Finally! Toad II is Towable!

It was a l-o-n-g day today. We didn't leave Camping World until 4 PM this afternoon. Putting on the tow bars and the auxiliary brake both turned out to be much more complicated than anticipated. Early this morning, the techs came looking for the rock guard. They needed to fit it on the tow bars to see if they had gotten the spacing right. Forry and I carried it into the shop (it had been on the back of Auntie Violet.).

The tech checked it all out and figured he had gotten the spacing right --

 So he went ahead and started fastening it down --

 Meanwhile on the far end of the rig, the other tech was working with the brake lights --

He had already taken all of the back lights apart...

FINALLY, it was all put back together --

It actually looks pretty good. I think Toad II matches the colors of Auntie Violet quite well. The rock guard still needs to be moved over to the bar in front of the car from its hanger on the back of the RV.

It had rained off and on all day and it was still drizzling when we were finally ready to go. I had been a bit nervous about the final bill as we had been in the shop almost a whole day longer than anticipated. But Camping World was very good about it -- they chalked up a good share of the shop time as "training time" and did not charge us for it.

We need to do a bit of shopping (we've been without transportation for two days) and have an appointment with the banker on Monday, so we decided to go back to Ponderosa Falls RV Park for a few days. With out K/M Resorts membership, there is no charge for camping, so that helps. We got settled in in time to for me to make some chicken rice soup and watch more of the National Finals Bull Riding from Las Vegas.

Off to Spokane Again

We got ourselves organized this morning, getting ready to head for Spokane -- hopefully for the last time this year! The tow bar package from RoadMaster that was back-ordered for the new Suzuki finally arrived at Camping World and we made an appointment to have it installed tomorrow morning.

Since we have no way to tow Toad II, I followed Auntie Violet. I really like driving the new rig. Maybe because I have had a chance to drive it so much lately...?

After I opened the gate for Forry, I parked across the road to watch him come through --

I shut the gate behind him, then watched him head up the hill, out of the coulee --

We stopped on the way and got some VERY expensive diesel -- $4.32 per gallon! And that's with the Flying J discount! We've seen it for around $4.16 in Spokane. Looks like we should have waited!

We came on out to the new Camping World in Liberty Lake. We had made arrangements with Larry, the service manager, to park overnight in their lot so that they can get started on the rig when they open at 8 AM. They are also going to install the Air Force brake system we got a couple of years ago at the Gypsy Rally. This is a new store with a new crew, so we'll see how it goes... We do have a 50 amp hook-up, so should be able to spend a comfortable night.

Since we will most likely be heading south once we are finished here (though we'll go back to the ranch to load up), we thought we'd take Son Sean out to dinner one more time before we left. He wanted Mexican food, so we went out to Casa de Oro, one of his favorites.

Now we're back at the Camping World  parking lot, watching the first go-around of the National Finals Bull Riding from Las Vegas.

The King, Ducks and BB King

What a fun day we've had today!  We started out at Graceland back across the Mississippi River in Memphis. The home that Elvis Presley bought when he became a star is now a shrine to him and his music.

You sign up for a tour of the mansion and then take a shuttle bus basically across the street.  These are the gates of Graceland as seen through the shuttle bus windshield --

The living room at Graceland -- can you believe that l-o-n-g white sofa?

The tour takes you through the downstairs portion of the house and the basement, plus the addition that housed the racquetball court. The former racquetball court is lined with gold and platinum record awards.  And that's not all of them!

Glass cases hold many of the fantastic jumpsuits and outfits that the King wore at his performances. I don't recall what he was wearing the first time we saw him when we were teenagers -- at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane.  When we saw him in the early seventies in Las Vegas, he was wearing something similar to these. I remember he had a red scarf around his neck.  He wiped his face with it and then tossed it into the audience.  I thought the lady who grabbed it was going to swoon --

Elvis Presley and his music was such a part of our teenage and early married years.  I can remember watching him on the Ed Sullivan show when they so carefully did NOT show anything below the waist! Elvis' grave is in the Meditation Garden behind the house along with those of his parents and grandmother. There were multiple bouquets of fresh and silk flowers that continue to arrive at
Graceland every day --

In the automobile museum next door are many of Elvis' automobiles, motorcycles and other mechanized toys.  I think I liked this purple Cadillac the best.  Or maybe the pink one?

Both of Elvis' airplanes are also on the tour. We had to chuckle at the color schemes and what was "hot" so many years ago.

From Graceland we drove downtown to the historic Peabody Hotel.  It was time to take a break in the lobby --

And to see the famous Peabody Marching Ducks in the fountain! Four females and a drake march down to the lobby from their penthouse quarters every morning at 11 AM and march back up at 5 PM.

The hotel has a "Duck Master," who trains and cares for them --

Here they are climbing out of the fountain for their trip down the red carpet --

People were lined up all along the mezzanine and the lobby to watch --

They follow the Duck Master down the red carpet and across the lobby to the elevator.  --
(The jerk in the blue shirt is a professional photographer from PBS... he kept getting in front of everyone!)

From The Peabody we walked a couple of blocks down to Beale Street to BB King's,  (King was not there tonight, but was playing in concert on the huge video screen) where we had wonderful ribs and the best catfish I've ever eaten. When I had asked the concierge at The Peabody for directions to BB King's, he gave me cards good for two free appetizers...

Memphis is much like Nashville -- even on a Tuesday night, downtown is alive and active! This shot is looking down Beale Street which was barricaded off from vehicle traffic --

It was an absolutely delightful day!  And we came back to Auntie Violet in time to watch the Country Music Awards being broadcast from Nashville. We had checked into the possibility of getting tickets last week when we were in Nashville, but they were already sold out.  Besides, it was "formal attire required." I don't think any of us have anything that fulfills that requirement in our RVs...!

Another Quiet Day

We seriously thought about going to look at Abe Lincoln's birthplace and childhood home this afternoon, but knew that the Bull Riding Finals in Las Vegas were on TV at 4 PM.  That was all the incentive we needed to spend a quiet day at home!

We've only gotten to watch the PBR (Professional Bull Riding) live one time back in Tacoma, but we almost always manage to catch them on TV. (One of my dreams is to see the Finals in person someday...) I found it quite interesting that of the forty top riders who made it to the Finals, ten of them are from Brazil.  This year's top rider and also the winner of the Finals are both Brazilians. The incredible bull named Bushwacker was named Bull of the Year.

It was a good weekend for catching up with family and friends.  We talked with Granddaughter Havela and her family last night; Sister Sherry yesterday and today; Tom and Juni earlier this afternoon; and Bill and Leslie this evening.

While there was frost on the grass again this morning, it was a very nice sunny day.  Quite a contrast to all of the snow in the northeast we were seeing on TV today!  That early nor'easter has really reeked havoc -- with thirty inches of snow in Connecticut.