Graceland RV Park and Campground was quiet overnight, and a bit chilly in the morning. This is probably the most secure campground we have been in – they advertise 24 hour security and there is a guard in a shack at the entrance and a chain link fence around the entire campground. Apparently Memphis is generally not too safe at night…
We awoke, ate breakfast, and pondered what to do with our day. Taking bike rides along rivers has kind of been a thing we do in cities, so Tom looked into it and there is a short but interesting and fun ride along the Mississippi that you can do, anchored at the Bass Pro Shop Pyramid . Why a Bass Pro Shop in a Pyramid?
Well – is started with the Pyramid, which the city of Memphis built because – well – Memphis was the name of the first unified capital of ancient Egypt, and the city somehow had funding to build a sports arena. Why not? Well, it turns out that a pyramid is not a great shape for a sports arena, as you can read in the first link. However, after the sports teams left, the guys that were in charge of Bass Pro Shops decided to make it a showcase for all things hunting and fishing (for those who, like me, were unaware, Bass Pro Shops and Cabella’s are owned by the same company.) Tom suggested we get our bike riding in before it got too hot. So, the planning unfolded like this: we’d park in their huge parking lot, ride 10 miles or so, stop for lunch at the pyramid, then go to Walmart then back to the campsite. Great plan.
As an aside, Tom and Scott are constantly worried about the Khan and Polo keys – we spend at least 5 minutes a day taking inventory. We both ride Lectric bikes now – Tom’s is a few years old; Scott’s is pretty recent (replacing the Scoozy that developed battery problems.) One of the improvements on Scott’s bike is there is a switch to turn it on, rather than a key. Turns out lots of riders asked for that…
As soon as we finished our 15 minute drive to the pyramid and were unloading the bikes, Tom realized he had left the key to his bike in the camper, winning (we think) the day’s award for worst senior moment. While Scott sat on a bench, watching the bikes and chatting with folks on his phone and enjoying the nice day, Tom rushed back to the camper, fetched the key, and returned.
The ride was lots of fun – wide trail, not too many other riders, lots of great views and historical markers and sculptures and such. We took the Big River Crossing across the river into Arkansas. This uses a repurposed track on an underused rail bridge, and is almost a mile long. This is not the first time the intrepid OWGRV team had crossed state lines, and also not the first time there was an issue with keys .
One of the historical signs we saw on the trail commemorated the Martyrs of Memphis during a yellow fever outbreak – a sad but inspirational story of selfless sacrifice by the people who remain to help the sick. We also saw tugboats pushing barges on the river.
Another stop on the trail is Tom Lee Park. See the inscription below for details.
After we returned to Polo and stowed the bikes, we took the $8/person elevator ride on the tallest freestanding elevator in America. The views were breathtaking, the food was good, the prices were very reasonable. But the service was pretty incompetent – our waitress initially abandoned us and we had to request help from the hostess, we were given the check for another table, and it took way too long to straighten that out. But the Bass Pro Shops were definitely a great destination for a few hours. Their decorations of living and life-like environments and critters inside are over the top.
A visit to Memphis is not complete without a stop at Graceland. Scott and Tom had both been there, so although some might consider this sacrilegious, we just did a drive-by.
Walmart shopping to replenish food we finished and supplies we forgot, then bed and on to Russellville, AR tomorrow.