Memphis, Tennessee

The heat is on. At least in Joshua Tree in July. Ben and I arrived without a campsite reserved and upon asking the park ranger if this would be a problem, we got a chuckle along with “no one comes to Joshua Tree in July!”. The extreme heat made for a sweaty day, but an amazing night. Because there were only around 15 other idiots camping in the giant park, we basically had our pick of spots and total run of the place. This national park is so unique, instead of hiking trails, the best thing to do is climb giant, Dali-like boulders and search for the wildest looking Joshua trees. After an afternoon of just that, we had a fantastic night, despite our lonely, ecstasy laden neighbor (yes he picked the spot right next to us in an empty campground) who loved twirling glow sticks and playing techno while reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The night ended with the most gigantic, brightest moon I have ever seen among a million stars; we slept on top of a boulder without a tent and it turned into my favorite night on the whole trip.

We left Joshua Tree for the old homestead, San Diego! Somehow I forgot how good life on the beach can be. We did all the best that San Diego has to offer, Ocean Beach swimming, Whizbo frisbee tossing, seafood eating, local beer drinking, Del Mar horse racing, and Comic-Con people watching. A trip to Stone Brewery, the most beautiful brewery I’ve ever seen, capped off a fantastic weekend.

The next four nights, including the 4th of July weekend, were spent in Nashville and Memphis. My time was mostly spent in honky-tonks and blues clubs, eating BBQ, and visiting Graceland! I will admit, being solo over the 4th was a little tough and left me missing my guy, my dog, my friends, and my fam over the holiday weekend! Also, my campground in Memphis, unbeknownst to me, was located next to a wastewater treatment plant and literally smelled like shit. Combine that with hot, humid temps and an insane amount of mosquitoes and its safe to say I hit a low point on my trip!

But alas, the saving grace, pun intended, was my visit to Graceland. The weird and wonderful world of Elvis was quite a sight to see, the pictures will speak for themselves. We weren’t allowed to go upstairs and I have now formed a mild obsession with finding out what resides on the second floor. Apparently, Elvis fanatics join me in this obsession and the rumor is that only Lisa Marie and the curator of Graceland are allowed up there. I imagine Elvis entombed in a glass case or something. Long live the King!

Oh! On the way from Nashville to Memphis, I couldn’t help but pull over for the signs to Loretta Lynn’s Dude Ranch; she is a favorite of mine. It’s actually her plantation house, but she no longer lives there. You couldn’t go in, but the whole ranch was weird, impressive, and worth a 15 minute stop.