Exploring - Rockport, Portland and "the Blue Ghost"

Staying in one area for a few days gives us the chance to explore. Corpus Christi (CC) was different than let’s say Memphis. In Memphis, a visit to Graceland is a ‘given’ but we didn’t know much about what CC had to offer – only that we would stay 4 full days. We were near the Gulf and the Intracoastal so we knew we’d be happy and there would be lots of things to see and do by the water. So we headed to the Gulf and the sand beaches.

There are no real signs saying “this way to the beach” – it’s like everybody knows “it’s over there’. And once we could see the Gulf over the dunes, the road just drove onto the beach and we rode for miles seeing only a few fishermen and a few families out for walks on the beach. Their vehicles (mainly trucks) were just parked on the sand waiting for them to finish their day. When you look out into the Gulf, there are 20-30’ fishing boats everywhere with 200’s on them – sometimes twins. Beyond that, you can see sailboats and into the horizon, oil platforms and rigs. Quite a mixture! During our beach drive, we came upon this ship’s life raft – likely shorn off during a storm - Panama is painted on the raft itself.



We drove further from Padre Island onto Mustang Island via a causeway and then returned to the mainland on a small ferry – a bit smaller than the Howe Island ferry near Kingston. At this point, we were on the north side of CC Bay and heading towards Rockport – yes Rockport! And on our way back to CC, not far from Rockport is a town called Portland! We were starting to wonder if, after 2000 miles, we actually ever got out of eastern Ontario!

Coming back into CC, we stopped to tour the USS Lexington – a decommissioned naval aircraft carrier permanently stationed in CC Bay. The aircraft flight deck, the hangar deck, the ‘island’ where the bridge is located, the crew quarters, the memorial to Pearl Harbour – it was all great. The “Lex” was key to the Pacific fleet in WWII and was the first foreign vessel to ever arrive in Tokyo harbour.


It was Tokyo Rose, the Japanese radio propagandist, who named the USS Lexington “The Blue Ghost” because the Japanese claimed to have sunk her so many times during the war! There were large exhibits and so many photographs depicting the men and women who served on that ship. And just like we found when we toured the “USS Wisconsin” (“The Whiskey”) in Norfolk, Va and the “Arizona” in Honolulu, many of the volunteers on the ship were naval vets with real stories – we thanked each of them for their service.

Tomorrow, we’re leaving here for South Padre Island – I’m sure another adventure awaits.

Thanxgiving in the US - Thursday, November 27/08

Since we entered the US on November 15th, we have stopped at 5 RV Parks and, at each location, plans were in gear for the Thanxgiving celebration. Consistently, park owner/managers were planning how their turkeys would be brought to the table to feed the park residents – roasted, deep-fried, BBQ’d to name a few. And typical to many park events, residents were each planning what dish they would contribute. There would be a sign-up sheet there primarily to commit your attendance but there would generally be no column on the sign-up sheet to indicate what you intend to bring. Somehow it’s just expected that 'it’ll all work out'!

So, when we arrived at the Corpus Christi RV Park on Wednesday of this week, it was no surprise that they were planning a big dinner for this group as well. And sure enough, there was a sign-up sheet with no place to indicate what you planned to bring. Alas, my organizational skills would never permit me to leave that detail out so I squeezed in "two pecan pies" beside our names. Mind you, I was the only one who had done that!

When these events are scheduled to begin, say at 2:00 pm, what they really mean is that you need to arrive with your contribution ½ hour earlier. And, if you expect to get a good seat, you should bring your plate and silverware at the same time. Believe me – the place fills up fast. And the routine on arrival is to head directly to the dessert table to get your goodies. All to say, our pecan pie slices were scooped up pretty quick – and then eaten while we waited for the call for the big turkey dinner!

Picture two lengths of rectangular tables placed end to end and decorated with red and white checked table cloths. On each table, strategically-placed, were cactus-type plants in 12” tall pots in the shape of cowboy boots. My guess is there were 100+ residents in total. As we duly commenced to eat out desserts (first), we interacted with those around us only to discover the couple across from us come from Thunder Bay, beside us on one side from Oshawa and on the other side from North Bay. To top it off, the fellow who offered the grace (after the desserts and before the dinner) spends his summers at Rideau Acres in Kingston!

The turkey tasted FAN-tastic and with a wide variety of the accompanying dishes – and, yes, lots of gravy! The company we sat with though (completely unplanned) were Canadians. We were all thankful to enjoy yet a second Thanxgiving dinner!

Now... what to say about Memphis...

