Day 3: Memphis to Tulsa- crossed the Great Mississip!

Good Evening Friends- We are now on Central Time, so it's actually only 1045 pm as I write. Today was pretty exhausting, but only because we weren't exactly pumped about the next destination: Tulsa. Not that there's anything WRONG with Tulsa; it just doesn't have the same flair as our previous destinations.

Nashville, as we all know, is Music City USA. It's super clean (sterile almost) and has a fun cowboy, Southern hospitality feel. In fact, for a music lova like me, it's paradise.

Memphis has a very different vibe, but one I love just as much. It's a little grimy, a little ghetto, extremely soulful and slow as molasses. But Memphis knows exactly who she is and is proud of herself. You can almost hear "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" resonating from the walls of the city. The epitome of authenticity... and as Tim says...."DUDE! We got a tattoo in Memphis--how sick is that?"

We woke up in Memphis today, got breakfast at the Comfort Inn (along with a high school basketball team full of gargantuans) and made our way downtown. The goal was Beale Street. We found a sweet FREE parking spot, grabbed the doggie and walked. We stopped by the Gibson Museum, Fed Ex Forum (props to the Grizzlies--that arena is awesome), the historic Peabody Hotel, and of course, Beale Street.

Fed Ex is incredible, but we had to leave quickly. Maverick was getting dive-bombed by a mockingbird--guess her babies were close by. Can't say I blame her. So, we rolled up by the Peabody and what do we see? The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Score!

Moving on to Beale Street (pedestrians only), we saw the sign that said "No Animals." Tim said "screw it, I'll carry him." SO-- Mavi got to experience Beale Street and, to my surprise, all of the business owners were excited to see him. Plenty came up to talk to us and pet him. My dog is the coolest.

On our way out of town, we decided to experience our own little rite of passage. We stopped at a park and each of us dipped our feet in the Mighty Mississippi River. It was epic to understand that where we stood was where "Huck Finn" was born, Jeff Buckley died and where so much American History was made. Monumental moment.

After that, we got back behind the wheel and drove 7.5 hours to Tulsa, OK. My brother was less than excited about Tulsa-- he calls it "Vanilla" and says, "I already live in Norfolk, Va. I don't need to see another city just like it." That pretty much sums it up.

Since I forgot yesterday, here's a sample of what was pumping through the speakers today (a little more country, very apropos we think):

"God's Gonna Cut Ya Down" and

"Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Johnny Cash

"Something about a Woman" - Jake Owen

"Smoke Rings in the Dark" - Gary Allan

"I'm Not Ready to Make Nice" - Dixie Chicks

"Would You Know" and

"The Therapy" - Fools & Horses (my shout-out to Baltimore peeps)

"Family Tradition" and "Country Boy Can Survive" - Hank Williams, Jr.

"Amarillo Sky" - Jason Aldean

"Troubadour" - George Strait

Downtown was dead when we arrived in Tulsa around 8pm, but we stumbled upon a cool Midtown area and ended up eating at Jason's Deli. Cool thing about that, though, is that it is right across the street from one of my favorite Italian joints, Mary's. We didn't get to eat there, but I snapped a quick pic, so I can remember to return there one day for their Chicken Parm.

We rolled over to the Wal-Mart to pick up some beer and wine and guess what? Tulsa is ridiculous-- there was no wine! AND- the wine aisle only had Bartles & James and Boone's Farm. ha ha ha!

Alright, enough blabbing on my part-- tomorrow is a long day. We plan to see if we can find some sleep meds for Mavi and make the 10 hour trip to.....wait for it....wait for it....Albuquerque, New Mexico. This will be our last long leg of the trip, so pray that we all make it

1) in one piece,

2) without killing one another and

3) with our wits about us.

Until tomorrow...