And More Tugboats

Our time with the tugboats ended all too soon.  We miss seeing them gliding, ghostlike, up and down the Mississippi.  Often we didn’t really hear them so much as sense their presence.  The deep, visceral, thrum-thrum-thrum of their engines seemed to come up through the soles of my feet until my whole body vibrated to their music.  

They came in all sizes, shapes and colors.  Some of the little guys (with only one large diesel engine) remind me of the children’s books like Little Toot that we used to read to our kids.

 

Others like the Alix Anne Eckstein of Marquette Transportation or the Capt. Gregory Smith were enormous, and apparently had room for a number of crew.  

The Madeline and the Karen Ann were painted to match their barges.

Some, like the Sheryl, were probably named for wives, daughters or girlfriends.

Others, like the Jim Barton, seemed to carry the name of the captain.

No matter, day or night we enjoyed watching them all.

We look forward to returning to the banks of the Mississippi.  We’ll have to watch the level of the river, though.  This sign in our campground serves as a reminder what can happen when the Mississippi floods.

Long Live the King...and Memphis BBQ

Our sightseeing in Memphis continued.  On Monday we took riverboat tour on the Island Queen.  It was interesting to see Memphis from the Mississippi, and to hear the running commentary (including turkey gobbling and hoot owl calls) by our local good ‘ol boy guide.

We also visited "The Pyramid," which houses Bass Pro Shop and Ducks Unlimited.  You can see it on the skyline in the image above as well as below.

Inside are a plethora of exhibits of American game animals, predators and other critters.  There are also streams and a beautiful aquarium with native fish. 

And if that's not enough, there is also a luxury hotel and a restaurant with a view at the top of this unique elevator which raises through the middle of the pyramid.  Dinner at the top is the agenda for our next visit.

Then on Tuesday, we drove into town for some famous Memphis BBQ.  We had hoped to eat at The Rendezvous, highly recommended by our friend, Keyes Hudson.  Unfortunately, it isn’t open for lunch.  At the suggestion of my brother and sister-in-law, Allan and Jefflyn Jones, we opted for Central BBQ.  (Ironically, on our way to lunch we learned that Allan and Jef spent last night in Memphis, just across the Mississippi from our camp, neither of us knowing that the other was in the area.)  But I digress.  We had a really terrific slab of ribs, half sauced and half dry-rub.  And, one of the sides was their not-to-be-missed mac-and-cheese.  

We ended our sightseeing trips with a visit to Elvis Presley’s Graceland.  

I had expected something a little, well I guess hokey.  In fact, we almost didn’t go.  But I’m so glad we did.  It took me back to my teenage years, where my introduction to Rock and Roll was songs like It’s All Right, Heartbreak Hotel and Hound Dog.  In fact, the girls in this early publicity photo could have been me and my friends.

(I'm sure my Hamilton High School classmates will remember all those songs that spoke to our teenage psyches, and the records we bought and played, and played, and played until we wore them out.)

The tour isn’t cheap, and takes a good four hours if you see everything.  There is a visit to the mansion’s “public” rooms, a couple of which are shown here.

Media Room

Pool Room

as well as the Meditation Garden and gravesites.

There is a large complex that includes the Presley Motors Automobile Museum,

the Presley Cycles, 

Elvis’s Army Service,

And his Entertainment Career.

And he did, and the gold records testify to it.

The Entertainment Career section is filled with images taken from concert appearances and movies, and around every corner seems to be a viewing room with videos of his performances.  Music is everywhere.

Elvis's two airplanes, this one named for his daughter, are also on display.

I know what an impact Elvis had on the music I listened to, danced to, and will always remember.  However, I didn’t fully appreciate the influence he had on other musicians until I read some of their comments. 

The exhibits highlight all of that, and more.  Don’t miss it if you are in town.

Eating Extravaganza at the Peabody

But we’ve done more than just watch tug boats and barges while we have been here.  On Thursday, we took a walk downtown.  Historic Beale Street was pretty tame at three in the afternoon, but we had fun looking around. 