Let me start by saying I am a MEGA BB King fan! I’ve seen him 5 times live - from the Apollo Theatre in Harlem to the NAC in Ottawa. And anybody who has been to our home has listened to my fav CD of all time “Riding with the King” - this is when Eric Clapton and BB King collaborated for a whole bunch of great songs. Knowing that BB and Beale Street are one in the same in Memphis drew me there like a bee to the hive. What a great afternoon we had there on Beale Street. We had ribs and catfish at BB King’s restaurant bar and I continue to dream about the live concert he will play there on December 10th – ‘once each year’, they say.

Downtown Memphis? Well, it’s a strange mixture of blues, black history and tourism. Beale Street is maintained in the same way it looked in the 50’s and 60’s – neon signage and original storefronts – even propped up by steel girders. It’s just a few blocks from the motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated and now the location of the National Civil Rights Museum. It’s also between a beautiful empty pyramid-shaped building on the waterfront that used to be the basketball stadium and the new coliseum that was built because the pyramid ‘just didn’t do it‘ for the new players of today. And connecting all of them is a trolley car system that runs a tight circle around Riverside Drive on the Mississippi and the main street – a regular bus route except it’s a trolley. Odd City planning perhaps but an example of the city’s history and diversity.

On the south west side of Memphis is Graceland. And this visit let me strike one thing off the “Bucket List”. John and I were awe-struck by the simplicity of the grounds, the house, the interior design, the furniture, the vehicles, the gravestones, and everything decorated for Christmas. We just had no idea that humility played such a part of Elvis’ real life. Equally, it was so interesting to see the ‘other side’ of his life with the multitude of costumes and description of never-ending list of concerts and awards. We found the people that worked there to be well-informed and significantly respectful of the life he lived and of his family – parents, Priscilla and Lisa Marie. And let me end by saying neither of us were/are Elvis fans but we can certainly say after our visit to Graceland that we can understand why they say ‘Elvis lives here’.

Music in Nashville

What a couple of days we had in Nashville! En route from eastern Tennessee, we listened to the radio in the RV to “Click and Clack – the Tappit Brothers” who bantered back and forth between country sets about cars. On arrival at the KOA located on Music Valley Drive (just down the street from the Grand Ole Opry), we were escorted to our site on Charley Pride Drive between Ernest Tubb Trail and Eddy Arnold Avenue. And if that was not enough, we went to see a 50’s night of live entertainment by “Kenny and the Krooners” who played at the KOA barn!

We spent yesterday walking around the Opry Mills complex that includes the largest indoor convention centre in the US – completely decorated for the US Thanksgiving weekend and Christmas – it was beautiful! Last night, we embarked on the General Jackson paddle wheel that offered a family style meal for 400 and a 2-hour live Christmas show with entertainers impersonating Tina Turner, Elton John and, of course, Elvis! Our table-mates were from Texas, New Jersey, Alabama and Kansas – certainly made for great conversation! Oh… and one more thing, our shuttle bus driver (between the KOA and the dock) was about 70 yrs young and, on leaving us at the dock for the tour, informed us that his name was Bill Smith and that ‘if we couldn’t remember his name, we just had to remember his initials!’

The weather has made for great conversation as well – it’s been about 28 degrees at night and only around 45 during the day – 20 degrees below normal! When the locals say “it’s that Canadian cold front”, Johnnie and I just stay quiet – a hard thing for us to do!

Next is Memphis – tune in again in a couple of days.

The Way to Cocke County

We departed Kingston on Saturday morning and, after crossing the border, it began to rain and rained until we arrived for our overnight stop (10 hours later) in Winchester, VA at the Flying J. That first travel day was uneventful EXCEPT for seeing Janet and Tim Ketchum first on US 81 and then again at the Flying J. Tim and Janet are long-time boaters and owners of Village Quay Marina near Ivy Lea on the St. Lawrence. It was great seeing them en route and yacking about each of our travel plans!

Our second travel day landed us in Cocke County in eastern Tennessee. Despite the fact this area has earned the name of “Moonshine Capital of the World”, they do not permit alcohol to be sold on Sundays within sight of a church – and there are churches on every corner! Finding Johnnie a 12-pack became our own mission! We stopped in at Food City and, when we asked where we could buy beer, the sales lady’s eyes pierced John’s brain like two lasers! We prayed immediately for redemption and proceeded to the closest convenience store (out of sight of a church) where we secured some Bud.

While here, we’re hoping to see the Forbidden Caverns in the Great Smokey Mountains. We will skip the birthplace of Davey Crockett and the Dollywood theme park – I’m not sure we can miss Dollie’s statue though in downtown Pigeon Forge!

"Be back atcha this weekend some time... m.