getting out of DC - so is everyone else, apparently !
Makes you wonder where everyone ELSE is going !
I was on vacation, but this wouldn't be a bad way to go to work.
Planning my hike with some liquid assistance.
Hiking in Crowders Mtn State Park - steps leading to King's Pinnacle
They weren't kidding when they rated this trail "strenuous"
Still climbing to the "Highest Peak in Gaston County"
Right about now I'm thinking - this is no joke !
Well worth the trek - at 1700ft, you can just see the Blue Ridge mtns in the distance.
On a clear day, they say you can see over 20miles. It wasn't completely clear, but still had breathtaking views.
The mountain is a haven for local rock climbers. There weren't any out on a Monday when I was there.
The sheer cliff drops off abruptly - I wasn't taking any chances given my recent cast-free status.
As advertised on the state park map- you can catch raptors soaring in the wind. Cool.
I got to the peak where some guy asked me for a pen in exchange for his dull pencil. I didn't realize I'd need a pen on the mountain.
Crowders Mtn is part of an ancient mtn range that is now part of the Appalachians.
This is where I had lunch. Not a bad day at the office, right ?
I managed not to get lost - I get lost in shopping malls so it's a tribute to NC State Parks that I managed to get back safely.
I wasn't done yet - another peak awaited.
Okay, this was more than I bargained for. Grace is NOT my middle name.
Fun fact: This mountain is made of kyanite-quartzite. The quartzite has been able to resist the forces that eroded less resistant peaks.
Have I mentioned how much I like North Carolina ?
Another pinnacle- the 10th floor of the Omni hotel. This is a zoomed-in view from my window.
Took my bike out to the park on Tuesday - in the distance you can see the radio tower that was on the second peak I climbed.
Great hiking, beautiful roads - did I mention that I like North Carolina ?
Another shot of the Crowders Mtn summit.
I just couldn't get over how beautiful the views were.
My view of Charlotte as I was rolling into town. It just appears above the treeline.
Charlotte has a ton of public squares - you can see the flags at half-mast for Senator Kennedy.
One of the many "meditation" gardens in Charlotte.
Slightly larger than life-scale furniture. Clay, metal and wood creations in the meditation garden.
Very cool.
I love this town... (the bottom sign says "Charlotte North Carolina: The center of the known world!"
Fishy Fountain
This is engraved copper/metal - these are "laying" all over this particular public square. Very creative.
The Wachovia public square - the statues on the fountain are of kids playing. This phone pic doesn't do it justice.
Yet another public square with beautiful flowers
I ain't in Charlotte anymore - this is my view from the room in Nashville.
Robin playing with her food in Nash - we've got our eyes on you.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch. I mean, down in Nashville, Robin looking sultry with a CycleLife-green cowboy hat and a very happy horse.
We went to see Charlie Daniels Band at the Wildhorse Saloon.
I swear this man was old when I was young, but he had more energy on stage than most shows I've seen.
Early on in the show - Charlie went through dozens of bows throughout the show.
more fiddlin'
Multi-talented - he played a couple different guitars as well.
And on to Graceland ... as a big Elvis fan, this was a huge deal to me.
Foyer-type room. Not as tacky as I thought it might be.
Pic of Priscilla and Lisa Marie hanging in the living room.
Dining Room. Definitely 70's style (which was tacky without question) but that was the style when he died.
Kitchen area - they had the original microwave and other appliances still on display. How far we've come !
TV room - Elvis had heard that Pres Lyndon Johnson had 3 tvs to view all three networks at the same time, so he decided he should do the same.
The ceramic monkey is mildly amusing
While it's a lot of yellow (and not my taste), it's not completely out of the ballpark for the 70s.
Can't see the wallcovering well, but the billiards room was a little much. There's a little tear near the right rear corner pocket where a trick shot went awry.
There's the wall coverings ... ouch.
Gotta love the shag carpeting. This carpet was also on the walls of the stairs leading to the infamous "jungle room".
Note the waterfall on the left wall. The Jungle-room DID have some fake furs but overall, wasn't as bad as I had heard.
Closeup of the waterfall. Lisa Marie apparently loved the big chair to the right where the panda-bear now hangs out.
There's the fake fur ...
And here's Elvis's backyard.
Lisa Marie's swingset.
The house is actually quite nice - built in 1939, the style is pretty classic, even 70 years later.
Robin was fascinated by these plants.
Carport to the right, where Elvis kept his cars.
Robin checking out the memorbilia in the trophy room
One of his many gold records
The infamous gold lame suit Elvis wore on the cover of his "50,000 fans can't be wrong" album
A boxing costume for one of his movies.
The gown Priscilla wore and the tux Elvis wore for their wedding.
Couldn't get a great shot of this- the leather Elvis wore for his 68 comeback special.
Back outside- the kidney-shaped pool that was in vogue during the late 70s.
The morning of his death, Elvis played this piano and sang Unchained Melody with some friends.
The las vegas costumes.
More vegas.
More vegas (you might notice the waistlines getting bigger!)
Fountain where the Presley's are buried. I threw a dime in for good luck.
The marker over Elvis's final resting place. His father wrote the epitaph.
An eternal flame, surrounded by various flowers, gifts and messages of kindness from fans, family and friends.
Robin found this amusing.
Memphis also has tons of great public squares. I love that these cities are big on fountains and waterfalls along with gorgeous trees and flowers.
The fountain inside the Peabody.
The Duckmaster- every day at 11am he leads 5 ducks from their roof-top home down the elevator, across the lobby and into the fountain.
Robin enjoying a morning mimosa as we wait for the ducks.
The duckmaster has a captive audience.
The fountain depicts children riding ducks - interesting.
There's the ducks !
Climbing in
Taking their first lap.
They swim around the fountain until 5pm, when the duckmaster leads them back up the elevator to their "house"
A nice way to start the day.
How many mimosas did Robin have ?
This guy seemed to hold court ...
Until feeding time- then he was happy to join in the melee
View from the Peabody Rooftop.
That thar is the Mississipi River !
The duck mansion, complete with a scale-version of the peabody.
