May 12

We had a more somber afternoon with our visit to the National Civil Rights Museum in downtown Memphis. The museum has incorporated the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated along with the rooming house across the street where the alleged shot was fired. A wreath hangs on the balcony where he was standing and the motel room is as it was on that fateful day. The mission of the museum is to “chronicle key episodes of the American civil rights movement and the legacy of this movement to inspire participation in civil and human rights efforts globally, through our collections, exhibitions and educational programs.” Our audio guides led us through the key events in the civil rights movement from the early days of slavery to the present. There was a section on the evidence and investigations of the killing. The last displays were on the human right issues globally. It was so well done and a very emotional experience. Everyone in my generation remembers the TV news programs with the news relating stories on the attempts lead peaceful marches and to desegregate the south from the water fountains to the schools. Horrendous things happened to so many people trying to bring about change. TV really brought it home to all of us. Living in the suburbs in southern California and going to a pretty much a lily white high school and college surely didn’t expose me directly to what was going on in other parts of our country. They also zeroed in on the hate felt towards the African Americans when marches were held in cities in the north like Detroit. Of course the work and influence of Martin Luther King Jr. was highlighted but they also included all the other groups and individuals like the Black Panthers and Malcolm X that were involved in the movement. Such strides have been made with integration but there is still so much that needs to happen for people that have been beaten down in our own country let alone globally. It has been interesting to visit the National Park in Atlanta where King was born and eventually buried, then see the new Martin Luther King Jr. monument and finally this museum today where he was shot. We are going to see the high school in Little Rock where black students made their first attempts to integrate the city school system. My awareness has certainly been heightened. Discrimination is happening right at home at Olympia High School with horrible bullying from a group of white boys towards anyone that is of a different color! The kids being bullied feel too threatened to do anything about it. My hair dresser’s partner’s grandson is one of the victims. What a sad state!

The Lorraine Motel is incorporated in the National Civil Rights Museum
Above the car is the wreath on the balcony where Martin Luther king Jr. was shot.

King Motel Room

Exhibit on the History of the KKK

Part of the Exhibit on the Sit-in in the Cafe

Exhibit on Rosa Parks

On a lighter note, before going over to the museum we had lunch at Arcade Restaurant right down the street from the Loraine Motel and museum. It is a diner that has been owned and operated by a Greek family since 1919. It has always been open 24 hours a day and has seen many famous people walk through its doors. I wonder if Martin Luther King Jr. ate here. Elvis and many other names we know enjoyed meals here. They have been featured in so many magazines and on the Travel Channel. We were just looking for a place to eat before going to the museum and hit on a great one!

May 13

Mother’s Day - The best part of the day was talking to our Moms and Chris and I getting phone calls from our kids. Thank you guys for calling. I love the modern world with our cell phones. We drove past Little Rock going a little north to Petit Jean State Park. So much of our travel has found us staying in RV Resorts and KOA campgrounds because we have been visiting cities. It has been great to be close to all we have wanted to see but we are loving being in this beautiful and quiet state park. They call this area the mountains but we would call it rolling hills. The hills are covered with gorgeous deciduous trees with a few pines here and there. Rivers and lakes are all over the map. The lodge here was built in the 30’s by the CCC. They closed it down two years ago and did a big remodel job on it. This weekend was the grand opening. The dining room is lovely with a gorgeous view. We decided to get on the two hour wait list and check out a couple of places in the park in the mean time. When our table came up we had a lovely window seat with plenty of time to enjoy the view as the kitchen was having a hard time keeping up with the orders. We weren’t in a hurry and thoroughly enjoyed our meals when they finally arrived. The crew will all be a little weary after today!