Leaving Atlanta and First Day on the Road

We had planned to pick up our van at 9:30 am, but it needed new tires when it was returned be the previous renters, so we did not roll out of the ATL until nearly 3 pm! Undeterred, we decided to go all the way to Memphis anyway so that we could stay on schedule. On the way, we had a nice stretch break in Birmingham, AL, where we visited the Vulcan…the largest cast iron statue in the world. The Vulcan pays homage to Birmingham’s reputation as the steel and iron capital of the south. 

After enjoying the views of Birmingham and a brief summer sprinkle, we kept heading west, stopping for a quick bite in Tupelo, MS, before rolling into Memphis around 10 pm with three sleeping kids. The van’s beds were more comfortable than I thought they’d be, once we set them up, but the TO Fuller campground was hot, humid, buggy, and not super well-kept. However, none of this made too much of a diffference after our long day. Peter and I started out in the popup tent on the roof of the van, but sometime in the wee hours a controversy broke out down below and I needed to swap places with Ezra to ensure people slept. The night passed without incident after that.

Morning came at 8:30 am, given our late arrival and the sun was up and hot! Seems we had the only unshaded picnic spot in the camp! After a quick breakfast, stowing the beds and tent, and packing of our picnic lunch, we headed into downtown Memphis to catch a few sights. 

First stop was the Lorraine Hotel and National Civil Rights museum. We have a civil rights museum in Atlanta, but I’m so glad we made time for this. The exhibits were so well done and really accessible for the kids. It was also sobering to have the reminder that MLK Jr. made his “Mointaintop” speech in Memphis on the night before he was assassinated. 

From there we traveled just over a mile down the street to Sun Records…studio home to Elvis Presley, BB King, Johnny Cash, U2 and more. It was fascinating to see how small the building was where there has been such a tremendous convergence of talent over the years.