5-3 through 5-5

5/3 – Back on the Bike for a short ride – into Marvell, AR

Today I rode my bike for the first time since April 21, about 12 days. I did 30 miles in AR and I can check another state off of my list of those ridden in. Roshan was kind enough to help me with my bike prep (two flats repaired) and ride with me. The day was nice, with riding over a very gorgeous bridge and river trail riding (all in the first 8 miles). It was Roshan and I to the first water stop, at mile 30, where I decided it was best to stop. All in all, considering my concerns and anxieties about riding, it went tremendously well.

Katie swept me at lunch and I spent the rest of the day in the van. I had no desire for food, no hunger at breakfast or even after the 30 mile ride, but I ate at the lunch stop, then it lead to more eating.

We came to First Baptist Church of Marvell in the evening and were fed very well (delicious chicken, baked potato, jello with fruit).

Tomorrow is my support day and we reach Tennessee, Memphis actually.

5/4 – To Memphis, A Memphis Night Out

Support day was murder, but all in all we got our job done, no big problems.

We arrived in Memphis to the Germantown United Methodist Center in the afternoon. The place is awesome and we have hook ups that are taking us out to dinner and showing us around town.

Rendezvous in downtown Memphis was a fun experience. I rate the dining experience an 8 out of 10. The brisket was really good when hot (8/10). After it got cold, it kind tasted too fatty, but I had no problems happily eating it all. The famous ribs were served dry, I guess for connoisseurs to better taste the quality flavor. For me, I would prefer more moisture, but the flavor was good. The cold slaw was very unique (yellow) and good. I think it has actually changed my opinion of cold slaw from unfavorable overall to favorable. The apps of sausage and cheese were some of my favorite apps ever (sausage was good and ample).

After dinner we went to Beale Street, which is an outdoor party district in Memphis. It was awesome because you can have an open container outside and carry it into many places. The memories of note were (1) dancing with Jody outdoors - we broke it down and had a lot of people watching and laughing, (2) Karaoke with the guys to some cheesy Bruce Springsteen Song. It was so nice to be able to get huge cheap drinks and enjoy them outside in a very nice outdoor strip area (on a Tuesday night for crying out loud!) - what a place Memphis is.

5/5 – Memphis Day Off

We woke as late as we could (9am) and left for a day in Memphis at 10:30am.

We had an event at UT-Memphis Med School at noon. It was fine and we were gone at 1pm, with a few hours to chill.

We went to SUN records where Elvis and Johnny Cash recorded (and others). I bought a bag there. It was a cool place with a nice old 50’s T-Bird convertible outside.

Next was the National Civil Rights Museum and the site of Martin Luther King Jr's assassination. I really wasn't thrilled about going to a museum, but this was incredible. A video almost brought me to tears (and did others). The museum itself was built into the preserved Lorraine Motel where MLK was shot. The outside of the hotel was very (I can't think of a word). There were even old vintage 60's cars parked out front, just as they were when he was shot. We toured the inside too.

Brian and I high-tailed it to the Kooky Canuck restaurant so they could cook our big 12lb burger (it took an hour to prepare). It is a burger challenge featured on the Travel Channel’s Man Vs Food. We did a damn good job, consuming probably 12,000 of the 18,000 calories, but we couldn't complete the challenge. The bread was just impossible to finish although I was proud to get my full 3lb of beef down (and the fixings, cheese, etc). I also had a 32oz margarita (for $3 on 5-May!)

The group all met for a Memphis Red Birds AAA game. It was a really nice venue and just so nice to look at the field, the ball game, the buildings around, the sky. It was that nice time of day when things are nice (say 7pm after a hot day). We left and came home and got enough sleep.