Day 55 (Wednesday, August 18th) Graceland

We managed to reserve a space in the Memphis/Graceland RV Park and Campground which is right behind Heartbreak Hotel and across the street from Graceland. We were luckier here than we were with Sturgis. Elvis Week was last week and the anniversary of his death was just 2 days ago, on the 16th. There were only a few straggling, non-English-speaking impersonators left and the area had almost returned to normal......although "normal" isn't really a word you'd usually use around Graceland.

We thought it would be neat to introduce the boys to the mystique of Elvis. They knew who Elvis was and even knew some of his songs but weren't really familiar the whole Elvis story. John and I visited Memphis about 10 years ago but never toured Graceland so we were looking forward to it as well.

We started the day by buying a tour package and then began with a tour of the mansion and grounds. Graceland was actually built in 1935 and was only purchased and modified by Elvis. We couldn't believe he bought the whole place for $200,000, but then again, that was in 1957. Elvis was 22 and was already a millionaire. The audio-enhanced tour included the main level and basement of the house (including the notoriously outrageous Jungle Room), the trophy room and a commemorative room that was in his racquetball court in the backyard. We each had a small audio tour-helper that told us all kinds of details about Elvis and his life. We were surprised by his philanthropy involving a wide array of charities. It also surprised us that Elvis only attended one award ceremony in his honor in his entire life. When RCA wanted to present him with a multiplatinum record, they had to meet him as he came off the plane after a flight because they knew he wouldn't come to any ceremony they arranged. When viewed in hindsight there are many admirable traits that he exhibited during his life. He never got over his stage-fright, he never forgot that each new audience was probably seeing his act for the first time, he seemed to remain humble, and he never stopped helping other people; not with a philanthropic orgaization, but with his own hands, a little at a time.

The tour of the mansion and grounds ended at the gravesite of Elvis and his parents and maternal grandmother. They weren't originally buried on Graceland's grounds, but some problems at the public cemetary caused Elvis' father to get permission for a family burial site on the grounds. There were tons of flowers all around the area. Many such tokens are received at Graceland almost daily and they display them until they are faded or wilted to the point of being no longer attractive. Of course, they were overwhelmed last week with stuff from around the world.

Our ticket included self-guided tours of several other exhibits, including a collection of his cars, motorcycles, and other motorized toys. There were collections of his clothes, two of his airplanes, a ton of gift shops and other stuff across the street from Graceland. Tyler thought it was very cool that Elvis' logo was TCB (Taking Care of Business), which are his initials.

We got to look into his Falcon business jet and his converted airliner. It was a plane that carried 96 passengers for Delta before Elvis bought it (sight unseen) and converted it to a 600 mph recreational vehicle. That's travelling in style!

We essentially spent the whole day soaking up Elvis-lore and looking at the stunning amount of Elvis-kitsch that is for sale in the shops in the complex. We walked home, tired, but ready for a full day exploring Memphis, tomorrow.