La Quinta Inn And Suites Birmingham Hoover/Riverchase

... of wonder bread, plain bagels, and sometimes stale donuts. We've stumbled upon 2 hotels with Dunkin' Donuts donuts, and that was exciting. If you're lucky, these items will be followed by one or more of following: tiny yogurt packets, waffle maker, fruit bin. Originally, the waffle maker was exciting... but there's usually something called "breakfast syrup" instead of maple syrup and trust me after a week of waffles, you're more ...

We had a one night stop over in Moody. We passed Talladega raceway on the way there but as it was a longer drive we didn't stop off along the way. We also got held up in our first traffic jam. A truck had gone off the interstate and crashed. Delayed us by about 40 minutes. The Super 8 wasn't the worst or the best motel but we both slept well after dinner at Cracker Barrell.

As most of you know I have been sick since my last blog and yesterday was pretty much a write off. I arrived in Birmingham at 11.45am after taking a 4 hour ride on a Amtrak train. The train ride was quite comfortable. I was able to get two seats to myself and there is a lot more leg room on a train than an airplane. The taxi driver had never heard of the hotel I was staying at and couldn't find it on his GPS. Luckily I had the additionally information that it was off a certain ...

A few days ago we realized that the day we leave, marked in our brains as Memorial Day, comes a week earlier than we'd been thinking. Oops. At least we saw the light soon enough so we won't miss the flight. (Memorial Day this early in May feels very odd.) This trip is no big deal but will serve well as a test travel blog. Something to play with between meetings and meals.

A little over a week and we'll be on the road! Our Volkswagen Eurovan Camper is just about ready; it's getting a new "kitchen" water pump tomorrow and then we'll actually start loading it up. We'll be traveling pretty light: the Porta-Potty, one roller bag each, one sleeping bag and Therma-Rest each, one pillow each, a new Coleman grill/stove so we don't have to ...

... GUESS WHO WON...ME, YEAH!! THE NEXT MORNING WE ATE BREAKFAST. THEN WE CHECKED OUT AND HEADED TO THE BOTANICAL GARDENS. BESIDES SEEING ALL OF THE PLANTS AND SOME WILD LIFE WE, ALSO, TOOK ONE OF THE TRAILS. THE GARDENS WERE VERY PRETTY. WHAT I LIKED THE MOST THERE WAS THIS HUGH ALOE PLANT. THEN<br>WE HEADED ON HOME. ANOTHER WONDERFUL SHORT TRIP FOR TWO SENIORS! THANKS, FATHER!

Here we are in Alabama, the birthplace of Marty. She found a map at the visitors center that actually shows the town where she was born. Yesterday was good. After the trip down the Natches we had a drive on I-20 with a lot of trucks. Why don't they put all that freight on the train? We are planning a stop on Huntsville to visit Martys cousin and to see the old family home; then on to Chattanooga.

... on the town square to totally disinterested townsfolk. We then rode to Birmingham which is a beautiful city. The local chapter of the Lifesouth treated us to a picnic at a park for dinner- we had burgers and all the fixings. I am so overwhelmed by the LifeSouth community that is treating us all like stars. We are all getting pretty tired by the meet and greets after a long day of cycling. hopefully, we a making a difference.

... We really started to dig this band about a year ago and this was the first time we saw them live. It was at the Alabama Theater which was a beautiful, old theater. We continue to love our time in the south. The people are so gracious and helpful. P.S. - Only in the South do you go into a Whole Foods that has Chicken and Biscuts, Salisbury Steak, Fried Okra and Mac and Cheese in the buffet area.

It took me forever to get to Warner Robins in the first place. The traffic on I-75 leaving Atlanta was atrocious. We finally packed up our things up and left for Six Flags around 5:30pm. Needless to say it took even longer to get through the 75 traffic the second time. So if you're planning on visiting Six Flags Over Georgia, leave early and drive safely. The new roller coaster, Goliath, was a great ride. We've ...