Memphis, TN

I'm going to preface this by saying this post will be somewhat shorter than I intended and probably unfocused because I am falling asleep as I type this. It seems that Memphis got the best of me, and I the best of it.

My appetite has been minimal the past few days, probably because I have been sitting in the truck burning calories only when I blink my eyelids or make a slight turn of the wheel. When I lose my appetite, I also lose my desire to do other things, like explore the town. It's a good thing the South has good food. A southern comfort smorgasbord for lunch seems to have been the comfort and inviting welcome my stomach has sought all week.

We traveled fast, crossing both the west and east state line of Arkansas and making our way into Tennessee. Welcome to culture shock. Drop all familiar ways and open your eyes to a whole new world, where unspoken tension exists only in one's mind, and where open arms and the greatest people you'll ever meet are just around the corner. This is Memphis.

Words don't allow me to describe any type of experience that takes place here. This is not something that is bound solely by imagery and can be painted into the mind's eye of the reader. This is something you need to see, and something I cannot believe I have missed out on for so long.

Beale Street, Memphis. This is our abode for the evening, a gateway into rich southern tradition and the stage for some of the most unique musical acts you will ever encounter. We spent the majority of our time in BB King's Restaurant and Blues Club where spicy hot buffalo wings were the obvious choice for an appetizer and where people from all over gather to share one common interest: Blues music.

The music was as rich as was the food, and the memory I now have to hold, even richer. The street outside was filled nearly to capacity, the end streets blocked and governed by police. A haven for tourists, and a home for many. Like I said, even eloquence doesn't do this experience justice. I love Memphis.

Will be more awake tomorrow night, maybe.

Having the time of my life, and not even to Orlando yet,

-D