So my last entry was a run of the mill affair.... meeting friends, having food and chats all very social stable and calm... before the storm. Strap yourselves in cos this is where the jenandevan blog gets USA hectic to the max. i love it here... just today a guy gets on the crowded bus, he talks like Rocky Balboa and says.

"oh my bags knocking you, i think your pushing me, well maybe youre right in which case i'm sorry, (turning to girl) you! anyone tell you today your bootiful (no) youre bootiful, (looking away) Tommy! which stop we wanting, 5th street? i dunno, watta day, it's bootiful out there (turning back to girl )_ what's your name, my name's steve.......

flawless, i could only have been happier if he'd said badda bing. Anyway i digress.

monday morning Henry was kind enough to drive us what seemed like miles and miles to the office of Autodriveaway.com they had a car they wanted driving from Boston to Tucson Arrizona, Aprox 3000 miles. WE picked up the big 4x4 beast at about 10:30, "you got nine days to get to tuscon here's the keys" and that was that! ROAD TRIP! (Jen:Larry of autodriveaways, in between complaining about paperwork, in Boston accent "we had a laugh about this one, you're driving a Hyundai Tucson to Tucson....geddit" yup we got it)

we piled in, bid a fond fairwell to Henry who will be a proud dad when next we meet and set off on a little cross country jaunt!

Day one - try and get through New York, we drove for about 5 hours, as it got dark we got checked into a Motel and introduced ourselves to the genius food producer that is Taco Bell. these are the equivalent of Macdonalds for mexican food, only really good food at no price at all. 60p gets you a 1/2 pound spicey chicken fajita. one pound 80p later and it was time for sleep.

up early the next day to get to the outskirts of washingotn in time to park and ride for a site see. oh yes no messing around here, like the SAS we are in and out and barely a soul but the taco bell counter staff even know we've been there.

drove past washington for a quick exit and caught there tube back in to town to get the photo ops that you need in DC. it's at this point that a twinge of regret comes in to the story. yes we went to the Capital , took the photo, yes we snapped the white house and the mall and various senate buildings and museums, but to our eternal regret we didn't have the camera to hand as we went through the tube stop they call "Foggy Bottom", announced and heard on the tube without a titter, apart from the two english tourists at the bag of carraige three.

anyway it was a great afternoons walking round. Our amazing US luck held as we went to the aviation museum, saw orville and wilburs efforts, The spirit of ST Louis (lindburgh's plane) Amelia erhardts plane and then there was a special exhibition on America memorabillia. Judy garlands ruby shoes from wizard of Oz, Abraham lincolns hat from his last day! Ali;s boxing gloves etc etc. really good looking round that stuff. (Jen: and Marilyn's gloves and Louis Armstrong's trumpet!)

next door we took in the museum of native americans, learnt plenty about the red indians, and got reminded of some stuff having read a biography of Geronimo previously that was a very good read.

stopped by the white house on the way back to the tube, it was just funny to be stood there, took the photo a bit amazed that the trip was working out so well and headed off, washington....tick!

back to the car and a couple of hours drive till we found the necessary sign advertising both cheap lodging and taco bell.

next day up early again and heading towards Nashville. slightly worried that we would arrive too late to soak up the atmosphere of the legendary home of country music, fortunately we were flying through the mileage and thus time zones. 8pm became 7pm so we had time to freshen up in the Drakes Motel (proudly announcing itself as stop off to the stars cos dolly parton stayed there in the 60's, apparantly a sandra bullock film had been partly filmed there as well and all the other photo's up around the reception were for people with 3 names like billy bob hicks, or tammy lee smelton or something, singers we reckoned.)

anyway we got a cab into town and wandered round a few of the bars blasting out C&W before deciding to get some food first for sustinence. a marvellous burger inside me we ventured into a bar full of check shirted big buckled, be-booted toe tappers. grabbed a beer and took an empty table which was right behind a bunch of ladies with shirts on proclaiming them the b****y Chicks, ladies on tour.

they were having a great time but as the singer said after one song "sister... you're all wrong". their ring leader had homer simpson glasses with fake eyes painted on hte front and kept repeating to the nearest person "i've got my eye on you"... all wrong.

anyway the music was good, very slick as jennifer observed, so when they finished we went to the next bar upa nd enjoyed there music as one couple burst in to full on swing your partner like a spinning top jive dancing. the highlight here was there life size card board cut out of Billy Ray Cyrus. Check out my photo with him when we get some uploaded, it's a beauty!

it got late, we slept still slightly concerned that someone would dint the 4x4 whilst we took our eyes off it but everything was ok in the morning and we set off early.... we were going to Graceland, graceland memphis tennessee as little Paul Simon once sang.

we arrived about lunch time and got checked in to a bijou little cabin in the Heartbreak Hotels camp site right across the road from Elvis's house! oh My God! i was VERY excited. we had some lunch (which was the fast becoming a tradition , of tomato and avocado and mayonaise sandwiches) and wandered over to elvis's house. for 15 pounds you get the full guided tour, into his car museum, a look round his customised planes and a couple of memorabilia museums all on site. even the merchandise (which ranged from postcards, 20p, and nice stuff to dreadfull porcelain faces to hang on the wall and singing ashtrays)

so in we went, this being america we had to get a bus across the road, through the famous gates and up the drive to the door. just going through the gates was a real thrill, then standing at his door with one of those audio earphone guides waiting to be let in was so exciting. i'm a big elvis fan anyway but i think Jennifer was thrilled as well, she will tell you no doubt. and then in we went....

lounge , dining room, kitchen, down to the TV room , pool room (decorate with about 5 miles of material floor to ceiling folded into pleats) legendary jungle room, elvis decorated and witness to all sorts of things no doubt. we also got to see all his gold records (about a million) his jump suits, his leather costume from the 68 comeback concert, which is probably the best concert of all time and should be watched by everyone,

into the music room where he played on the piano hours before dying and his racquet ball court now a shrine to more awards, gold records and honours before being led out to the famous graves of elvis and his family. it was emotional and just amazing to be there. the house isn't too opulent or huge or sprawling like you would expect now. it's a big house by normal standards and in the 50's probably huge but nothing amazing, the excitement is all raised by the fact that elvis lived there, and it was a great great trip.

His customised planes were more opulent, but fun and a few hours later we were pretty sad to leave the premises (i nipped back the next day to get a photo of the gate on foot, mananging the 10 metre journey without assistance of a motor of any kind. Taco bell and that day was done.)

about 80 hours since we'd picked up the car and we'd done all that, it ranks up there with the great 3/4 day experiences you could hope to have. and it didn't end there. but my fingers are tired so for now it must.......