1 Mile Down....9999 More To Go: February 2005

Amazing History

Day #43
Tripometer: 5698.1 miles

Today I went into downtown Memphis to check out the National Civil Rights Museum. What an incredible experience. The museum is housed in the Lorraine Hotel which is where Martin Luther King Jr. was assisinated. The first part of the museum was a photo gallery of many different fights for civil rights. The dealt with freedom of speech issues, the women's liberation movement, the struggle of Native Americans to get recognition and Cesar Chavez and the fight of the farm workers. It's always amazing to me just how powerful photography is. The other amazing part of this exhibit was how the museum made a real effort to emphasize the importance of young people in such movements.

The rest of the museum was dedicated to the African American struggle for equal rights, more specifically to Martin Luther King Jr. There were a lot of photographs and personal accounts of the time. There were also many unique exhibits. You could walk through a classroom for black children and the a classroom for white children. You could sit at a lunch counter as a black person and hear the profanity that was often shouted and watch a video of some of the other abuse they encountered. It was really incredible. At some point and without completely realizing it I found myself standing in the hallway outside of the room the Martin Luther King Jr. stayed in before he was shot. You can look out at balcony and see the exact spot where he lay. It was very powerful.

After this I decided that I needed to do something a bit more upbeat so I went and toured the Sun Studios. This, at some point in their careers, was the recording studio for Elvis, Carl Perkins, B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis among many others. It was a lot of fun. Everything in the studio is original from the instruments to the sound proof ceiling. The tour guide, who wanted to be called El Dorado was a
trip.

The National Civil Rights Museum

A Tribute To A Great Man

El Dorado

What Not To Do In Birmingham, AL

Day #42
Tripometer: 5648.8 Miles

Today I spent the morning in Birmingham. I woke up this morning and went to find someplace to eat breakfast. Well, today was Sunday, something I had not realized until it was impossible to find a restaurant, ANY restaurant that was open on Sunday morning. Actually I was the only person walking around most of the morning. It was not until after 12. Apparently I was supposed to be in church like everyone else. When I finally found an open restaurant there was no breakfast food for me, only lunch being that it was 12:30.

Selma, Alabama

Day #41
Tripometer: 5406.2 miles
Mile #5000, Tyler, AL

Today I went to Selma, Alabama. I went to the National Voting Rights Museum which did a fantastic job of telling the story of how African-Americans won the right to vote. There were many personal accounts of "Bloody Sunday" and the march to Montgomery. The people working there were great to talk to. As I drove through more of Alabama I was amazed with all of the history. It really is an incredible state. It is definitely more run-down than the north and things absolutely move slower but it has a lot of character. There were kids everywhere riding bikes and playing. In general I've found that people here are really great to talk to and extremely helpful. It's definitely a different world here but I'm enjoying my visit.

Spring Training

Day #40
Tripometer: 4955.9

Today was almost an incredible day. I went to Legend's Field (The Yankees' sping training site) to watch them practice. I couldn't believe how close I got to all of the players. I mean I couldn't reach out and touch them but I definitely got a lot of great pictures. There were a lot of young kids there with their parents and a lot of big time Yankee fans. It was a great scene. Everyone there was trying to get their favorite player's autograph. While many of the players did not sign they all interacted with the crowd in some one.

A Scenario to Ponder...Before practice officially started Derek Jeter came out of the dugout and sort of worked his way down the fence signing autographs. I was in perfect position to obtain one of these autographs. I was down the fence a ways but could tell that he would get to about where I was standing before he had to go stretch. Now as I'm sure most of you know I am a huge Yankees fan and a very big Derek Jeter fan so getting this autograph would have been awesome. Derek is about 10 feet away when this little girl about 12 years old kind of pushes her way in front of me. I look at her and say very nicely "There's no reason to push. He's going to try to sign as many autographs as he can." Wouldn't you know it...she got her baseball signed then it was time for practice. Unfortunately my baseball remained unsigned. I thought briefly about taking her baseball because if it wasn't for her I would have gotten mine signed but then I thought about how ridiculous I would look taking a baseball from a little girl and let her go. What do you think...did I do the right thing?

Derek Jeter

Bubba...What A Great Name

Giambi Making Up To The Fans

Tino

St. Petersburg

Day #39
Tripometer: 4602.7

Today I dropped Shawn off at the Tampa Airport and then drove to St. Petersburg to check out some museums there. First I went to the Florida Holocaust Museum which was really increadible. Then I went to the Salvador Dali Museum which was a lot of fun. When I was there they were giving a tour to future volunteers so I got a sort of behind the scenes tour as I was looking at the exhibits. His work is so amazing and should be checked out by anyone in St. Petersburg.

