2018 Road Trip - Day 03
Thursday 09.06.18 - Easing Our Way to Elizabeth, Indiana
After packing the truck, we drove straight to see State Line Big John, in front of Boom City Fireworks. A gargantuan grocery clerk, normally found outside Big John supermarkets, has been moved here and is ready to carry your bags across state lines.
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State Line Big John
9199 US-61, Walls, MS 38680
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As we drove on into Memphis, we passed the Vinyl Record Sign. A vintage "Welcome to Memphis" sign greets travelers from Mississippi using a music format that Elvis would have recognized.
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Vinyl Record Sign
5569 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, TN 38116
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And then the Hillcrest High School to see their giant viking. Mascot of Hillcrest High School, the Viking statue directs his steely gaze toward Elvis Presley Blvd, probably on the lookout for any Graceland tourists that he can plunder. Some people believe that this type of statue -- there are several copies of it around the U.S. -- is a Spartan, not a Viking. But it was originally the symbol of the Viking Carpet store chain, and if they considered it a Viking, that's good enough for us.
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Hillcrest High School’s Giant Viking Statue
4184 Graceland Dr, Memphis, TN 38116
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Now that the early site seeing is finished, lets get some grub! We arrived at the oldest restaurant in Memphis. The Arcade Restaurant. One of their many claims to fame is that Elvis Presley once dined there. Shelly & I both really enjoyed our breakfast. Here are our thoughts, that we jotted down afterwards:
- Me, #4 + bacon - thick creamy gravy, soft buttery biscuits, and thick meaty scrumptious sausage. Eggs are like a fry scramble. Hash Browns would be better with onions & cheese.
- Her, #5 + banana - the sweet potato pancakes were excellent, fluffy and slightly sweet. Bacon cooked perfect and best scrambled eggs. The coffee was incredible not bitter and so smooth.
- We were impressed with the mini bottles of Sonny Salt seasoning on each table. So much so, we bought a jar to take home.
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| #5 - Sweet Potato Pancakes 2 Eggs any Style, Bacon or Sausage, Hash Browns or Grits (Available with Blueberries, Chocolate Chips, or Strawberries *) |
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| #4 - Eggs Redneck Biscuits and Sausage smothered in Gravy with Eggs and Hash Browns |
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| What meal is really complete with out hot sauce? |
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| The Elvis table |
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Sonny Salt & Mug Souvenirs
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After that wicked good breakfast, it's time to refuel the truck for some more road side site seeing...
We passed thru Jackson, TN to see their Statue of Liber-Tree. Carved from the stump of a sizable oak tree, and unveiled by the town mayor on March 5, 2014.
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Statue of Liber-Tree
22 Bond St., Jackson, TN
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| Fuel Stop - When we saw the sign, how could we not stop? |
We next made our way to Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Buffalo with Red Eyes at Loretta Lynn's Kitchen. Loretta has her own attraction up the road apiece. This place is notable for its outdoor statue of a red-eyed buffalo.
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Buffalo with Red Eyes at Loretta Lynn's Kitchen
15366 Hwy 13 S., Hurricane Mills, TN
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| This deer ran across the street, right in front of us! |
Centerville, Tennessee: Chicken Wire Minnie Pearl Head
Artist Ricky Pittman is making six different statues of Centerville's favorite daughter, Minnie Pearl, out of chicken wire. No. 1, a giant head, is displayed in front of the county courthouse.
Nashville, Tennessee: Pinkie: Pink Elephant With Sunglasses. Unique pink elephant, built circa 2000, inspired by a classic 1960s version that once stood at the same spot. Has been known to wear comically oversized sunglasses.
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Pinkie: Pink Elephant With Sunglasses
6005 Charlotte Pike, Nashville, TN
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These next few shots were a little difficult to obtain. There was no real place to stop, so we had to do some drive by photography.
Nashville, Tennessee: Herd of Buffalo Statues. Spotting a herd of life-size bronze buffalo in Nashville might have been a lot more fun if they didn't stand in the median of a busy highway.
Nashville, Tennessee: Herd of Buffalo Statues. Spotting a herd of life-size bronze buffalo in Nashville might have been a lot more fun if they didn't stand in the median of a busy highway.
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Herd of Buffalo Statues
Buffalo Park, Nashville, TN 37207
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For lunch we found a fantastic wings place. We both love spicy foods. Her more so, than myself. At Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, in Nashville, TN, we both got a 4 piece tender meal w/ bread, pickles & coleslaw. (Medium for me, Hot for her) Shelly asked the lady at the counter, how hot “hot” really is since they offer xhot & xxxhot. She replied, "I use to eat hot, but not anymore. Since you're young, you can handle it." Even after only ordering medium, I couldn't eat the 4th tender, it was just too much. I had to drive thru Sonic to get a shake to put out the fire!
Pro: cooked to order, served hot & fresh
Con: counter service & bottled drinks + coke machine
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| Shelly's HOT chicken |
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| My medium chicken |
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| Look at how the bread soaked up the chicken! |
We then drove about 3 hours to our hotel at the Horseshoe Southern Indiana. Tired from driving all day we elected to just rest that night & ordered room service for dinner.
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| The coffee machine was in the bathroom |
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| Room service: BLTs on Texas toast - lots of bacon gave great crunch, slice of tomato and a leaf of lettuce. Really good, may have been the best room service food we've ever gotten. |
In my next installment, I'll tell you all about our stay in Cleveland, Ohio, where we spent 3 days enjoying the food & more site seeing.
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