Spring Break Road Trip – EPISODE 2

ALABAMA DAYS

With three drivers in the car, the load of the drive was manageable. Additionally, for a novice driver such as myself, it was highly beneficial to have two experienced lads in Leevi and David alongside me. After getting the car (quite quickly I might add so kudos to Enterprise) we immediately got on the road but after a good 20 minutes we saw an IHOP along the road so we absolutely had to stop. Nothing says “American roadtrip” like a hearty brunch at IHOP. If I have yet to make myself clear, I LOVE IHOP. 30 minutes of feasting later we got on a 3-hour drive back west to the city of Selma, Alabama. I’ve always had a fascination with the city due to its strong role in the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s (with Bloody Sunday being the most infamous). Seeing the famous Edmund Pettus bridge was quite a moment for me having constantly read and seen images about it. However, it was quite a a disheartening sight to see how the rest of the city was not as quite built up. It actually felt like a very cowboy-esque town. It did make us ponder how much the city was left behind economically despite the movement forward i(n term of civil rights) that was achieved in this very city. Although a small disclaimer that we only had a couple of hours in the city so we may not have the gotten the full picture. Another interesting outcome was our chance encounter with the son of J. L. Chestnut, a leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s!

After Selma, we drove to our accommodation in our next stop, the city of Birmingham. Here we were finally able to get our much deserved rest after the overnight ride and long day of driving. It must be said that driving through Alabama was so vastly different from anything I’d had experienced before. From the long empty roads, to the random gas stations stops and vast swaths of beautiful land.

Our full day in Birmingham began with a visit to the Kelly Ingram Park, a monument to the harrowing journey faced by African-Americans before and during the movement. Right next to it was the historic 16^th Street Baptist Church where the horrendous bombing occurred that claimed the lives of four young girls (a terrible but pivotal moment in the movement). The two sights gave a small measure of insight into the horrors of the past (and some might argue present). To take a more light-hearted spin, our next stop was the botanical gardens just outside of the city that was far larger than I had anticipated. This was just a short prelude for the next exciting event, LUNCH. But this was no ordinary lunch, this was the starting point of our experience with the famous southern barbecue. While I’ve had it in Texas and Georgia before, BBQ in each state differs so I was very excited to start this part of the trip. Miss Myra’s BBQ was the destination and it went far above what I had expected. Meat platters were the best choice, each one exquisite in their own right (we had 3 different types of meat). The sides and iced tea were wonderful but the crème de la crème was undoubtedly their banana pudding. It was just so incredible I’m drooling just writing about it at the moment! The restaurant had such a great atmosphere being a family run joint and needless to say the service was excellent (with everyone being so warm and nice). Southern hospitality at its finest. After stuffing ourselves, we headed back to the rest up before dinner. No surprises as dinner was another spot to add to the BBQ journey. This time it was Dreamland BBQ with the ribs coming as their specialty. A far more bar vibe with a southern twist to the joint. Altho none of that really mattered as the ribs were excellent and they were massive to the point we failed to finish a few of them! While both places were great, I’d still have to hand it to Miss Myra’s having an edge although it’s mostly down to personal preference. The next morning included our last sight in Birmingham and arguably the most significant. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The institute numerous well-kept pieces of history from the movement including the jail cell from which Martin Luther King Jr wrote his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail that promoted his philosophies of non-violent resistance. It was quite something to say the least.

Leaving Birmingham took us to our last stop in Alabama, the city of Huntsville! This was a short stop to just a have short drive around the city and grab lunch (taking a break from BBQ here!). We managed to sneak in a small stop at a state park for some immense views on the way out too! A personal trip for me as it’s a city that has been growing in reputation as an engineering hub (as I’ve been told).

However, this was only a short stop on the road to our next state!