Memphis #1

This morning, we went through our normal departure routine: Breakfast, checkout, drive to the airport, load the plane, do the preflight. Custer airport does not have a fuel truck, so I had to start up and taxi up to the pumps. They also didn’t have a ladder long enough to reach our wing tanks, but the airport manager, Ralph, was very helpful. He backed his van under the wing so we could stand on top. Ralph and Roland fueled the plane while I returned our rental car. By the time I got back, we were ready to go.

We took off and headed southeast. It was a beautiful day to fly with clear skies and a smooth ride. About 2 ½ hours later, we touched down in Lincoln, Nebraska. The FBO had our catering ready and fueled the plane quickly. We were back in the air in no time. In three more hours we were approaching Memphis, TN.

Unfortunately, we seemed to be arriving at a very busy time for FedEx. We were vectored around to the east side of the airport as FedEx heavies landed and departed to the south. Finally, they cleared us for the visual approach for 27. Being mindful of the busy airport environment, I touched down on the numbers and exited the runway at the first taxiway, making room for others to take off and land behind me. The ground controller deftly slipped me in between enormous FedEx cargo jets and we eventually taxied into the FBO.

After we shut down, we all spent a few minutes digging out our last bit of clean underwear and socks from the cargo pod and put them in smaller duffle bags for our two night stay –nothing but dirty clothes in there now! We got the airplane secured, jumped in our rental car and drove downtown to the Peabody, arriving about 5:30 local time.

After freshening up and resting for about an hour, we walked a few blocks to the famous Beale Street to find some dinner. We were a bit discouraged when the first place we tried to get in did not allow children. We finally ended up at the Blues City Café --we all had baby back ribs and they were delicious! After dinner, we walked up and down Beale Street. Like Nashville, most restaurants on this row had live music inside. There were also several bands playing outside on the street and we stopped to listen for a while at each one. We ducked into the Hard Rock Café and got the obligatory T-shirt, then crossed the street and found a band playing in a small park. We let the kids rip and run in the grass, while we enjoyed the music. Soul food and Blues –I love Memphis!

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a mall. Michele and Sandy shopped for a little while and I took the boys back to the room to get ready for bed. Tomorrow, we are planning to visit Graceland. Only two more nights, and we’ll be back in our own beds.