Goin' down to Graceland...

Well, we've left Memphis after another fun-filled day and a half. Yesterday we got in the mandatory tour of Graceland. I'll go ahead and be the one to say it: I was impressed. Not by the grandeur, but by the modesty. By the rooms filled with plaques and other momentos thanking Elvis for his donations to charity. They obviously skipped over the more sordid details ("Then, at age 42, Elvis passed away from heart failure") but it's really remarkable what he did in his musical career, and what he did for people. The only things that you'd find to be ostentatious were the cars and airplanes. The big jet, the Lisa Marie, is well-known for its gold sinks and seat belt buckles, and he had a collection of really cool cars. (Shout out to Marc Strauss: check the photo of Elvis' John Deere tractor in the gallery.) But the house, is just a house. Everyone refers to Graceland as a mansion, but it's really just a decent-sized house, trimmed in fantastic 70's shag, with a room for his parents.

Yesterday afternoon, for lunch/supper/dinner, we went for real Memphis BBQ, with fried chicken still bloating us from the night before. It was simply amazing. And the fact that not a single waitress was under 250 pounds is a testament to its deliciousness. The restaurant is Corky's, which has won all kinds of awards for best BBQ in Memphis and best in the south. We have all agreed that the summer recreation/weight loss plan has been completely derailed and we need to get out of Memphis ASAP. 

Last night was the sad farewell to Lisa, and then boys night out at Transformers 3. Favorite moment was when we were introduced to the new female love interest (if you've seen the movie, you'll never forget how she's introduced), and from the row behind us, we hear the slow Tennessee drawl… "Oh    mah     Lord    …      I    love      3D."

So this morning we went to the fantastic Memphis Zoo and had a great time. We had to shorten our visit not to get on the road, but because we were all about to start heat stroking. Right now we're in Arkansas on the road to Hot Springs. So far, we've seen temps hit 102, but we expect it to go even higher in the next couple of days. Amarillo was at 109 yesterday, and Lake Mead, NV was at 112. Between the extreme heat and the fact that Santa Fe is on fire, we are looking at a complete overhaul of the next few weeks. We'll keep you posted!