Memphis, Sun Records & the Eclipse!

After being in Red Bay since the middle of August, we were finally ready to leave for Memphis to take delivery of our new motor home. While in Red Bay, Andy kept a close watch on the production process. That included being on the line every day. He learned lots about how the RV was put together and asked lots of questions, and yes, we were  able to have things corrected if they were wrong. It took a lot of his time but it was very valuable. (The technical things don't thrill me so I leave them to him.) We also wanted to insure that the extra things we had added (like wiring) were done correctly.

Jean with the chassis behind me. This is where it all starts!

I'm including pics of the build so you can get the idea of the work it takes to build an RV. 

The floor and part of the sidewall. 

Just some of the many miles of wires in the RV. 

Front passenger side slide with cabinets and couch before it gets installed. 

This is what it looks like in the paint booth. 

Finished product!!

Since our new motor home was ready, we left the campground in Red Bay and headed to Memphis. However, it would take the dealer about a week to fit it into their schedule to get it ready for us.That left us with some extra time to sight see. 

We'd been in Memphis before and had done the Graceland tour. This time we headed to Beale Street for a repeat visit. We also decided to take a tour of Memphis which included admission to the Rock 'N' Soul Museum. Beale Street is famous for the blues (such as BB King) and barbecue. We also sought out Sun Records. We had watched the show "Sun Records" on the CMT channel and became interested in it because it was the start of careers for not only Elvis, but also Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. The studio is preserved as it was and the spot where Elvis stood and recorded is marked with an X. Supposedly Bob Dylan came into the studio and went over and kissed the X and then left. The studio is still used as a recording studio today. It also has a replica of the radio station (WHBQ) that first played Elvis' songs.

Sun Records Studio

WHBQ radio station replica in the Sun Records Studio

BB Kings Restaurant (band playing while we had lunch) on Beale Street

Corvette Show on Beale Street 

Finally the day was here for us to get our new coach. Moving from one to the other wasn't too bad, but took up an entire day. The move also gave us a chance to take a second look at things and decide whether we really needed some things if we hadn't used them in a year (since we started full timing).  We purged and ended up donating some things. Moving offers a great opportunity to do those things!

Our chassis entered the plant on August 21st, the day of the total solar eclipse. Andy suggested that she be named "Eclipse". I agreed. Since FL only requires one license plate, Andy took on the task of finding an "eclipse" plate. I think he found a great one-it looks like it was made to be there!

Eclipse with her Eclipse license plate

We've had a few minor adjustments to the RV. Overall, we like our new floor plan and layout. Our new favorite feature is our theater seats which recline. :) We've gained some space in certain areas, and lost some space in others, so we're still tweaking our storage space and finding the right places for everything. 

This year has had a lot of transition in it and we're glad to be at the tail end of all of the changes we've made. Now we can just enjoy! We're headed to St. Augustine, FL in mid October and look forward to sightseeing in the oldest city of the United States.