Rolling East on I-40 last night out of Memphis, I was kept company by a stream of semi’s, rolling in lines and groups like an alien school of fish, and the pink-orange light of the sun setting in my rearview mirror. A thousand lonely voices on the radio kept me company and taught me a thing or two about cheatin’ men, pick-up trucks, heartache and red necks. After a day in Dallas and 3 days in Memphis, it was nice to let the night sky envelope me on the road to Nashville. Like a kind of baptisim, the grease of pulled pork and sweat from the hot Tennessee sun have reimmersed me in America and I feel like I’m home.
Dallas was all business and, aside from a triumphant pit stop in Richardson, was most memorable for dinner at III Forks and some fun-seeking in Old Plano Town (fyi, there is no fun to be had in Downtown Plano). Dinner was epic, in the scheme of beef, and I will not soon forget my 15 oz “Baseball Cut”. With 3 days to kill before moving onto Nashville, I decided to scrap plans to accumulate miles and opted instead for a weekend in Memphis…which turned out to be one of the best ideas I had all day!
My camera is brmming with a wonderful narrative of sweet Memphis - as is my belly which is still coping with the down-home goodness, butter and love that makes up the Souther diet. 36 hours felt like a week, we covered so much ground though, at no point, did we ever have to try to hard to get anywhere. Sun Studio, Graceland, Beale Street, the Brooks Museum, the Metal Museum, sunset on the Mississippi and eats from the likes of Huey’s, Central BBQ, Dyers, Brothers Juniper…tipping our hats, of course, to The Buccaneer, Murphey’s, Westy’s and some more I’m forgetting. I feel like I have a family there now and look forward to a reason to return. JW is – officially – the best tourguide and baked potato/frenchfrier that Memphis has ever seen.
Gotta get back down to business now here in Opreyland but stay tuned for some photos and more tails of savory pork, sour mash and good times.
