Days Inn Birmingham-South/Hoover

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.

... along the way. We'll be visiting family and staying in inexpensive hotels until we get further West, and then we'll mix camping in with staying in some lodges and inns. I hope to be able to post every couple of days -- not so much detail that our readers will be bored, but enough to give you a flavor of the trip. Hope you enjoy it half as much as we plan 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
WE HEADED ON HOME. ANOTHER WONDERFUL SHORT TRIP FOR TWO SENIORS! THANKS, FATHER!

Alright, so today started out with a semi-early breakfast at Cool Moose. Some delicious sandwiches, blueberry coffee, and a few teary goodbyes later... we were on our merry little way. We headed out of Jacksonville on the never-ending I-10.... Good God. Longest, most boring stretch of interstate in Florida. Upon finally leaving I-10 and turning into Alabama, we decided ...

... Cobb Lane; some interesting spots are Cobb Lane Restaurant, with garden courtyard dining; Hot and Hot Fish Club; and The Mill Bakery, Eatery, Brewery, where outdoor tables face the fountain. Stop at Savage's Bakery & Restaurant for box lunches for a picnic in the park; a downtown tradition is John's Restaurant; meanwhile out in Irondale get your Fried Green Tomatoes right where the train stopped at the original Whistle Stop Cafe.