Music Cities USA
Saturday 14th May
Clarksdale, sitting at the crossroads of Routes 61 and 49, is the indisputable home of the Blues. It has a phenomenal roll call of former residents, Son House, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Robert Johnson and more recently Ike Turner and Sam Cooke. We spent the morning visiting the superb Delta Blues Museum. This is the state's oldest music museum, established in 1979 and now housed in the restored passenger dspot of the Yazoo and Mississippi River Valley Railroad. The museum has a large collection of musical instruments, recordings, sheet music, posters, photographs, costumes and paintings. The background of blues music and histories of the artists themselves are described with special collections featuring Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Big Mama Thornton, Charlie Musselwhite, Big Joe Williams, Jimmy Burns and Son Thomas.
The one room cabin where Muddy Waters lived is displayed next to his guitar, made from a salvaged plank from the cabin and the 1939 Ford driven by Alan Lomax when he visited Clarkesdale to record Waters' music.
John found the first verse of a song by Muddy Waters about Ely (on our last trip to USA we passed a sign to Ely as we were heading to Las Vegas) and added two more verses himself!
"I went on down to Ely So I went on down to Sutton Well I really didn't like it
To get my gun out of pawn. To get my car out of the dock. I preferred it when she was gone
But when I got back home And when I got back home So I'm going down the road to Earith
My baby she was gone. My baby she was back. Gonna live all on my own."
Drove to Memphis. Overnight at Southaven.
Clarksdale, sitting at the crossroads of Routes 61 and 49, is the indisputable home of the Blues. It has a phenomenal roll call of former residents, Son House, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Robert Johnson and more recently Ike Turner and Sam Cooke. We spent the morning visiting the superb Delta Blues Museum. This is the state's oldest music museum, established in 1979 and now housed in the restored passenger dspot of the Yazoo and Mississippi River Valley Railroad. The museum has a large collection of musical instruments, recordings, sheet music, posters, photographs, costumes and paintings. The background of blues music and histories of the artists themselves are described with special collections featuring Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Big Mama Thornton, Charlie Musselwhite, Big Joe Williams, Jimmy Burns and Son Thomas.
The one room cabin where Muddy Waters lived is displayed next to his guitar, made from a salvaged plank from the cabin and the 1939 Ford driven by Alan Lomax when he visited Clarkesdale to record Waters' music.
John found the first verse of a song by Muddy Waters about Ely (on our last trip to USA we passed a sign to Ely as we were heading to Las Vegas) and added two more verses himself!
"I went on down to Ely So I went on down to Sutton Well I really didn't like it
To get my gun out of pawn. To get my car out of the dock. I preferred it when she was gone
But when I got back home And when I got back home So I'm going down the road to Earith
My baby she was gone. My baby she was back. Gonna live all on my own."
Drove to Memphis. Overnight at Southaven.
Sunday 15th May
Wow, what a day it has been - not one but three great experiences and our ears are still ringing!
We started the day with a visit to Graceland, Elvis Presley's home in Memphis, Tennessee. The house is much smaller than you would expect. It was built in 1939, although Elvis did not purchase it until 1957 when he was 22 years old. The tour of the house is limited to the downstairs rooms only.
An audio tour explains the function of each room, all of which are decorated and furnished as they were when he and his family lived there - all modest but eclectic in an individual style. A Hawaiian themed jungle room, a pool room, a TV room, a music room... In the grounds we visited the trophy room with its fascinating displays of his platinum, gold and silver records, some of his outlandish stage costumes and other memorabilia of his musical and acting career. We saw a collection of some of his cars, including his pink Cadillac, a purple Cadillac convertible and two Rolls Royces and his aeroplane, Lisa Marie. The tour ended at the meditation garden where Elvis and members of his immediate family are buried. A truly awesome and profound visit accompanied with Elvis music throughout the entire tour.
Wow, what a day it has been - not one but three great experiences and our ears are still ringing!
