Great River Road

Continuing a ride along the course of the great Mississippi River... on an appallingly large motorcycle

- Willie Davidson

Riding alongside the Mississippi using the Great River Road (GRR), I paused in Memphis for a day. When growing up, I’d heard of Memphis only because that’s where Elvis came from. This made Graceland a must-see visit, and allowed me to cruise along Elvis Presley Boulevard on my Harley.

It was noticeable that most visitors were my age (64) or above, with very few younger people in evidence. Graceland House is like Disneyland in that it’s crowded and has hugely over-organised fascist staff with plastic smiles herding you around and telling you where to stand (and not to stand).

Away from the house are museums of Elvis’s vehicles, planes, awards, costumes and much more. Graceland also has a hotel, restaurant and several shops selling a vast range of merchandise. If you’ve got upwards of $2500, you can have your own made-to-measure Elvis jumpsuit. Elvis was also a biker, owning and riding many bikes and trikes. Despite the tackiness, officious guides, and crowds, I enjoyed Graceland.

I then took a trip across town to visit the legendary Sun Studio. It was oppressively hot and humid, like riding in a sauna while sitting above the coals. I’ve got a mesh jacket, and my helmet and gloves are ventilated, so it’s not that bad when moving. However, I was in static traffic for an eternity while navigating Memphis’s shockingly potholed streets. At traffic lights, the barge-like Street Glide pumped out even more heat. I was glad to arrive at Sun Studios, which is much more amateurish and haphazard than Graceland, but I liked it more because of that.

Good company, bad head