Phase VI : Memphis

There's really nothing to see here.

Why?  you may ask.  Memphis is a cultural hub of the US!  Elvis even lived there!

True, and I hope some day to visit.

Unfortunately, Vincent's health ran out.

As we pulled away from the campsite, I noticed a funny smell.  Kinda like burning garlic, but awful.  Sure enough, Vincent started running hot as we headed towards the city. 

We coasted past Graceland with white knuckles, hoping we could make it to an auto shop or at least a parking lot.

All for naught, because we found ourselves in the breakdown lane of the freeway, flashers going, steam billowing out of Vincent's hot hind-end.

Very, very slowly, we made our way to a truck stop to assess the situation.

It was there that we discovered there was no coolant.  Ok, that's easy enough.  Ryan bought some coolant and filled the tank.

It was then that we discovered the leaking hose.  I know absolutely nothing about cars, but I can recognize when fluid is discharging from a open hose at an alarming rate.

Ryan made a few phone calls while I used the engineering skills in my DNA to duct tape the hose tight enough for a half-mile journey to a repair shop that knew Volkswagons.

And that's how I spent an entire day in the cold Memphis rain, sitting in the parking lot of an unnamed repair shop, reading the internet to prevent myself from going off the deep end.

Eventually, we were blessed with a new hose connection and a flushed radiator.  I almost cried with relief.

We decided to take it easy and stay in Memphis for the night, in case Vincent showed any further signs of distress.  We gingerly made our way downtown, and grabbed some grub at The Flying Saucer.

Now, I'm not sure if it was all the fumes, my distress, or reality, but all of this beer tasted like cardboard.

The burger was intensely delicious, though, and we deeply enjoyed being able to do something mindless for an hour.

That night we stayed in a hotel room that far surpassed any anticipated scrunginess.  I won't go into detail, but it was enough to help me release a full day of panic and anxiety, and I absolutely lost it for a good couple of hours, crying fiercely into the stained pillow cases.

The good news is that Vincent was hale and hearty.  The bad news was that we now had missed all of Memphis, and would subsequently miss our planned activities for Kentucky, as we had to make it home by Friday morning, and this was already Thursday.  Vincent put on his big bus pants, and we hauled it away from Memphis and through Kentucky, stopping only for a quick bite on the Urban Bourbon Trail - Merle's Whiskey Kitchen. 

This was an excellent choice, and I fully recommend this spot to anyone who has an hour or less to spare in Louisville.  Merle's is at the intersection of Southern and Mexican, and I am not ashamed to say I had fried chicken tacos with mac n' cheese and house-made guacamole, because it was all delicious.  I even had a few whiskey mules while Ryan enjoyed a fantastic Old Fashioned.

Before too long, we were back into Ohio, rolling into our own driveway.

Vincent will be undergoing some doctor's supervision this week.  Ryan and I are going to re-asses and review what worked and what didn't work.  Our next trek will be The Big Haul through Texas and out West, so we need to be ready-set-go before we get ourselves in deep.  This next part brings high hopes of trekking, camping, backpacking.. and awesome breweries (though fewer cities- this was really never meant to be a city trip!). 

Stay tuned for the Second Voyage of Vincent Van Go!!