We started the day with a visit to Graceland, Elvis Presley's home in Memphis, Tennessee. The house is much smaller than you would expect. It was built in 1939, although Elvis did not purchase it until 1957 when he was 22 years old. The tour of the house is limited to the downstairs rooms only.
An audio tour explains the function of each room, all of which are decorated and furnished as they were when he and his family lived there - all modest but eclectic in an individual style. A Hawaiian themed jungle room, a pool room, a TV room, a music room... In the grounds we visited the trophy room with its fascinating displays of his platinum, gold and silver records, some of his outlandish stage costumes and other memorabilia of his musical and acting career. We saw a collection of some of his cars, including his pink Cadillac, a purple Cadillac convertible and two Rolls Royces and his aeroplane, Lisa Marie. The tour ended at the meditation garden where Elvis and members of his immediate family are buried. A truly awesome and profound visit accompanied with Elvis music throughout the entire tour.
From Graceland we took the shuttle bus into downtown Memphis to the Sun Studio. Opened in 1950 by Sam Phillips, it was here that Jackie Brenston and the Delta Cats recorded "Rocket88", the very first Rock and Roll record. In the early 1950s Blues artists Howlin' Wolf and B.B. King recoded there. Sam Phillips went on to record Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis before moving to larger premises and opening Phillips Recording.
Our tour started upstairs with our guide playing rock 'n' roll recordings and telling choice anecdotes before heading downstairs to the studio itself where we had the opportunity to sing, play and make our own records.
Our final visit was to the Rock 'n' Soul Museum in Beale Street. A short introductory film traced the development of Gospel, Blues, Country Music and Rock and Roll. Fascinating displays explained the lives of the cotton picker sand their families. The museum presents the story of the city's musical heritage, making connections between migration, racism, civil rights and youth culture. A wide range of artefacts are displayed including guitars, jukeboxes, radios and costumes.
"Long distance we have travelled We've been to visit Graceland,
We're in Memphis, Tennessee And the Sun Studios too.
We're visiting the museums The Rock 'n' Soul Museum on Beale Street
The shuttlebus is free. Now we're heading home for tea!"
Returned to Walmart, Southaven for our overnight stop.
Monday 16th May
Our music legends part of the trip continued today as we headed towards Tupelo. En route we passed through Oxford, infamous for its race riots in 1962 highlighted in Bob Dylan's song "Oxford Town".
Tupelo was the birthplace of Elvis Presley and his still born identical twin brother. The Elvis Presley Birthplace has a museum dedicated to the first thirteen years of his life, after which the family moved to Memphis. The two room shotgun house in which Elvis was born was built in 1934 by his father and uncle. It has been furnished to look as it did at the time of his birth. Also in the grounds is the church, where Elvis and his parents worshipped, which was moved to its present location from one block away; a memorial chapel paid for by generous donations from fans and a well-set out museum that focuses on Elvis' childhood years.
Overnight at Walmart in Tupelo.
Tuesday 17th May
Today we renewed our acquaintance with the beautiful Natchez Trace Parkway. At Tupelo we visited the Parkway Visitor Centre where we watched an interesting film about the parkway - its origins, its importance for Mississippi trade (farmers and tradesman floated their goods for sale down the Mississippi on rafts and then walked back home along the Natchez Trace) and its flora and fauna. A school party were watching the film with us. Unlike the last school group we had encountered their behaviour was impeccable.
Along the route of today's 200 mile section we stopped at various places of interest - an old tobacco farm, a ferry man's brick house (very unusual, most buildings were and still are wood), eight burial mounds of Indian origin and unidentified confederate graves - these the result of the trace being the main thoroughfare in the area for soldiers during the American Civil War.
We ended the day just south of Nashville where at Walmart in Franklin we received a really enthusiastic welcome when we asked permission to park there overnight.
Wednesday 18th May
From Franklin a thirty minute drive took us to downtown Nashville. The first car park we found wanted 10 dollars an hour for parking, we parked round the corner for 10 dollars all day!
