A Day of Rest and Learning

Today was our first day off in Memphis, TN. My experience of Memphis has been very different from the rest of the state, but I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Last night we explored a bit of the night life on Beale street. I was one of 5 lucky bike and builders who arrived in style, stepping from our friend Dre's tricked out car. Our ears were ringing a bit from the blaring music (which we chose over the videos that could have played on tvs installed in the back of the two front seats), but I couldn't stop grinning. Dre told us, "I could turn it down but it would still be loud." It was the sweetest ride I've ever taken in a car. Dre is one of the original Beale Street Flipperz, but now primarily raps. He is a pretty neat guy and very nice.

In the city, we roamed the brick street lined with neon lights advertising blues and booze. We settled on the Rum Boogie Cafe and saw an awesome live performance by a local band. They were really impressive. I immersed myself in the musical genius their fingers created and savored the jazzy goodness over french fries. After the band finished though, I headed back to our host pretty early to ensure a full nights sleep.

Today, Josh, Ray, Amy, and I spent the day exploring Memphis's contemporary culture and rich history. We had breakfast at a local diner before conquering the Memphis public transit system. Getting downtown started out a bit rocky, but we figured it out and made it to town without any troubles. We even talked with Larry, a local, and told him about Bike and Build. He was interested and impressed with what we were doing, and helped us find the trolley to take to the Civil Right Museum.

The Museum was great and extremely comprehensive! It was a new experience for me to see the entire civil rights movement from slaver to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr laid out before me. The displays covered full rooms. I learned a lot about key people in the movement, some I had heard of and some I had not. We also watched a documentary about the assassination of MLK. Prior to today, I was not aware that he had been killed in Memphis. Somehow I had forgotten that detail since we had studied it in High School. The Lorraine Hotel he had been staying at and where he was shot, has been converted into the Civil Rights Museum. However, much of the room and scene from the shooting have been replicated to resemble that fateful day.

After the museum we successfully navigated the bus system again and made it back to our host in time to check out the local BBQ joint- Central Barbecue. Ribs and a cola was exactly what I needed after a long hot day. Tomorrow we hit the road again with a 70ish mile day I believe. We will be crossing two state lines tomorrow! we will dip down into Mississippi for a little bit before crossing into Arkansas. For this, we will be WALKING our bikes over the Mississippi river! (Apparently there is a lot of glass on the bridge.)


Meet Josh Stutte

I have been privileged enough to ride a few days with Josh or "Stutte," (pronounced "stootee" ). Josh is one of the people I have had many serious and meaningful conversations with on this trip. I always appreciate hearing his perspective on debates or issues and have already learned a lot from him. (His name is also fun to place into popular songs...a routine bike and build activity.)

Not a day goes by when Josh does not proclaim his excitement about Bike and Build, its mission, and of course, about riding his bike. He he loves physical challenges. He participates in everything from marathons and triathalons, to long distance cycling or soccer. He once rode 120 miles in one day, just to pick up some mail at his school, what I would call economic travel to the max. I don't think we will be riding that far in one day on this trip, but it definitely a feat to aspire too.

Josh is from Titusville, Florida, or so he claims it as his home. He was actually born in Maryland but moved to Florida with his parents and older brother John when he was very young. Josh just graduated from Stetson University with a degree in the Humanities. Josh and I often talk about issues surrounding social justice and religious studies. He has mentioned to me that he is fascinated in religion "because it plays such a huge factor in what people do and how they act", which is a fact I am discovering to be true even throughout this trip.