2018 Mississippi River Ride: Day 9: Wednesday, 05/16/18 Rest Day in Memphis

Today, Day 9 of our bicycling adventure, we are taking our first rest day since leaving New Orleans on May 8. We have bicycled daily distances of 65, 62, 66, 91, 100, 80, 63, and 64 miles for a total distance of 591 miles. Everyone was ready to take a day off and enjoy some of the attractions of Memphis, Tennessee. The following are some images from our look around Memphis today:

This is a picture of the downtown Memphis skyline from Mud Island River Park. (The water you see represents the Gulf of Mexico.)

The Mud Island River Park can be seen from our hotel. It is not actually an island but is a small peninsula, surrounded by the Mississippi River to the west and the Wolf River Harbor to the east. The park is accessible by the Memphis Suspension Railway (monorail), footbridge on top of the monorail, ferry or automobile.

The Riverwalk at Mud Island is a hydraulic scale model of the lower Mississippi River flowing from its confluence with the Ohio River at Cairo, IL 954 miles south to the Gulf of Mexico. There are twenty cities mapped along the Riverwalk. The model empties into an acre size Gulf of Mexico (see first picture). The Riverwalk is one of the most unique representations of the Mississippi River in the world. Along the journey, you revisit historical events and learn about the geographical transformations.

The Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid in Memphis is one of the most dynamic and immersive retail experiences in the world. In addition to an incredible assortment of fishing, boating, hunting and outdoor gear, the mega store includes a 103 room hotel. There is also an observation deck at the top of the 32 story steel pyramid.

Today we participated in a Memphis Mojo Tour. It was a 90 minute drive featuring live music. Our guide is a professional Beale Street musician who plays and sings selections from the city's rich musical heritage. Along the way we saw the musical and historical highlights of Memphis to include: Beale Street, Sun Studio, Peabody Hotel, Stax Studio, Lorraine Motel, St Jude's Children's Research Hospital, McDonald House and the early homes of Elvis and BB King.

On April 4, 1968, the Rev Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated here at the Lorraine Motel. This was the day after his famous speech at the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ. He was staying at the Lorraine Hotel and in the process of planning a civil rights march for the unfair working conditions against black workers when an assassin shot and killed him on the balcony of his room at the motel. (Note the white and red wreath.) Today the Lorraine Hotel is the National Civil Rights Museum.

The Peabody Hotel is best known for its ducks! In the 1930s, the General Manager had just returned from a weekend hunting trip in Arkansas. He and his friends found it amusing to leave three of their live English call duck decoys in the hotel fountain. The guests loved the idea, and since then, five Mallard ducks (one drake and four hens) have played in the fountain. Every day at 11AM, the Peabody Ducks are escorted from their penthouse home, on the hotel roof, to the lobby via elevator. The ducks, accompanied by the King Cotton March by John Philip Sousa, then proceed across a red carpet to the hotel fountain, made of a solid block of Italian travertine marble. The ducks are then led ceremoniously back to their penthouse at 5PM.

Last night we had dinner at the Rum Boogie Cafe. It's a unique restaurant and bar established in 1985 as the cornerstone of the Historic Beale Street (Home of the Blues) and Highway 61. It blends down-home Delta dining with smokin' Memphis blues played live.

Not a lot of information has been given about our riding group members, except last night, we were told that yours truly, Wayne, is the oldest male member on the ride, and Mindy is the youngest rider in the group. The oldest member of the group is Patty from the Chicago area who is two years older than Wayne. We were told this is the first time in AbB history that the oldest and youngest riders have been female.