Dead Elvis Scooter Rally VI

Friday festivities started at the P&H Cafe which is really a dive bar, just the place for scooter people.  We were fed and introduced ourselves around.  The weather was not pretty, with on and off torrential downpours. At 9 PM we all saddled up and headed for the Forest Hill Cemetery, the sight of Elvis's first burial.  Someone was accused of trying to steal his body, but everyone feels as though it was a set up to get permission to move the body to Graceland.  In off and on light rain over 50 scooters pulled into the Cemetery and we were all amazed to be met by Elvis.  He led us on a dark twisty ride up to his crypt.  After telling us his story, Elvis took us back down to the chapel, (you know, his only Grammy was for gospels)  and had a drawing for various scooter prizes.

 the ghost of elvis

After the Elvis event some people went to the Double J for drinking and dancing and the rest of us found our way back to the Rodeway Inn.

Saturday we met at ??Performance for breakfast.  There had been 3 rides planned for the day but due to the weather they were rearranged.  The long slow and fast ride through the country was combined and the tour of town was modified because of weather.  I took the city tour.  First stop was Levit Shell where Elvis played his first public gig as a opening act for some unknown singer.  Next we were off to the famous Sun Studios.   Sun Studios was the home of Elvis' first recording and such other performers as Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis and BB King.  It is still used today for modern day stars such as Bonnie Rait, Bono and U2 among many others who have recorded in this small studio.

In  the afternoon everyone met up at Central Barbecue for scooter contests and great BBQ. A grand time was had by all.  They fed us BBQ and under threatening skies, scooters scattered to various places for an evening of merry making.  Beale Street was probably the top spot.  I, being a old guy who has done Beale Street, called it a day.  I will get to do Beale Street tomorrow.

 Sunday we all loaded up, checked out of the Rodeway and headed for Young Street Deli. Capt. Gary said "we will follow Lostboater" and fell in line behind me.  I heard Teddy say as I was making a right turn "I thought we went the other way".  About a mile down the road I told Shawn that I had no idea were I was going, but I was gong to see if they would follow.  I was actually headed for Arkansas on the other side of the Mississippi when one of my bags fell lose and I had to stop.  Everyone came up and asked where we were going and Shawn and I started laughing so hard I could not answer.  Capt Gary and the GPS took the lead and after wandering through some crack neighborhoods we arrived at the Young Street Deli for the closing events. 

The Memphis Scooter Kings had rounded up lots and lots of swag to give away. The two big prizes were a custom designed and painted scooter and a new Kymco.

The Dead Elvis casket sidecar and family won lots of swag including the new Kymco scooter.  The gang applauded wildly when the winning number was announced and they won the Kymco.  They are a great family and they all had a blast scooting.

 I won a bottle of Prichard's 90 proof double chocolate bourbon

 and the plague for the longest ride to get here

Teddy won a bottle of Prichard's Rum and the plague for the best modern scooter

I pass this sign almost every time I leave Florida. It is where Elvis shot "Follow that Dream" and that is what I did straight to the Dead Elvis Scooter Rally VI.

Clarksdale to Memphis

I had hoped to get some of the fresh donuts at the Shack Up Inn when the office opened at 8, but I was ready to go and Big Red and me hit the road around 7:30. We took back roads for a short bit but had to join US278 that runs from Clarksdale to Oxford.  After days on the back roads this highway made me feel like I was in New York City with all the traffic. In reality, it was not a lot, but more than the last couple of days.  

the front door to my room at the shack up inn



In Oxford we stopped and inquired of a gentleman leaning on a broom where we might get breakfast.  He and the head of the Oxford EMS debated whether I should go to the BBB or the Beacon.  In they end they both agreed I should go to the BBB, Big Bad Breakfast restaurant. We rode around town a little and looked at some of the big antebellum homes and then headed to the BBB which we found with ease.  The problem was that at 9:30 on a Friday morning the waiting time for a seat was 15-20 minutes.  Can't be that good so we rode the few blocks on down the street to the Beacon where the food was excellent and cheap.