First visit was the Johnny Cash Museum. The museum is packed with appealing memorabilia including guitars, costumes, Johnny's high-school year book, marriage certificate to June Carter and row upon row of gold and platinum records. Details of his life from his birth in 1932 to his death at age 71 are recorded in detail.
From there we headed to the Ryman Auditorium, original home of the Grand Ole Opry. First broadcast in 1925, the WSM Saturday Night Radio Programme played country music to an audience of millions. It is now the longest running American radio show ever. Having outgrown the studio it moved to the Ryman Auditorium in 1943. The auditorium, originally a religious revival house, resembles a church, with pews and stained glass windows. Country music concerts are still held here.
From Franklin a thirty minute drive took us to downtown Nashville. The first car park we found wanted 10 dollars an hour for parking, we parked round the corner for 10 dollars all day!
First visit was the Johnny Cash Museum. The museum is packed with appealing memorabilia including guitars, costumes, Johnny's high-school year book, marriage certificate to June Carter and row upon row of gold and platinum records. Details of his life from his birth in 1932 to his death at age 71 are recorded in detail.
From there we headed to the Ryman Auditorium, original home of the Grand Ole Opry. First broadcast in 1925, the WSM Saturday Night Radio Programme played country music to an audience of millions. It is now the longest running American radio show ever. Having outgrown the studio it moved to the Ryman Auditorium in 1943. The auditorium, originally a religious revival house, resembles a church, with pews and stained glass windows. Country music concerts are still held here.
Next stop was the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Walk of Fame, with plaques honouring those artists who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
We ended our trip to Nashville by visiting Opryland, the purposebuilt theatre complex opened in 1972.
Overnight in Walmart, White House.
Thursday 19th May
After a short drive north into Kentucky we reached Mammoth Cave National Park where we booked into the campsite for two nights. The Mammoth Cave system is, according to posted information, the longest cave system in the world. To date there are over 400 miles of explored and mapped tunnels. It has been a National Park since 1941 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We spent the afternoon walking one of the many woodland trails and viewing the interesting displays at the Visitor Centre.
Thursday 19th May
After a short drive north into Kentucky we reached Mammoth Cave National Park where we booked into the campsite for two nights. The Mammoth Cave system is, according to posted information, the longest cave system in the world. To date there are over 400 miles of explored and mapped tunnels. It has been a National Park since 1941 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We spent the afternoon walking one of the many woodland trails and viewing the interesting displays at the Visitor Centre.
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Friday 20th May
At about 6.30am it started to rain. We had planned on a long walk today. It poured with rain all day. We spent the day relaxing and generally pottering around. A good wifi connection outside the small camp shop led to us parking there and catching up with blog and emails.
Saturday 21st May
Rained again most of the night. Got up early and headed to Abraham Lincoln's birthplace.
This has been preserved as a National Historic Park. He lived here for the first two years of his life. The site has a cabin dating from the area of Lincoln's birth (1809) which has been enshrined in the Memorial building. 56 steps, one for each year of Lincoln's life, lead up to the memorial. A short trail through the grounds takes you through lands that the Lincoln family farmed.
For the rest of the day we headed back south through the gentle rolling farmlands of Kentucky.
Overnight at Walmart, Barbourville.
Friday 20th May
At about 6.30am it started to rain. We had planned on a long walk today. It poured with rain all day. We spent the day relaxing and generally pottering around. A good wifi connection outside the small camp shop led to us parking there and catching up with blog and emails.
Saturday 21st May
Rained again most of the night. Got up early and headed to Abraham Lincoln's birthplace.
This has been preserved as a National Historic Park. He lived here for the first two years of his life. The site has a cabin dating from the area of Lincoln's birth (1809) which has been enshrined in the Memorial building. 56 steps, one for each year of Lincoln's life, lead up to the memorial. A short trail through the grounds takes you through lands that the Lincoln family farmed.
For the rest of the day we headed back south through the gentle rolling farmlands of Kentucky.
Overnight at Walmart, Barbourville.
