Murray & Memphis

You know how the Internet will have these leader stories about "Ten best cities/beaches/states...etc"?  Well, a couple of years back I saw this article and it was Rand McNally's survey of "most friendly" and it had Murray, Kentucky listed.  I always have to look up on the map where these cities are located.  I saw that Murray was near Land Between the Lakes.  Having driven through the area many times (as I mentioned in yesterday's blog), I had the urge to explore more.  So our hotel was in Murray last night.  The front desk clerks, restaurant staff, donut shop staff were all friendly!  It was a nice town, but I don't want to move there.  If you know my wanderlust, you know that IS what I searching for....the next place to live!

From Murray, we drove to Memphis, Tennessee and found three barns within 100 yards of each other.  Bingo!  :)

What do you think of Memphis?  Elvis & Graceland, Peabody Hotel ducks, Martin Luther King's death place, Beale Street, Mississippi River....it's got a lot!  I had only been in Memphis before as my flight flew here and flew out.  I remember flying in seeing all the places with pools in the backyard.  

Today, we are downtown right across the street from the mighty Mississippi.  

Hubby did some research and found that on the site of ML King's death at the Lorraine Motel was a National Civil Rights Museum.  Sounded interesting and it was!  We have seen a lot of museums in our lives and on this trip and this one was amazing.  Please make sure to add this to your "things to do" list.  

The Lorraine Motel and replica caddies.  Wreath is hung on balcony right where ML King was shot and killed.

Inside the videos, displays were great.  Here is real bus from that era and a statue of Rosa Parks sitting where she "wasn't supposed to be sitting (in the white section of the bus).

Even better was the bus driver's expression and then they had an audio of him telling her...."You have to move, you can't sit there.  You're going to get arrested!"

Due to "no flash" I took another photo close-up of his face.

The Civil Rights activists were not just in the South.  St. Paul, Minnesota was the site of a protest in the Woolworth store where two blacks sat at the fountain counter reserved for whites only.  They picked St. Paul to pressure Woolworth into changing their policies and practices.  Here's another display of the counter with life-size statues.

Here's a example of propaganda put out to encourage blacks to travel with a particular company -  "Vacation & Recreation Without Humiliation."  

Remember reading about the 1963 March on Washington, where ML King made his famous "I have a dream..." speech?  While we were reading this display.....

.....hubby says, "My dad was at that march."  Really?  I don't recall hearing that story before.  Hubby's father was a staunch Democrat and a strong supporter of the Democratic Party on Long Island, New York.  
Here they have a full-size tanker truck signifying the sanitation strike in Memphis which brought ML King to town in April, 1968.  On the tank, they are showing a video...so many different ways the museum got you to look and listen. 

The museum was not just dedicated to ML King, but soooo many people that fought for civil rights for all people.  It was jam packed with information.   You turn the corner and come upon another display and another....but this really freaked me out.  

This is the balcony that ML King walked out onto his death.  There is glass so you can't walk out.  If you look to the right of the sliding doors frame in right of photo....the second story of that building has two large windows and a smaller window.  That smaller window is where James Earl Ray placed his gun to kill ML King.  In that building is more of this museum and they have the bath room still the same and blocked off from access.  

Great museum!

Then it was on to Graceland....the other King of Memphis.   I had no desire to tour the place, but I wanted to get a picture.  "Someone" has planted all types of trees in the front yard, so all I could get was this fleeting image of the house...not even sure if it's THE place.  

Checked into our hotel and went to the Mud Island River Park and Museum across the street.  This museum told a lot of history of the river and the riverboats, etc.  Here's the riverboat captain's "office."

Outside they have the Mississippi River running through five acres of the park showing all the twists and turns during its course from the Lake in Minnesota to Gulf of Mexico delta.  

Right now, hubby is resting-his-eyes...guess in preparation for exploring Beale Street tonight with their blues clubs and restaurants.

