I left Portland, Oregon early Sunday morning June 14, arriving Chicago, IL a little after 1:00pm. I checked into the Courtyard by Marriott Chicago Downtown. On Monday afternoon I checked in with the Group Leader in the Hotel Lobby. There are only 15 people on this tour!
On Tuesday June 16, I went on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan Cruise, found an Earthcache on the Michigan Avenue Bridge and took a Lyft back to the hotel.
On Wednesday June 17 we departed for St Louis. I chose to find the Earthcache at the nearby Basilica of Saint Louis King rather than visit the Gateway (Arch) Museum.
On Thursday June 18, we departed for Nashville, TN. We stopped briefly in Paducah, KY. Lunch/Ice Cream.
On Friday June 19, we went on a City Tour of Nashville. I toured RCA Studio B and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. I found the nearby Virtual, directly across the street from the park. I skipped the Grand Old Opry Performance in the evening.
On Saturday June 20, we departed for Memphis, TN. We stopped briefly at Tina Turner Museum. We visited the National Civil Rights Site (Virtual) where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. We visited The Peabody Memphis Hotel Lobby and the ducks marble "Royal Duck Palace" on the rooftop.
On Sunday June 21, we departed for Graceland. I toured the Mansion and saw the Meditation Garden where Elvis and family were buried. I had a delicious lunch at Gladys' Diner. We departed Graceland at 2:00pm.
On Monday June 22, we departed hotel for B.B. King Museum and New Orleans.
On Tuesday June 23, we had a morning city tour including St Louis Cemetery No. 3. I took the Swamp and Bayou Tour from 12:30 or so to about 5:00pm. We were near Jean Lafitte. We cruised down bayous with moss-draped cypress trees. I saw a white Heron, large turtle sunning on a log and several alligators. Many of the alligators ate marshmallows from a long red stick held by the boat operator.
On Wednesday June 24, I thought about visiting Baton Rouge but it was way too hot and humid. I found the Virtual at Jackson Square/St Louis Cathedral, took the City of St Louis Steamboat 75-Minute Sightseeing Cruise at 12:30 pm - 2:15 pm, ate lunch and rode a Nola Pedicab to the St Charles Streetcar stop on Canal Street. I rode the Streetcar to the end of the line and back.
On Thursday morning June 25, I saw a Demo at New Orleans School of Cooking: Corn & Crab Bisque, Shrimp Creole, Bananas Foster, Pralines, a Biscuit with Molasses and two glasses of Lemonade. I took a Lyft back to the hotel to get my luggage and then to the airport. I left New Orleans for Portland, Oregon via Seattle late afternoon, arriving around 11:00pm. Raining. It was good to be home.
I found three Virtuals and two Earthcaches during the tour.
