Day 56 ~ Hurricane Mills, TN to Memphis, TN

Whoa....It's certainly cool in the mornings here!!!  We have experienced our first truly cold morning here in Tennessee.  It's in the mid 40's, something that we haven't had in some time.

We got up fairly early, gave the dogs their break first thing.  It's kinda funny, the stray cat seems to be teasing the dogs.  They almost took out the screen door of the 5th wheel!  The cat just sat their and tormented them in front of the door...Cats and Dogs, why can't they just get along!  Tanner was screaming like a girl (again!!)

So we left camp around 8:30 am and made it to Memphis around 12:30pm.  We took our time and had a nice breakfast at the Cracker Barrel in Jackson, TN.  We have decided to spend two days in Memphis.  The RV Park here at Graceland is really nice.  It's close to everything so it's going to make it easy to see everything.

Once we got to the RV Park, we set up camp and then took the time to look through all the brochures they gave us on the sights to see here in Memphis.  So glad we did!!!  We had forgotten about the National Civil Rights Museum here in Memphis.  So we jumped in the truck and away we went!  There it was the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated.   They have converted the motel into the museum.  The museum chronicles key episodes of the American civil rights movement.  We enjoyed the exhibits, it was a very moving and somber experience.  Just being there made the hairs stand up on our arms.  We were able to go to the exact spot where he was shot, also you could view the room he stayed in.  Then across the street the museum continued where the location of James E. Ray was thought to have fired the shot.  They also had on display all the evidence including the scoped rifle that was used.  The museum is huge and it takes a couple of hours to see, it was very very well put together.  All of the displays were magnificent.


We left the museum and headed back to camp.  It was only an 8 miles drive...so conveniently close!  I made a nice dinner while John gave the boys a good break.  It's such a nice RV Park!  We are really enjoying it here and can't wait to see Graceland tomorrow morning!



John at the Lorraine Motel, Memphis, TN

A very NICE Australian took this photo of John and I in front of the Lorraine Motel.

Where the wreath hangs is where Dr. Martin Luther King was shot.  The room to the left was his room and you can view it and also, the cars below simulate the vehicles that were parked there on that day.

The block of cement on the veranda was removed for evidentiary purposes, it was soaked with blood.  It is now in the museum.

 

The shot came from the second floor of the building you are seeing.



The exhibits in the museum are incredible, it was hard to photograph because you couldn't use a flash.

John on the actual bus where Rosa Parks sat.  She was known as the first lady of civil rights.

The window in which the shot that was fired killing Dr. Martin Luther King.  The room has been preserved as it was the day of the actual shooting.  It is blocked in by a glass wall.

The room in which Dr. Martin Luther King stayed in before his assassination.  Hard to get a photo because of reflection.