Day 5 of 37

Walking in Memphis

Yesterday ended with us camping north of Memphis somewhere near the Fort Pillow State Park. Today begins with some basic 'chores' that include procurring gas, replacing my defunct phone followed by a brainstorm on what to do and/or where to head next. There weren't many exciting events in store except for one interesting twist that changed this trip in a fundamental way. Follow along for today's super exciting events.

I didn't sleep much last night with so many mosquitoes hiding in my truck and having to deal with a hot and humid climate. It is fair to say last night was uncomfortable at best. But as the new day emerges, I was greeted by a few deer that I followed for a bit simply because I was curious about a path they were taking into the woods. This time allowed me to think about what had to be done to get this trip back on track. Since the gas gauge was showing well below empty, I have to make sure that whatever path we decided on was the most logical and efficient path to an open gas station or face a long, arduous morning tracking down someone to help. The best I could come up with was to take a main road. Forget the numerous country roads as you could drive 20 miles of nothing. So we packed up and drove down 87 and eventually ran into a gas station. Not much excitement here but chore number one is complete.

The next urban adventure - find a Verizon store. For some reason Steven's phone still couldn't access data so even finding a Verizon store proved difficult. It is amazing how difficult things become without Google Maps. After a few stops for directions, we found a store and the phone was replaced. Even with insurance, this still costs about $150. Chore number two complete.

This leads to an interesting development. While waiting to resolve the phone issue Steven unexpectedly found out he had to take care of an issue and had to return home to address it. I suppose he could have waited but thought it was best to make the break now vs. later when he would be a thousand miles further west. While digesting the news, we visited Graceland. You would think the area would be booming with an interesting musical vibe but that is not the case. The general area is "run down and sketchy" to be honest. We decided not to partake in the tour, found food and while eating developed Steven's exit plan which entailed taking the bus back home and it leaves tonight. After eating, I drove to the greyhound station, hung out for an hour or two waiting on the bus and left it at that. Steven is off on another adventure and I wished him the best.

Well here I am contemplating what would be my next step. Do I continue or head home and plan the trip later in the year? I really wasn't sure and decided to chill in the hotel room, work on organizing photos and sort through what to do the next day. My gut instinct was to postpone the trip, to regroup but I knew to sleep on these decisions and revisit the whole thing in the morning. Many times late in the day when things become tricky as with long hikes or brutal mountain bike rides, the mind plays tricks and sometimes this leads to accepting exit plans. Yeah man - I think I'll just leave it at that and share a few photos.

Bass Pro Shops doesn't play around in Memphis. Photo of a busy Memphis Street. I Like the ecclectic nature of it. Live Simply - Follow along as I detail these 37 days -