What I Almost Did

Day # 38
Tripometer: 4602.7

This morning Shawn and I decided to go parasailing. Below is a picture of the parasail. We went out to breakfast and then went down to the peir and bought out tickets. You had the option of going up 600', 800' or 1000'. I decided if I was going to do this I had to do it all out so we spent the extra $10 and decided to go for 1000'. We got on the boat with about 8 other people. We were the 3rd pair to go. The first two was a pair of teenage girls. They went up to 800' and they were really high. The second group was a mother and her 2 kids (apparently you can go in groups of 3). They put their life jackets and harnesses on and were about to get hooked up to the parasail when all of a sudden fog came rolling in. Unfortunately, this meant that we couldn't go parasailing. Something about it not being safe if they can't see you. We thought about waiting it out but decided to go to the zoo instead.

Wouldn't This Have Been Perfect?

Zoo Animals

Shawn Hanging Out With A Bat

Elephants Playing Tag

It's True...He was

Mom and Baby Spending Quality Time Together

Treasure Island

Day # 37
Tripometer: 4519.5
Mile #4500, Ellenton, FL

We made it the rest of the way to Tampa and stopped at the visitor center to get some info. The guy there directed us to the beaches which were really nice. They would have been a lot nicer if it wasn't so overcast but that's ok. We found a cute little motel to stay at for the next couple of nights. It was run by an old man who has obviously been running the place for many, many years. He did everything by hand so as you can imagine it took us a while to check in. We walked around checking out the island before going out for dinner and drinks.

Key West

Day #36
Tripometer: 4440.6 miles

Today Shawn and I explored more of Key West. It was a beautiful day, 80 and sunny (sorry to those of you up north who keep getting more snow). We went on a tour of Hemmingway's house which was really incredible. I learned a lot of interesting things about him and saw a magnificent house. Apparently Hemmingway loved cats (he had between 50 and 60 of them as pets at any one time). Someone had given him a 6-toed cat as a pet. Today there are 51 cats living at the house, 26 of them are also 6-toed. It was a good tour. I definitely recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in Key West. We then went to have lunch at one of Hemmingway's favorite bars, Sloppy Joe's before walking to the southern most point in the continental US. We then got back in the car and headed towards Tampa.

Me and Shawn In Front of Hemmingway's House

One Of Many 6-Toed Cats At Hemmingway's House Drinking Water

It's Easy To See Why People Swim For It...It Seems So Close

My First Visitor

Day #35
Tripometer 4001.7
Mile #4000 Key West, FL

Today I picked Shawn up at the Ft. Lauderdale airport and we headed to the Florida Keys. We stopped about half-way through at Bahia Honda State Park. I don't remember which key it was on but it was really nice. The beaches were beautiful and we walked around for a little bit. We got back in the car and drove the rest of the way to Key West. One fun little characteristic of Key West is that there are wild chickens running around everywhere. We saw and heard lots of them. Shawn and I went out to dinner and walked around the town for a while. There were some really beautiful houses. Below is a picture of my favorite. One of the most spectacular things I've seen so far on this trip was a tree. I know it sounds weird but just look at the picture. The tree it just crazy looking. It looks like one of the branches has grown downward and become a root.

House on Key West

Chickens Running Wild

A Really Cool Looking Tree...Anyone Know What It Is?

What A Day

Day #34
Tripometer: 3733.8 miles

In one of my AAA books I read about a museum called the Sports Immortals Gallery and it sounded like a place I would want to visit so I did. I walked in and there were 2 men (one in his late 30's and one in his 50's) there who run the place. Joel has the largest collection of sports memorabilia in the world. I talked to the younger one (John), paid my $5 and went upstairs to the museum which was fairly small and is still under some construction. They are in the process of constructing what they are going to call The International Sports Complex. It will be a large museum with various exhibits (some interactive) and highlights. After I had spent some time looking around I went back downstairs which had memorabilia for sale. John came over and we talked some more. He asked me about what sports I was interested in and where I lived. After telling him that I was from NJ and was only visiting he said "Oh, that's too bad. Joel and I were talking while you were upstairs and he was intrigued by you and told me to offer you a job helping us get our whole complex underway." With that Joel walks over and asks "So you taking the job or what?" I re-explained that I was from NJ and was taking a few months to see the country. Joel's response, "Well be sure to give John your contact information because we're thinking about expanding to Chicago, Las Vegas and NY." Of course before I left I gave John my email address and he gave me a couple of free t-shirts.

After this amazing morning I went to Butterfly World, which is similar to Parrot Jungle Island, except with butterflies. Basically there are large netted-in areas and there are butterflies everywhere, many of which will land on you if you are still enough. I was amazed at how friendly they were. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of any of the butterflies that landed on me. It's a little difficult to take a picture of yourself and the few times I asked someone to take a picture for me the butterfly would fly away. Oh well.

Butterfly World

Parrot Jungle Island

Day #33
Tripometer: 3551.3 miles
Mile #3500 Florida City, FL

After spending the morning in the Everglades I drove to Miami Beach and went to Parrot Jungle Island. It is a fantastic zoo that primarily houses parrots (as the name suggests). As soon as you walk in there are dozens of parrots walking around or sitting on perches. You are able to pet them, take pictures with them, and talk to some of them. It is definitely a place I would return to with kids. The zoo had other animals too but the parrots were the main attraction.