Did we see the Peabody ducks make their walk?  No.  Hubby vetoed it and since I vetoed Mammouth Cave yesterday.... we're OK!  

LBL - Land Between the Lakes

Traveled to western Kentucky today to explore Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.  The lakes are Lake Barkley made by a dam on the Cumberland River and Kentucky Lake made by a dam on the Tennessee River.  

When we lived in Georgia and traveled Up North to see my family, we would pass this area on the freeway.  Of course never enough time to stop and see more, until today.  There are not as many spots to view the lakes as I expected or hoped, but it was a nice drive through the countryside.  One area has been fenced off and is "home" to bison and elk.  Of course, after paying, we notice the sign that says the animals are wild and not to get within 200 feet of them or subject to a fine.  Also, the animals are best seen in early morning and at dusk/dinner time.  Well, too bad!  We were going through there about 2 pm.  

We drove about a mile or so and saw nothing (read - Rayna is getting frustrated)  until three wild turkeys made their appearance. Here's one that was on my side of the car.

Just a few feet further, a little elk came out on the road.  This photo was taken through windshield.

I got one other shot through the windshield that it ran into the grasses to its mama.  

I got it nursing with mama elk.  

We did see bisons, but there were quite a distance away and I think my photo will show  brown blobs. 

Around the corner there was another young and mamma elk laying in the grass.  On the other side were these two bulls hiding in the grass.
  

I know this next is not the best photo, but it reminded me of a kid playing Hide and Seek and thinking no one can see them!  :)

Since we had already paid our fee and there were few other cars, we took the drive around the preserve again.  This time the bulls were moving around.

Here's my final photo for today of another young one on the side of the road.  

Well, my "homework" is done for the day.  Going to get dinner.  More tomorrow!

Wild, Wonderful and Winding West Virginia

Here's a better photo of the West Virginia welcome sign

After driving through West Virginia today, I have to add WINDING Roads to their slogan too!  Up, down and around curves we went!  Gazing at hills/mountains full of trees and periodic valleys full of farms and old barns!  :)

Here's a couple of the old barns I captured today in WV.  

Yes, I do take some photos through the car window.  

On the map I had highlighted Beartown State Park in West Virginia.  I couldn't remember what we would see there and since it was 20+ miles off the beaten path, I Googled it last night.  It was a cloudy and cool day 50-60's temps.  It felt good to put on a sweatshirt at the park and we were the only ones there.  Here is what we saw, another example of nature's treasures.  

A boardwalk went under and over and around these formations of rock. 

It was like a rain forest in there and moss, lichen and ferns growing on rock and trees everywhere.  

And finally, on this photo, I was not holding my camera crooked.

After we left this and THEN looked at my itinerary and I had this spot listed and I found it my book, "Off the Beaten Path."  How lucky can we get?

We waved 'good-bye' to West Virginia and said 'hello' to Kentucky who's motto is "Unbridled Spirit.'

We are staying tonight near Lexington, "Horse Capital of the World."  Going to explore more of Kentucky tomorrow.  I don't think we need to get "unbridled,"  we are full of spirit as it is!

Way Above and Way Below

Today was spent driving the Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park and touring the Luray Caverns, both in Virginia.

I wish that photos could give you same perception (depth) that the naked eye has, but here are some of the "better" pictures.

Shenandoah River Valley 

Views along the Skyline Drive

When we visited our friends, the Halsteads, earlier this month in Ohio, they had just returned from a trip out East.  They highly recommended to tour the Luray Caverns.  We had not heard of it, but decided to add to our itinerary.  Are we ever glad we did! Awesome!

I took these photos using a "night landscape" setting on my camera, because shooting with a flash created a different color to the formations.  Now with the night landscape, a photographer has to be very steady and a tripod is optimal.  Since tripods are not allowed on the tour, I did my best in keeping a steady hand.  Hope you enjoy these anyway.

One of our favorite spots in the caverns was an area that had a pool of water and the because the water was not subject to outside elements (wind) the water was still like a mirror.