Sunday 22nd May
Today we headed south to the Cumberland Gap (Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap, 15 miles to the Cumberland Ga-a-ap). The Appalachian Mountains stretch from Alabama to Canada in a series of parallel ridges and valleys, effectively blocking the route of western exploration and migration in the days of the pioneers. Well worn trails used by bison and the American Indians showed them the way through the Cumberland Gap.
The Wilderness Road as it was then known was the main way to the West until the 1800s.
From the National Park Visitors Centre we drove up a narrow, winding road to the Pinnacle Overlook. Here a short walk led us to an amazing view south across the steep wooded landscape of ridges. This was a view encompassing three states, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee.
From there we drove further south crossing a series of ridges. Hazy views of the Great Smoky mountains came into view, but they would have to wait until tomorrow.
Overnight at Jefferson City.

Monday 23rd May
A short detour took us to Dollywood. We then drove through Gatlingburg (where Johnny Cash finally met up with the Man who named him Sue) before heading into the Great Smoky Mountains.
It was Gatlingburg in the middle of May
I was feeling kinda tired so decided to stay
I found a bar and bought myself a beer
Across the room sitting in a chair
Was a man in black giving me a stare
For all the world he looked like Johnny Cash
I was feeling kinda nervous and feeling kinda shy
But I strode up to him and looked him in the eye
And I said to him "How do you do, my name IS Sue!"
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is also part of the Appalachians. The whole National Park is a series of corrugated, wooded slopes, peaks and valleys. They are named for the bluish tinge that often hangs over them.
We followed the scenic road known as the Newfound Gap Road. There were plenty of opportunities to stop and view the spectacular scenery enroute. We took a detour up to Clingman's Dome from where a steep half mile walk took us to a spiral walkway. From there we had a 360 degree view across most of the National Park.
On our way to our night halt we stopped at one of the park's Visitor Centres. Here was a small, interesting restored mountain farm and outbuildings, all built with hand hewn logs.
Overnight on the Casino car park at Cherokee.
Tuesday 24th May
Today we started to head north along the 469 miles of the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. The road follows the crests of the Southern Appalachian mountains at elevations of 649 to 6,047 feet. There are numerous pull-ins to stop and view the magnificent scenery. The road twists and turns crossing natural gaps between the forested mountains. Names such as Wagon Road Gap and Devil's Courthouse reflect the hardships that the early pioneers who headed west must have faced as they struggled to find a crossing through this mountainous land.
We stopped for a lunch time walk at Graveyard Fields, named because the trees were all blown down in a freak storm and the stumps remaining looked like gravestones. As it was black bear country you had to stick to the path and be vigilant.
Overnight at Mt. Pisgah National Park campground.
Wednesday 25th May
Today we droves another 100 miles up the Blue Ridge Parkway. The road criss-crosses from one side of the ridge to the other and there were numerous tunnels. We stopped at one of the visitor centres to watch a film about the parkway. Unfortunately there was nowhere today for a walk and although it was sunny, it was very hazy.
We came off the parkway to stock up with groceries for the next few days. We stopped at Linville National Park campground for the night.
Thursday 26th May
We started the day by following a trail to see the Linville Falls. Although it was only a relatively short walk the going was rugged and steep with a lot of steps. The walk took us through a forest of white pine, oak, hickory and birch with wild flowers and rhododendron. The falls were pretty rather than spectacular. There were a number of overlooks across to the actual falls.
Later in the morning we took a second walk to view the Linn Cove Viaduct.
By lunchtime we had reached the Moses Cone Memorial Park. Moses Cone was a self-made businessman who owned an impressive manor house which overlooked a lake high in the mountains. The house is now home to a display of Appalachian crafts.
We continued up the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway to Doughton Park campground where we stopped for the night.
Friday 27th May
Today we continued our journey north along the Blue Ridge Parkway - our fourth day on it. We keep meeting the same people so quite a bit of the day has been spent chatting!
