Jack n Karen's Travel Blog: Two More States-KY and TN

Lunch along the Mississippi River

Just before cossing the border from Illinois into Kentucky we drove through the town of Cairo-(pronounced CARE-o). This was the most strange town as it is an eerie "ghost town in the making". Cairo, once a booming transportation crossroads of railroads and steamboat at the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Ohio River, is almost abandoned. Block after block of crumbling buildings, boarded up windows or tumbling down residentail and commerical streets are evidence of a town that was heavily effected by economic downturns and racial tensions. We were looking for diesel but we couldn't find a gas station or any other open business. Very uncomfortable and no pictures.

The River Road goes briefly through Tennessee and even less through Kentucky. We camped at the Columbus-Belmont State Park again right on the Mississippi River and seeped in Civil War history. Kentucky is one of the states that bordered both the Union and the Confederacy and both sides knew this area was a strategic stronghold. The Confederates oddly used a huge chain across the Mississippi to bar war ships from traveling on the River.

Sunset in Columbus-Belmont State Park-we had popular fried bologna sandwich at the snack bar

We added a little more sightseeing in Kentucky and spent a day in Paducah, 40 miles from Columbus at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers. Here the Union and Ulysses S. Grant occupied the city in 1861.

Long cement floodwalls are built the length of the city

many cities paint beautiful murals on the floodwalls. This shows the commerce along the Ohio River

We had a great visit to the National Quilt Museum an art museum that exhibits fiber art and quilting from around the world. It's one of the world's top quilt displays.

Paducah is a UNESCO Creative City - in addition to the 27,000 sq ft Quilt Museum the city is noted for musicians, film, pottery even the ingredients used in the 1873 Kirchhoff's bakery (yes, of course we had pastries there!)

"Sedona Rose" by Sharon Schaber, Payson AZ---A fabulous "Best of Show" winning quilt

the backside of the quilt is embossed with 130,000 Swarovski crystals. This quilt apparently sold for $10,000

Three galleries-permanent exhibit and two unique & diverse traveling exhibits

Danny Amazonas creates free-form fiber art using an unorthodox technique that is like painting with colorful fabric. He uses just a rotary cutter, overlapping layers of fused fabric and exposing the raw edges.

this is a very close-up just of the eye of one of the fish

More of Danny Amazonas' freehand patchwork fiber art

Beautiful fabric quilt?? Nope it is carved from several large pieces of basswood or American Linden tree, glued together to form a large block.

This is a piece of the basswood, a fairly soft wood with straight grain that makes it easy to carve.

We always try to find a local favorite spot for lunch

BBQ ribs, BBQ pulled pork (traditionally without sauce), beans, potato salad and white bread!

A quick drive through Kentucky we crossed over into Tennesse and made the drive to Memphis. We started with breakfast at the Arcade Restaurant, Memphis' oldest cafe and on the National Register of Historic Places.

Karen's birthday! sweet-potato pancakes, grits & eggs

Elvis "the King"

Another King - B.B. King

The National Civil Rights Museum covers five centuries of history-from the beginning of the resistance during slavery, through the Civil War and Reconstruction, the rise of Jim Crow, and the seminal events of the late 20th century. The museum is attached to the Lorraine Hotel where Martin Luther King in spent his last few hours in room 306. The room has a glass wall to see in.

Toured the wonderfully moving National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel

Of course Memphis isn't complete without at least a drive-by of Graceland (we really weren't up to the $60.00 ticket to tour the house, see his clothes and airplanes....)

It's so easy to cross the Mississippi River on the big bridges that connect states and cities. We camped at the Tom Sawyer Campground in West Memphis-it's in Arkansas and drove back and forth to Memphis, Tennessee.