North of Oxford we took a left and got on the really back roads again.  It had warmed up nicely and the sun was shining bright. Our destination was Brussels Bonsai's in Olive Branch, MS probably the largest distributor of bonsai's in the U. S. I have always loved Bonsai's and Vicki has killed several, years ago. I had not had one in 25 years and it was time to adopt some again. I was met by Brussel Martin, owner of Brussel's Bonsai and given a great tour.  He being the expert, I let him pick a couple of Bonsai's for me.  We took those back to the office and then he gave me free roam of his greenhouses and storage buildings. I was allowed to go wherever I wanted.  I did not get far when a Sago palm called out to me and it and I went back to the office together to add to the order.

 brussel searching for my perfect bonsai

Brussel picked two for me and I went back to get a sago palm



Back out in the greenhouse I went.  There are some beautiful bonsai's that I would love to own, but at $500 to $5,000,  I figured I had better try to keep the three that I had bought alive before I kill one that is the price of a retirement plan.

thank you lissa smith and velancia larry for all your help and I apologize your picture came out a little blurry

We rolled into the Rodeway Inn Memphis next to the Methodist Hospital.  At first glance we and the other scooter riders arriving at the same time were a little nervous with furniture and beds out on the walkways.  You do not want to see a hotel bed in the sun light.  Fortunately, they were only putting in new furniture. The outside was a little rough but the rooms were large and clean.

capt gary unloading from his very nice trailer complete with fold down bed and flat screen.

I'M GOING TO GRACELAND GRACELAND IN MEMPHIS TENNESSEE.......

The Mississippi Delta was shining
Like a National guitar
I am following the river
Down the highway
Through the cradle of the civil war

I'm going to Graceland
Graceland
In Memphis Tennessee
I'm going to Graceland

paul simon

The original plan had been to leave on the 3rd of April, ride up to North Carolina to see my Mom, train home and then go back up and start the trip a few weeks later. Big Red was loaded and the planning was done. I even had a breakfast meeting set  up in Trenton, FL at the Cracker Box. Then fate stepped in.

Last year I stayed at the Holly Manor B&B outside Trenton, TN.  I found the area and the owners, Jim and Barbara Smith (if that is their real last names, more on that later), very interesting. Barbara in her youth had known and dated Elvis Presley. I am a student of the phenomena that surrounds the life of Elvis and her relationship with Elvis was intriguing  Anyway, I see a special on PBS of Sir Trevor McDonald traveling the Mississippi and interviewing Barbara on her relationship with Elvis.  The next day I discover that the Dead Elvis Scooter Rally, something I have wanted to attend in the past,  is the exact weekend I was starting my trip from North Carolina.  I call that fate and put a halt to my Blue Suede riding boots. The whole trip is rearranged for me to hit the Dead Elvis event and hopefully the Holly Manor B&B.

So, here I go to Memphis!!!

The Delta Blues Country

I was rolled out of bed at 5 A.M. with window rattling, rolling thunder, and flashes of lightning through the curtains. I looked and there were whirling dervishes of rain in the parking lot but Big Red sat calmly in the portico of the hotel.

When I checked in last night the front desk clerk, Shirac, said not to worry but the water in Greenville has a slight tinge of brown in it. Despite my world travels I cannot remember where I saw “brown” water in a hotel except when it came unfiltered out of a river. Not only was it brown, but it was hard and would not even rinse the soap off in the shower.

