconventional route to our touring destinations. We were trying to coordinate visits in between with friends/family who we have not seen in a while and probably will not have another opportunity to see again for quite some time. Hence, we found ourselves at Harvest Hosts, Hodges Winery, in Camp Hill, Alabama. Surrounded by the natural beauty of flowering gardens, shade trees, ponds, and acres of grape vines, this park-like venue contains an event center and tasting room/wine store. It has a wide entrance gate to facilitate easy access to the RV parking area, which contains full hook-ups free of charge for 1 night. The accommodations here are better than many private, traditional RV Parks! That is why we count this as one of our favorite Harvest Hosts and have returned for a second visit. And despite the fact my parents are not big drinkers, they are always happy to generously support this host’s operation and make wine purchases to share while entertaining guests or to give as gifts.
Staying at Hodges Winery also put us in great proximity for a quick visit with friends Guy/Sue, former full-time RVers who have come off the road this past year to return to sticks/bricks living. It was so wonderful to have an opportunity to catch up!
We spent the next night at another Harvests Hosts, the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Muscle Shoals. Located along the banks of the Tennessee River in Northern Alabama, Muscle Shoals was a hotbed for the music business in the 1960s, transcending all music genres and positions in the industry.
I enjoyed taking the self-guided tour at the Alabama Hall of
Fame. I learned that so many great
musical talents were born in Alabama: Nat King Cole, Hank Williams, Lionel
Ritchie and his fellow Commodores. Jimmy
Buffett spent part of his childhood living in Alabama. And, obviously, the music group Alabama is
named after their home state. Their
musical accomplishments spanned over 2 decades.
With 42 Number 1 Singles and 75 million albums sold, they are cited as
the most successful group in Country Music history.
Alabamian W. C. Handy was inducted here. He was a famous composer and publisher of the
Blues. And Sam Phillips, Founder of Sun
Record Company (which produced records for so many major talents: Elvis, Ray
Orbison, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, to name a few) hailed from Alabama
and started out as an announcer on a Muscle Shoals radio station. Who would have thought that Alabama would
play such a huge role in the music industry?
Some inductees into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
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| The tour bus of the group Alabama. And check out the horns on that Bonneville. It It belonged to Honky-Tonk Vocalist Webb Pierce. |
Sam Philips began his career as a radio announcer. He founded Sun Record Company and became a producer of some of the best-selling artists of the time.
That evening, we enjoyed watching a Harvest Moon from the
parking lot. Though too much artificial
lighting in the area produced lackluster pictures, it sure was a nice way to
end our night.
The next day we made our way to Memphis, Tennessee. No staying in a Heartbreak Hotel for this Rambling RV Rat. Instead, my parents reserved for us a pull-through full hook-up site for $59/night at the Tom Sawyer RV Park, situated along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River.
My gal pal, Mademoiselle Rochelle, was singing “Burning Love”, “Love Me Tender” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight”. I thought she was being amorous, but instead she was just hinting she wanted to visit Graceland, one-time home and now resting place to Elvis Presley. This seemed a reasonable request to me, since we already visited his birthplace (Tupelo, Mississippi). Being a very accommodating boyfriend, I presented a very convincing argument to my parents to pick up the tab for our tour tickets. We settled on the “Elvis Experience” package for $84/adult, which included a tour of the Mansion, Elvis’s jets, and the Entertainment Complex.
I learned that Stephen Toof purchased 500 acres of land,
naming the property after his daughter, Grace.
The property was divided up among Mr. Toof’s children upon his death in
1894. Eventually, Grace bequeathed her
parcel to her niece, Ruth Moore, who added the mansion in 1939. In
1957 (at age 22), Elvis purchased the Mansion and 13 acres of grounds for
his parents for approximately $102,000.
Elvis shared a strong bond with his mother, Gladys. Gladys was his guiding light, an indelible
influence. To say he loved her deeply is an
understatement (The term Mama’s boy comes to my mind). Having
been drafted into the U.S. Army, Elvis requested emergency leave from the armed
forces in summer 1958 upon learning Gladys was gravely ill. His request was only granted after he
threatened to go AWOL (away without leave). Elvis arrived at the hospital to see his
mother on August 13. Gladys, seemingly
waiting to say goodbye to her beloved son Elvis, died the next morning at 3:15
a.m. at age 46. Elvis fulfilled the
remainder of his selective service agreement in Germany and was honorably
discharged from the U.S. Army in March 1960 through Fort Dix, New Jersey.
It was during his service in Germany that he met the future Mrs. Presley, Priscilla, 10 years his junior. They married in 1967 right here at the Mansion after a 7-year courtship and welcomed 1 daughter, Lisa Marie, in 1968. Their marriage dissolved in 1973.
Sadly, all the fame and fortune in the world did not save Elvis (or his family) from dying young. Elvis died at Graceland in 1977 (age 42) and is buried on the grounds next to his mother. Elvis’s father Vernon (who died in 1979 at age 63), Elvis’s only child Lisa Marie (who died in 2023 at 54 years of age), and his Grandson Benjamin (dead at age 27 in 2020) are also interred here.
I did learn, though, that Elvis was much more than an entertainer and singer: he loved horses, was a black belt in karate, an avid motorcyclist, and owner of his own jet, The Lisa Marie. His business logo was “TCB”, which stood for “Taking Care of Business”. Though he donned flashy outfits on stage, the “King of Bling” dressed much more casually and conservatively in private.
On another day, we walked around Memphis to take in the sights and the shops, including the Pro Bass Shop Pyramid.
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| Lots of adorable stuffed toys, but none quite as cute as yours truly! |
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| Who doesn't love a food warmer in the shape of a cheese pizza! |
We also stopped at the famed Peabody Hotel in the Historic District. As we toured the hotel, I was mystified. Everywhere I looked, there were paparazzi and throngs of people lining the lobby. Now, the Peabody is quite lovely with its Italian Renaissance architecture, vibrant 100-year history, and unique boutiques and specialty shops. But surely that wasn’t enough for my “financially conservative” parents (after they sprung for my Elvis tickets, I will refrain from calling them CHEAP!) to tip the concierge and get us a place at the bar in the center of the lobby. And then I saw what caused all the commotion. A bunch of English call ducks waddled across a red carpet to swim in the marble water fountain. I learned from Keenan Walker, the current “Duckmaster” (he gets paid for this!) that this tradition of ushering the ducks from their penthouse digs to the hotel lobby started in 1933, the brainchild of the General Manager and his friend who consumed a bit too much moonshine! Seriously? This was the cause of all the fanfare! What's that about? These ducks don’t even write a blog like I do! Where are my throngs of fans! OK, I will end the Rambling RV Rat Rant.
The Peabody hotel is quite lovely...
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| Views from the rooftop... |
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| Keenan Walker, the current Duckmaster. |
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| Mom wanted to buy these for me, but this Rambling RV Rat will not be a part of this crazy fad. No way am I wearing ducks on my butt! |
We couldn’t visit Memphis without a trip to Beale Street, home of the blues genre of music. Unfortunately, we received some misinformation from folks about parking inexpensively at the Hard Rock Café (Apparently, they were not aware that the Café closed permanently in Summer 2023). So, we shelled out $40 at a nearby parking garage and walked the mile and a half-long district. The history here is cool, as are the performances by the street musicians. But to me, Beale Street seemed like a combo of New Orleans’ Bourbon Street and Las Vegas’s Freemont Street, with feats, eats, lots of alcoholic beverages, and some bad behavior. It just wasn’t our scene, so we left after 1.5 hours. We chose instead to sit outside and watch the reflection of the stars in the waters of the Mississippi River.
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