Graceland, Mississippi, Alabama

I'd made arrangements for a new tire at Performance Cycles in Memphis, so I was up early on Wednesday morning to be there when the shop opened. All went smoothly, and I rode to Graceland as soon as the work was done. Graceland is one of those places that you really have to experience. I thought that I'd spend an hour or so there with an ironic smile on my face, but I found the tour to be surprisingly affecting, especially the room where various recording artists explain how much Elvis meant to their careers. As it was I was there for over four hours, and felt that I'd rushed through.

Yes, the jungle room is a bit tacky.

The memorial garden behind the house. The 45th anniversary of Elvis' death was a few weeks ago, and outside the garden there were many wreathes and floral tributes sent there by fans from all over the world.

After the Graceland visit I headed south on Elvis Presley Boulevard (US 51) into Mississippi, where I missed the turnoff for US 72 east, and wandered around for awhile (yes, I was lost again) in a northeast direction until I found it. I spent the night in Corinth (in the northeast corner of the state) with my cousin and her family. I hadn't seen Kathy and Bill for 35 years so we had a lot to catch up on.

After breakfast the next morning I headed south on US 45 and stopped in Tupelo to visit Elvis' birthplace. There's a park that contains the house where he grew up, which was built by his father, and a small gift shop.

South again on US 45 I exited at Scooba and went east on MS 16 to Philadelphia to meet my aunt Rachel, whom I hadn't seen for over 20 years. Rachel and I walked around town, and she drove me out to her old family farm outside of town and we visited the cemetery where my grandparents and other family are buried. Rachel made a southern dinner of fried chicken and greens, and I spent the night in her house.

The next morning we walked around the tree-shaded historic district in Philadelphia.

We also visited the Neshoba County fairgrounds outside of town - home of the famous Neshoba County Fair. Every year for a week a large portion of the town moves to small cottages on the fairgrounds.

Rachel fed me a good southern lunch, and I retraced my route east on MS 16 to Scooba and into Alabama. Between the local police in the small towns, the county sheriff's deputies, and the state police, that part of Mississippi seems to have more police than churches, and there are a lot of churches. Once in Alabama I made my way to I-20/59 towards Birmingham, which I bypassed on I-459. I spent the night at an America's Best Value (it isn't) in Leeds, home of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.