Broken Bow Sun 5/13 6370-6526 (142 mi.)
Got up quite late and had a nice breakfast and a quick hot tub. Headed out around 11:00 to Jefferson, Texas where there was rumor
of a good Biker Bar, Auntie Skinners, where I had a nice lunch.
Meandered the back roads of Texas
and Oklahoma to Broken Bow. Swam in the pool, talked to a couple
of red-necks, and ate some Mexican at Papa Poblano’s in the motel.
Indulged in a great creamy dessert then fell asleep early.
Little Rock Mon 5/14 6526-6698 (172 mi.)
Slept in and hit the road about 11:00. Headed East and hit the last
of my 48 States a half hour later! Smooth ride to Little Rock and a
nice dinner at Bosco’s Brewery and Restaurant on the River. Gave
Mitchell, the waiter, some advice about BP’s to visit, and he gave
me a free pint glass. Headed over to Vino’s Pizza and Brewery,
which was much more of a dive, but still had good beers. I was
invited to join a group of bikers (Bicyclists, that is) when they
noticed my pack and maps. Had a very nice time chatting with them,
and was eventually invited to spend the night at their place.
They had a great old house with lots of wood trim (and two staircases).
After the growlers from Vino’s were gone, I sat up drinking whiskey
with Critter (19) discussing “Deep Thoughts”. Burned my leg, broke
the antique guest bed, and slept on the mattress on the floor.
Memphis Tue 5/15 6698-6847 (149 mi.)
I woke up to the smell of Dana making a great southern breakfast. Fixed the bed (and the water heater) before Heading out.
Took nice back roads with no traffic to Memphis, often in sight of the freeway
clogged with a double line of trucks. The rain started pouring as
soon as I was on the bridge over the Mississippi crossing into Tennessee.
Zoomed into downtown where the brewpub on Main St. had closed a year earlier.
Waited out the rain, then was waved into the Flying Saucer as I drove by.
This place was not a BP, but it had hundreds of beers available,
including many on tap. Went looking for a hotel within walking
distance of Beale St., ending up at the Kings Court Motel.
Rested up a bit, then headed out to Beale St. Had some ribs while
the rain started up again. Met Jim, the marine polygraph instructor,
and watched several good blues bands, including Dr. Feelgood Potts,
who must have had 40 harmonicas! Walked home and crashed late.
Memphis Wed 5/16 6847-6873 (26 mi.)
Got up slowly, checked out (as I was considering moving on), and rode down to Beale St. for some breakfast and a great Bloody Mary at a nice sidewalk café. Found out that Wednesdays are Bike Night on Beale St., and since I hadn’t had my fill of blues yet, I decided to stay another night. Got into Motel 6, dropped off my stuff, and headed over to check out Graceland. I was very disappointed in the utter tackiness of the whole scene over there, so I left without going in at all. Stopped off at the Stax Museum on the way back, and just made it in before it closed. Very interesting stuff! The Shaft Pimp-mobile was the highlight! Stopped at the liquor “Vault” on my way back to save a little money (and improve the quality) of my drinks along Beale St. Not many Bikes when I arrived, but it filled up quickly as I watched some outdoor Bands. Moseyed over to the Rum Boogie Café, where I had dinner on the sidewalk watching bikers and surprised non-bikers. There was significantly more going on this night than the night before! Wandered around watching many great blues bands until late.
Contact me at: rf6gunz@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2007, Rick Fletcher