We stopped in at the Peabody Hotel for a chilled beverage in the lobby bar, hoping to watch their famous ducks stroll in for a dip in the fountain.  We were enjoying our drinks, and I was just about to walk over with my camera to get some duck photos when the fire alarms began to wail.  No one paid much attention at first, but then our waitress came by and asked us to step outside.  (It was OK to take our drinks with us, she said.)  

The lobby bar emptied, as did the hotel’s upper floors.   We all stood outside for a while, sipping the last of our libations, until people began to drift back inside.  Just as we got into the lobby, though, we were waved outside again, where we watched as a fire truck pulled up to investigate.  No one seemed in much of a hurry.  

After finishing our drinks and waiting around for a few minutes, we still had not located our waitress.  As it was getting late, we headed home.  We’ll have to return another day to clear our tab.

But while we were in the Peabody, John checked out Chez Philippe.  

This Forbes four-star restaurant which has also been named among Food & Wine magazine's "Top 50 Hotel Restaurants," calls the Peabody home.  We made a reservation and returned on Saturday night.

The setting was spectacular, and we had a lovely dinner

I chose the Mushroom Lyonnaise Salad; Charred Scallops with Pumpkin Vinagrette, Pomegranate and Chicory; Prime Filet Mignon with Pommes Rote, Bernaise Sauce and Broccoli Puree; and the Creme Brûlée Trio.  John made other selections, including Apple-Goose Terrine and the Japanese Wagyu Ribeye.  

And if that wasn’t enough, with our coffee came some delectable chocolate treats, and boxed macaroons to take home “for breakfast.”  

All the food was spectacular, and we even got to meet Executive Chef Andreas Kisler.  It was a memorable evening.  

It's All About the Tugs

On Wednesday, November 1, we left Toad Suck in our rear view mirror and headed east to a destination we have wanted for time time to visit.   Tom Sawyer Mississippi River RV Park sits, you guessed it, right on the banks of the Mississippi at the Arkansas-Tennessee border in West Memphis, Arkansas.  Here is the view across the river from our campsite.

We have been camped here for almost a week.  When we arrived, our goal was just to sit, relax and watch the barge traffic moving up and down river past our park.   We have been very successful in doing just that.  This is the first one we saw.

Tom Sawyer is not a fancy park…no playgrounds for the kiddies, but it does have tree houses.  Some, like this one, are available to rent.  Others are just for the enjoyment of the guests, and provide a great vantage point for tug-and-barge watching.

There are beautiful trails through the woods that the dogs enjoyed immensely.  I would have liked them more if they hadn’t been so muddy, but we have had showers several times and fog most days.  

As we finished our walk a couple of days ago, the dogs ran ahead of us.  John was walking beside and just behind me, and told me to stop.  I looked down and saw this copperhead stretched across the path.  He remained still as a stick until I circled around to get his picture.  Then he darted into the woods faster than I thought a snake could move.  If the dogs saw him, they didn't tell us...they just avoided him and went on their merry way.

We also have access to a very nice hike-and-bike trail.  One leg crosses the Mississippi between Arkansas and Tennessee, but it also winds its way along the levee beside the river.  We can access it at our park entrance and have had good walks almost every day.

But the real story here has been the Tugs…and the barges they move up and down the river.

It has been rainy and foggy for several days.  At one point John put on his raincoat and grabbed the squeegee to clean off our rear window so we could see better.

We see mostly barge traffic, but were able to get a glimpse of this stern-wheeler headed down river in the fog.

The tug boats come in all sizes, from small one-barge tugs to behemoths like this one that can move (up to 51 by our count) flotillas of barges, loaded and empty.  It's common to see groups seven barges long and six or seven across.

There were so many barges that the big guy needed a helper.

I’m not sure how wide the river is here, but the channel is relatively narrow.  When barges meet or pass each other, they are very close to each other, and to us on shore.

I think this small one was only 20 yards or so off shore when he passed.

One of our favorite sightings was this tug with his line of barges crossing the path made by the almost-full moon a couple of nights after we arrived.

There is a lot to see and do here in the area.  Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted as we see and do it.