The main focus of today was to be at the Blue Ridge Music Centre in time to listen to one of their informal lunchtime music concerts. A group of musicians play Appalachian folk music - they encourage audience participation either as a fellow musician, singer or even a flat foot dancer. Everyone was very friendly and we listened to over an hour of foot tapping music. The concert was interrupted when a hummingbird landed on one of the musicians.
We stopped at various points along the route which had buildings that showed how life used to be in the region - an old farmhouse, a cabin, a mill and an illegal whisky still hidden in the woods.
Overnight at Rocky Knob campground.
Saturday 28th May
The middle section of the Blue Ridge Parkway is at a much lower altitude than the more southern sections so we didn't make too many stops to take in far reaching views. We stopped briefly in Roanoke to stock up on provisions and access the wifi.
After Roanoke we climbed steadily so views became more dramatic. At Peaks of Otter we took a shuttle bus up to Sharp Top Mountain. From the bus we then had a short, steep uphill climb to the peak. There were 360 degree views from the top across ridge upon ridge of undulating mountains.
On the way up we had spotted a bear cub up in a tree, but on our return bus journey down a female black bear with a small cub walked right across the road in front of us. She obligingly stopped only a few feet into the forest so we got pictures of them both.
We were lucky to find a space on Peaks of Otter campsite (Memorial Weekend). To our amazement a lovely lady called Chelly was there - we had already met her on two previous days. She was kind enough to feed us a tasty jacket potato and delicious corn on the cob plus olives and eggs, so our customary salad was a true feast tonight.
Sunday 29th May
Today we reached the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unfortunately it has rained intermittently all day so the views from the numerous pull offs were more mist than panorama.
We stopped at the James River to view a restored lock on the former Kanawha Canal, then again at Yankee Horse Ridge from where we walked a short distance to Wigwam Falls. Part of a spur of an old logging railroad was visible here. Our final stop on the parkway was at Twenty Minute Cliff. Villagers living at the foot of the cliff knew that they had 20 minutes until sundown when the sun lit up the cliff.
Overnight at Walmart, Staunton.
Monday 30th May
This morning we headed to Shenandoah National Park and the Skyline Drive which is a continuation of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It too follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains with beautiful vistas on either side of the narrow, twisting mountain road.
We stopped at Big Meadows Campground and were greeted by a white tailed deer and baby walking across our chosen pitch. The campsite is one of the nicest to date this trip. Big Meadows is just as apt as its name suggests - an oasis of relatively flattish ground surrounded by the lush mixed forests that typify this area.
Tuesday 31st May
Our final day of wonderful views, little traffic and peace - we have driven to the end of the Skyline Drive. It has been such a pleasure to drive along this route.
We made a few stops along the final fifty miles, stopping to take photos from the Hughes River overlook - a vertical drop to the river below and at Stony Man Gap where you had to use your imagination to see the face in the rocky peak above.
Overnight at Walmart, Winchester.
Wednesday 1st June
Today we entered the state of West Virginia making it our 49th out of 50 states visited. Hawaii is our missing one and although it is possible to ship a vehicle there we are currently on the wrong side ie. east, not west of the USA.
We spent today visiting Harpers Ferry National Historic Park. Harpers Ferry is a small town located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. The town developed where a ferry crossed the Potomac River. Due to the abundance of water power industries developed - an armoury complex being the main one.
The town became the focus point for the abolition of slavery led by John Brown and subsequently the town became a battleground in the Civil War between North and South. John Brown's men seized the armoury and, despite their capture and John Brown being hanged, Harpers Ferry became a symbol of freedom.
Once steam power replaced the water mills, Harpers Ferry turned to tourism for its income. In the early 20th century the town was abandoned after successive flooding.
Today the town has been sympathetically restored. It was a joy to explore the steep streets and historic buildings. We lunched at the Cannonball Deli where they served enormous helpings of fresh healthy food - I had to ask for a doggy bag as my wrap and salad was too big to eat all at once. The ice creams were delicious too!
Overnight at Walmart, Frederick.