Day 6: Memphis, TN to Macon, GA

Today was a very long day of driving! I passed through parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia!

It was shockingly hot and humid when I left Memphis. Temperature was 80 and the humidity was like 1000. My hotel room was on the second floor so by the time I got my car packed I was ready for a second shower.

A note about my car: it's doing great! Great gas mileage, wonderful air conditioning, handles off-roading due to highway construction well, accelerates like a dream, very comfortable, etc. And my iPod with 3,400 songs is literally saving my life! I cannot recommend at VW Jetta for a road trip enough!

I was in Mississippi within 15 miles of leaving Memphis. Mapquest had me go down Highway 78 which is almost like an interstate but not quite a freeway. Being Sunday morning there was NO traffic. Seriously, like none. I stopped in Tupelo, Mississippi for gas and at the bottom of the exit ramp I saw a sign for Elvis Presley's birthplace! How serendipitous! I hadn't planned to see his birthplace and vaguely recalled that it was in Tupelo and it just so happened that that's were I needed gas! Of course I stopped! The house and visitor's center were only open from 1-5 on Sundays so I didn't get a tour but I did wander around the grounds. There were lots of other Elvis fans there, which surprised me since they didn't open for another 3 hours!

I hit Alabama with little fanfare and as I approached Birmingham I realized that Mapquest had given me wrong directions! A first! Every night I've been mapquesting where I'm going, writing down the directions and comparing the directions to my maps. Today's route had me get off at an exit where the state road that I was supposed to be on wasn't actually there! No problem - I am good with directions and stayed on highway road 78 and followed the signs for Birmingham. I ended up taking a 12 mile drive through the outskirts of Birmingham. EVERYTHING WAS CLOSED ON A SUNDAY!!! It's been a long time since I've seen that but it kind of makes me happy that shop workers get a break too.

Birmingham's big attraction (for me) was the National Civil Rights Institute. Sadly it was closed when I got there (it being Sunday) so I wandered around the Kelly Ingram park that's right across the street and has many statutes commemorating civil rights heroes. I also got my own personal tour guide named Troy. A bunch of dudes were kind of lurking around the park seeking out tourists to give personal guides. Troy was quite a character and totally harmless. Here are some of the more amazing statutes:

It's unfortunate that I missed seeing the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute bit I spent a lot of time at the one in Memphis. The statutes were really amazing. As I was wandering around the park I started to wonder if I had been around during the civil rights era in the 60s what would I have done? What am I doing now to protest what I view as injustices?

Back on the road toward Atlanta I had time to study my fellow drivers' driving skills. Without a doubt people with Alabama plates are the worst drivers I have ever seen! No signaling, way too slow in the fast lane, swerving all over the place, drifting into other lanes and failing to correct, just a real laissez-faire approach to the road. People with Georgia plates on the other hand must all be from LA. I felt right at home - they drive with haste! I lost another hour crossing the border into Georgia (my last time change!) and I really want to spend quality time in Savannah tomorrow so since it was nearly 4pm I skipped Atlanta and plowed ahead to Macon, GA where I spent the night.

A note about the heat: humid and hot all day. I discovered that my stash of gummy bears all melted together into one congealed glob which made for great fun trying to pulled them apart. Sniff, sniff - poor little gummy bear souls :) At the gas station in Tupelo I bought a limited edition java-flavored Twix! Yum! It was 10am so I threw it in my purse for later. "Later" was too late. When I remembered I had it in the afternoon it had totally melted and gobbed together. Note to self: put all snacks in travel cooler!

A long driving day, but worth it for tomorrow's play time. A real beautiful drive too - I know Atlanta has drought problems but I have never seen a more lush, more green and more beautiful area than the South. The humidity sure helps! I love the Kudzu - it's wild and totally out of control, like nature's topiary. I'd love to come back to this area again and really get to know it. Total miles: 520.3. States traveled through: Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.