Our first stop was Graceland. We learned that this was the beginning of Elvis Week. We waited for an hour for a tour of the mansion. We boarded the shuttle bus for the drive across the street to the front door. Each visitor is given an audio device that contains the narration of the tour. From the front door, the tour takes you through the first floor rooms. Elvis had an interesting way of decorating. The rooms have been left as they were in the mid-1970's. The kitchen has all of the appliances from the 70's. The televisions are vintage models too. In the basement, there is a billiard room. The other part of the basement is painted blue and yellow, with a mirrored ceiling and three televisions built into the wall. It was decorated in 1974. Upstairs is the jungle room. The floor and ceiling are covered with green shag carpet. The furniture is classic mid-70's style. Elvis turned it into a recording studio for one of his later albums, due to the acoustic properties of the room.
From the main house, the tour takes you to a room with various exhibits of Elvis memorabilia. His karate uniform, desk, and bed are there. From the exhibit room, you go through a couple more exhibits before reaching the Memory Garden, where Elvis?? and his family are buried. The shuttle took us back to the parking area.
Our drive through Tennessee was pleasant. The temperature and humidity was much more tolerable. We had dinner at Cracker Barrel®. If you have not noticed, we love the food there.
Tomorrow should be our last day on the road. We have mixed feelings about that. On one hand, we miss our home, family, and friends. It's more expensive to live on the road, so our wallet would welcome the break too. Just the same, this has been one of the most interesting summers we have had. We have covered so many miles and seen all kinds of people and places. The school year is starting soon. That is something we would rather not deal with, yet it pays the bills.
It's tme to get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us. We have done the drive from East Tennessee to Baltimore before. It is long, but scenic. We may take some time to see Shenandoah NP before arriving home.
