September 26, 2008 - Graceland

Response from Avis
The rep from Avis indicated that this was the deer incident and not the windshield incident. Her email stated that a "computer glitch" resulted in not recognizing the accident report I had submitted. She said they have now found it and are aware that I purchased the liability damage waiver. Therefore, I was not required to provide my insurance company information.

After the big sigh of relief, I decided I needed this in a more substantial form than merely an email. I sent another message asking that a hard copy of this be mailed to my home from Avis. The rep replied saying that the system can only generate automatic hard copy letters such as the one I received; she could not put her correspondence with me into a paper letter. However, she noted that she could send emails, faxes, or make phone calls. Since every hotel I stay at has a fax machine, this worked perfectly. I told her to fax this to me at my next hotel. I did not get a response by the time I left the current hotel. I wasn't sure whether or not she'd really do it.

My opinion on this is that the so-called "computer glitch" was a convenient excuse. It is just my opinion, but I'm guessing these rental companies attempt to intimidate people, even when they have purchased the liability damage waiver. They hit the driver with a threatening letter that has very short deadlines. If they can get the driver to provide the rental company with insurance company information, they can pressure the insurance company into paying for the damages. Then they get to pocket the liability damage waiver. Once the intimidated driver suddenly realizes they purchased LDW and let their insurance company know, it's too late. The insurance company would decide it's not worth it to fight the rental company for a reimbursement. Instead, the insurance company can just hit the driver with increased premiums for three years. It's important to always be diligent. It's too bad we have to be this way but we do.

Graceland
My next destination was Graceland, Elvis Presley's home. This is in Memphis, Tennessee. I was in Arkansas, near the TN border. Graceland was about twenty minutes away.


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The address I got from the web site took me to a one lane driveway. A bus was currently pulling out of it so I couldn't go in. I pulled off to a side street and called the office. I was informed that parking is available across a busy road from the estate. Signs did not seem to be very visible from the direction that I came.

When I pulled into the parking area, there was a long line to pay for parking. Parking costs $8, cash only. How am I supposed to get hotel points out of this purchase when they won't accept a credit card?

While waiting in line, I heard on the radio that Obama had just landed at the Memphis airport, on the way to the first presidential debate in Oxford, Mississippi.

Elvis is of course huge in this part of Memphis. There are multiple restaurants, museums, etc. focusing on the "King of Rock n Roll." Visitors can tour his private jet (I didn't). There are numerous gift shops near the parking lot. The mansion tour costs $27 if you don't have AAA or any other opportunity for a discount. Every 5 - 7 minutes, a shuttle bus came by to take people across the road for the tour. As people lined up, they were given electronic devices with headphones. (This type of device was provided at President Andrew Jackson's home near Nashville.) Dialing a particular number on the device would provide an audio tour.

When the bus dropped us off in front of the mansion, a guide gave us the rules. We could take as many pictures as we wanted, as long as we didn't use a flash. There were no guided tours; we just had to use our devices to get an audio tour. Staff were available in each room for questions. (They are also useful when the device stops speaking and you need to know what number to dial to get the narrative for the current room.) See the photos.

Elvis bought the estate in 1957 for $100,000. He moved his parents into the estate since they lived modestly while he was growing up. The mansion is nice but not gigantic. The formal rooms were elegant but not opulant like some of the presidential homes I've seen. (Examples of very opulent presidential homes would be Washington's and Rutherford Hayes' home. I would later see Benjamin Harrison's home and that could go on the list of opulent homes.) Elvis is a "king" so it's surprising. :) The kitchen seemed like a normal kitchen from the era. There was a room in the back on the first floor called the "Jungle Room." This room screamed out that it was from the 70s, but was tacky even by 70s standards. It's dark green with fake fur furniture. This was a makeshift recording area. There is even an artificial waterfall in the room. Outside, there are television sets which show the room in great detail, just in case a tour was so big that people missed the room. The basement rooms were late 60s/early 70s rooms. There was a billiard room and a family room with a bar. The second floor is not open to tours in order to respect the privacy of the former occupants.

Outside, there is a horse pasture and a building that Elvis and his friends used as a firing range. There is also a scale model of the home where he grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi. A separate building is known as the "Trophy Building." It contains his gold and silver records. It also has various outfits worn in performances. On the walls are posters for Elvis movies and other advertisements. See the photos.

A small pool is next to the house. Near the pool are the graves of Elvis, his parents, and Vernon Presley. Vernon had the graves moved to Graceland to prevent vandalism. There are numerous religius statues and memorials surrounding Elvis' grave. See the photos.

There were NO Elvis impersonators anywhere on the property or in the gift shops or anywhere else. I was surprised at that. But, maybe they wanted to keep this respectful.

After getting in the car, I heard on the radio that McCain had landed in Memphis on his way to the debate. I drove around Memphis a bit. I found that Graceland was only a few miles from the airport where both McCain and Obama landed.

Mississippi
I then went on to Mississippi. This was mostly a token visit so I could include one Gulf State in my trip. But, I did want to see northern Mississippi a bit. However, it was late in the day so I didn't have time to see much. At least this wasn't a token visit like the one I did in Oklahoma.

I stopped in the Mississippi Welcome Center. I don't think MS is a big tourism state (postcards are difficult to find). The staff at the Mississippi Welcome Centers are always very friendly. In this case, they were ready to give me a free soda. See Welcome Center photos.

I drove down I-55. I passed by Batesville. There was a billboard announcing that Batesville was the gateway to the first presidential debate in 2008. The Batesville exit would eventually take people to the University of Mississippi in Oxford. It was about twenty minutes from the interstate. I didn't go to the Batesville exit on the way down as I wanted to preserve daylight.

I went as far south as Tillatoba, about seventy to eighty miles from the Tennessee border. I was going to see one of the lakes near I-55, but the daylight was waning. I still had a long drive ahead of me as I had to be in Hayti, Missouri, for my next hotel.


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I stopped in Batesville. I almost thought about driving to Oxford just to see what it looked like right before the presidential debate. But, then I feared there might be a massive traffic jam and I still had hours to drive. I headed back to I-55 and listened to the debate on the way up to Missouri.


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GPS Adventures
After leaving Mississippi, I had to pass through Tennessee, Arkansas, and into southeast Missouri. The hotel was just off an I-55 exit. However, the GPS saw fit to take me off the interstate just after crossing into Missouri. It took me through the countryside and then told me I had reached my destination in the middle of nowhere. There was no building or anything else. In other occasions, the GPS has taken me to someone's private home instead of a hotel. But at least in that case, there was an actual building! Knowing that I wouldn't have luck with the GPS, I headed back to I-55. Finally, I found the hotel off an exit a few miles north.