Oct 20th
Well it’s a beautiful fall day
with blue sky, light winds and temps in the low 40’s. Since we’re not doing anything
until this afternoon we had a lazy morning then spent a couple of hours
cleaning the coach and washing the front windshield. Then we walked over to the
Graceland tour center and bought our cruise tickets.
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| Docked along the Historic Cobblestone Quay |
We ate lunch around noon and with
cameras and warm Jackets on we headed for downtown Memphis and the Memphis
Riverboat Tour dock (http://www.memphisriverboats.net/). We parked on the
historic cobblestone quay used 150 years ago to keep cargo like cotton bales
from getting muddy while it was waiting to be loaded onto the ships.
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| American Queen Sternwheel Paddleboat |
We crossed the gangplank onto the
American Queen and looked around starting with the upper deck – too windy! The
lower deck – too confining! And the middle deck – just right. So we settled
down at a table next to the railing near the front of the ship and waited to
get under weigh. Meanwhile, Tina went below and bought a couple of drinks and
some snacks as we were early.
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| Mud Island Park |
Eventually the ships whistle blew
and our guide and narrator took his place to describe the sights and history of
the area. First off, the ships are all berthed in a waterway just off the
Mississippi called the Wolfe River. This is an old canal about three miles long
that is closed off at the upper end and is bounded on the river side by a strip
of land called Mud Island which is now a park. The flags represent all the different countries or states that have controlled this area over the past four centuries.
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| Two Railroad bridges and the Memphis Arkansas Bridge carrying I-55 |
Soon we passed beyond the Wolfe
River and pulled into the Mississippi. A five mph current runs through this
area and the flow of water is absolutely tremendous, over 20M Gallons every
second. Heading downstream we passed arrow of very expensive homes before we
passed under three old bridges dating back to the early 1900’s, one of which is
called the Memphis and Arkansas Bridge or I-55 Bridge. A railway bridge owned
by Burlington Northern, an automobile bridge and the old train/auto bridge. All
are still in service today.
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| Union 76 Tank Farm and shore-side barges |
After passing under the bridge we
saw several tank farms, barges being readied for tow and across the river,
barges moored and used as dry docks for barge and ship repair. Executing a slow turn, the captain brought
the ship about to head up river against the current. Down below we could hear
an increase in rpm’s to make headway.
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| Hernando DeSoto Bridge carrying I-40 and coal Barges |
Moving up river towards the
newest bridge to span the river, the Hernando DeSoto or I-40 Bridge named for
the discoverer of the Mississippi River. This bridge was built in mid 1900’s
and still has its original coat of paint. As we neared the bridge two separate “Tows”
came toward us. One was a covered single, the other was a series of coal barges
linked together to form a single structure. Each barge in the linked tow contained
the equivalent of 56 tractor-truck loads of coal. That’s why it’s still so much
cheaper to transport some goods by barge. The tow operation only requires a
crew of twelve – much less than the number of drivers required to move the same
amount by truck.
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| Barge under "Tow" with the Pro Bass Pyramid |
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| Part of the Memphis skyline |
Along the way we passed the
downtown Memphis skyline along with the old Pyramid Sports Complex built in the
70’s for the professional basketball team. They moved out after a couple of
years and the facility was used on and off for several years. Vacant today, the
building has been bought by Pro Bass Sports Shops and will soon be renovated
into a large retail complex with Pro Bass as an anchor tenant.
We returned to our berth on the
Wolfe River and thanked our Guide and crew for an enjoyable trip. Tina got the
car headed back to Graceland and we made the trip without getting lost or stuck
in traffic. We arrived back at the coach around 4:40 PM and took the kids for a
walk. Then Tina called Marlowes for Dinner Reservations (http://www.marlowesmemphis.com/).
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| Our "Pink Cadillac" Limo to Marlowes |
We were picked up in a Pink Cadillac
and driven to the restaurant where Tina had her picture taken with Elvis! We
were quickly seated and after reviewing the menu we ordered “Ribs for Two” with
Beans and Cole Slaw. We got a full rack and polished it off, though the last
two were a bit of a struggle. But with dinner polished of it was time to
consider desert. Hot apple pie a la mode was the perfect after dinner treat to
finish of a great meal!
When we were done and all settled
up we were whisked away in the Pink Caddy for the return to the coach. What a
nice way to end the day. Tomorrow we head for Tupelo, MS starting the downward
leg of our trip to Naples.
To see all our photos, go to:
http://picassaweb.google.com/mjdolanski
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