The high yesterday was 84 and the high today is going to be 59. I hung out at the hotel reading and inspecting Big Red. The internet in the area was down from the storm, so I could not do research on upcoming parts of the trip. The last of the rain passed through around 10:30 and we started to roam the Delta. The first stop was Leland, MS and the Highway 61 Museum. Not overly exciting but I met some Australian, Germans and several local school teachers just out for the day. We left Leland and headed east on some back roads to Indianola, the birth place and home of B.B. King. This a fairly busy little town with all the farming that is done in the area and  Indianola being the hub. I stopped into the “Pea Soup” restaurant assuming they would have soup. They don’t. I ordered a catfish po-boy and they issue a number and you wait for a table. When they give you a table you put the number in a little holder and they bring you your food after they cook it. The place was packed and the po-boy was good but I had wanted pea soup.

 now where is he making me go?

bb king 

I roamed some more, but the 50 degree temperatures got to me, so we did a swing through Clarksdale, met lots of friendly people, had a Gucci coffee and headed out of town to the Shack Up Inn. Pictures and words cannot describe this place. Part is a old cotton mill that they have built rooms into. The other part is genuine share cropper/slave shacks that they found and moved on to the property. I love this place! Not because it is so eclectic but it has a great “feel” to it. As usual, the owners are even more interesting. I have booked in for two nights.

 morgan freeman's ground zero

 steve kabula plays at the ground zero tomorrow

 local musicians/artists steve street and wife cleaning treasures

 bill and guy, owners of the shack up inn

 the share cropper cottages

 room 3 complete with 55 gallon drum night stands

Last night I went into town. Downtown Clarksdale is pretty much a closed up town with just a few operating businesses. The big draw is the Ground Zero juke joint, owned by Morgan Freeman and a partner, that has jazz and blues almost every night. Freeman and a partner had a upscale restaurant but it closed. That left three restaurants in the downtown and this past weekend one of those closed just leaving the Yazoo Pass and Bistro. It is a coffee shop with great food. They serve dinners at night and I had one of the best pasta dishes I have had in a long time. The owner was my waiter, and though the place was slammed with the other restaurant having closed, we had a great conversation. Though it is great for his business, he really hates that the other business closed. He has a large local clientele, but like all businesses on the Blues Trail, the international customers are his bread and butter.

From there I went to Ground Zero to hear the music. There is a lot of energy in the place because of the international visitors, but the music was just fair. I called it a day and rode back under a bright almost full moon. Great way to end a day.

 what does a guy who washes light fixtures do at night?

 .........make music

The Next Day.

I awoke to a clear deep blue sky and temperature of 39. I was not afraid as I knew that today it would warm up quickly. I had not had a real grits and egg breakfast on this trip so I headed into town to the Rest Haven. The front desk (if you can call it that) at the Shack said the food would be good but that I had probably not been in a more Republican den in my life with Fox New blaring. He was not wrong. The google reviews said the food was good but the service sucks. They were not wrong. There were four or five tables of locals eating and smoking while Fox News talked of a “terror tornado took down a tree”. This is national news and a “terror” event. The locals were nice and as usual they asked about the scooter and “...you didn't ride that up from Florida did you?”. I also heard the word “nigger” a lot. Something I have heard before on this trip in Mississippi. Yes, folks racism and prejudice is alive and well in America. I paid up at the cash register under the Grade B sanitation rating. B seems to be the standard to shoot for here in Mississippi.

Morning at the cotton gin. Red is front of my room

I crossed the street to O’Riely’s Auto parts to get some sandpaper for some work I was going to do on Big Red this morning. O’Riely’s had been on the receiving end of a drive by shooting a few days earlier. There were people in the store but no one was hit. The boys in the Rest Haven wanted to know why they didn't have any action and get some drive by shootings.

Back at the Shack I began some maintenance on Big Red. There is a gasket on the two part exhaust that needs replacing from time to time. Right before I left, Dave Masse, from Montreal  had asked on the internet if it was safe to drive with the gasket leaking. I told him yes, but that just answering his question would put the jinx on mine and I would for sure have to change mine now on this trip. I was right. The job can be straight forward and easy and today it was. I had offers of help from the Shack maintenance man and a couple of the Harley riders, but luckily their help was not needed.

That completed I took off to wander the Delta.

mr. mayor washington of friars point

ooops!!

 how come the yazoo levee board can ban firearms but our congress cannot?

 riding on top of this levy on the rocky road kept me on my toes

 mr. oneil the logger

 how can i not go down a road named bobo?

it don't get no better than this