Tennessee Next

 Time to leave Talladega and head to Tennessee for our next adventure. The day started cool and foggy but improved as it went along. Talladega waves goodbye.

A lunch stop at a lovely roadside welcome centre gave us a break. The new flowers and smells of spring make it a great day to enjoy.

 After getting settled in at our site near Memphis we did what anyone our age would do.. GO TO Graceland. I mean, Elvis' home. Way cool. The more I learned about him, the more I respected him.

After his first couple of hits, he bought Graceland at 21. He paid $100,000 and lived here until he died. He moved all his friends in as well as his family and had a great time here.

 This was his living room. Gaudy but comfortable. 

He liked to be occupied so he had a lot of games and entertainment around so he could blow off steam with his close friends. When he became famous he couldn't go out for fun so he created a private sanctum with lots of diversions.

 His rumpus room had an Africa theme. Proves he can be tacky just like us.

 There were 13 acres at Graceland and he liked to race golf carts and dune buggies. He also had horses and they would race horses through the yard.

 In the back yard he had a pool and a meditation garden where he could sit and enjoy the silence.

He got into handball and had a court built so that they could play at home. On the upper level he had a gym and an area to relax. On his last night alive, he played and sang songs on this piano. 

 The court area of the handball court has been turned into a display area for some of his memorabilia. Elvis had earned more number 1 hits and platinum records than any singer in history. These are some.

 A lot of his costumes are displayed here as well. He had a unique style; you either loved it or hated it. 

 In other rooms there are more displays. Here are the wedding outfits he and Priscilla wore when they got married. Also one of his military uniforms.

Here is another room with more of his music awards. He has sold more records than any other singer.

 Museums across the street from Graceland include his car museum which includes this Caddy which was the first one he bought and gave to his mother. He loved cars and motor cycles and had an extensive collection.

 He also had 2 jets which he used all the time. He took his little daughter Lisa Marie to Denver for the day because she had never seen snow. So they flew there, played in the snow for an hour and then flew back home.

The jet was completely renovated to include a dining room, areas to relax and his bedroom so he could sleep after shows.

 Not a bad looking dining room. They had a food fight on one of Lisa Marie's birthdays. I guess you can do that on your own plane.

 Elvis died at 42 and is buried in the meditation garden he loved. His mother, father and grandmother are buried there with him.

It was quite the experience to go through probably the most famous gates in America and spend some time in the world Elvis created. He was a huge talent and a very unique person. We enjoyed the day.