Parrot Jungle Island

Kissing Parrots

Must See Stop #2

Day # 32
Tripometer: 3421.4 miles

The Everglades National Park is an absolutely beautiful place, a place that you should definitely go see if you ever get the opportunity. I spent most of the day walking around, going on a few hikes. In the afternoon I went on a 2-hour boat tour, which was quite informative. I saw some interesting plants and a lot of birds but no alligators or crocodiles. (Did you know that the Everglades is the only place where you can find both alligators and crocodiles?) After the boat tour I drove until I came to a bay where I sat for a while until the sun began to set. And then I made a new friend (see the picture below). When I got to this bay there were two older men there taking pictures. I started to walk closer to the water when one of the men walked towards me and told me that I didn't want to get too close because there was an alligator at the edge. After a little while a park ranger came by looking for a pick-up truck from Wyoming. Apparently some people had been feeding the alligator which is why it was hanging out so close to waters edge. Because she was there I decided that it would be ok to walk a little closer. Luckily after I took the picture the alligator decided to go back in the water and go for a little swim.

Me On My Boat Tour

Sunset in The Everglades

A New Friend

Florida At Last

Day #31
Tripometer: 3329.7 miles
Oil Change #1

So I've finally made it to Florida and the weather is absolutely wonderful. Today I went to the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum in Winter Park Florida. This museum contains Tiffany stain glass pieces. They were gorgeous. The detail that he was able to achieve with glass is simply amazing.

After spending a few hours in the museum I drove until I found a park by the water where I stopped, had lunch, read the local paper and went for a walk. All in all it was a good day...Until it came time to find a place to sleep for the evening. I decided to drive until I got close to Daytona Beach where I hoped I would spend the day tomorrow. Well...Someone forgot to tell me that the Daytona 500 is this weekend so there were no hotels, motels, inns or anything like that for at least 45 minutes. So I drove about an hour south and rearranged what I hoped to do tomorrow. I love flexibility.

Jekyll Island, Georgia

Day #30
Tripometer: 2979.5 Miles

Thank you Shanie and Mary for this suggestion. I went to Jekyll Island today and had a wonderful time. I woke up this morning and it was absolutely beautiful out. Unfortunately as I crossed the bridge onto Jekyll Island it became windy and overcast. Luckily I still had a great time. I took a trolley tour of the historic part of the island and learned a lot about the people who formed the Jekyll Island Club and developed the island into a winter resort. After lunch the sun came back out and I spend the afternoon walking on the beach. What a wonderful day.

Jekyll Island

The First Must See Of My Trip

Day #29
Tripometer: 2722.7 miles

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

So I finally left Atlanta after a little more than a week and made it to Savannah, Georgia. This is an absolute must see for everone. It was a wonderful city with a lot of character. The parks and historic street were magnificent. I had dinner at a bar and grilled called Spanky's. It was right on the water and had a really great crowd. After dinner I walked along the water which was really amazing. At one point I looked up and there was a gigantic boat in front of me. It was very scary. After a couple of minutes I noticed that there was a group of people gathering behind me. I walked over and started listening to a woman who was standing in front of the group. All of a sudden there was a loud scream and a woman dressed in a witch's costume jumped out from behind a bench. Apparently the group was on a ghosts and graveyards tour of Savannah. I joined them and listened to the witch tell stories. I even tried to sneak on the trolley but the witch told me I couldn't because I didn't have a ticket. Oh well.

A Park in Savannah, Georgia

Savannah at Night

Stone Mountain, Georgia

Day #24

Today Barry, Charlotte and I went to Stone Mountain, which was supposed to really beautiful. Unfortunately after a days of beautiful weather today was very overcast. While we made it to the top of the mountain we didn't get to see much else. It was so foggy that we could barely see 5 feet in front of us. I hear that you can see the city of Atlanta from the top of the mountain. On the side of the mountain there is a carving of 3 confederate generals (unfortunately I can't remember which ones they are right now but when I do I'll update this entry). Luckily by the end of the day the fog had lifted enough that I was able to get a picture of this carving.

Barry and Charlotte on top of Stone Mountain

The Carving on the Side of Stone Mountain

Atlanta

Day #20

Today Barry and I went to explore the city of Atlanta. My impression of the city is that there aren't many people who actually live in the city. We went on a tour of CNN headquarters which was really interesting. We learned a lot about the technology that is used to produce a news broadcast. We then drove to Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves. We didn't go in but the field looks very classy. I will definitely have to come back to catch a game. As we drove home I got to see the Olympic Torch which is still standing. The weather was incredible. I could definitely get used to this. Later I went to see my 8 year old cousin Zachary kick butt. I sat in on his karate class which was pretty incredible. I was quite impressed by his skills and will probably not mess with him again.

Looks deadly, doesn't he?

Me and Jack

Day #19
Tripometer: 2330.5 miles

I stayed at an amazing motel last night. After driving around looking for a motel that was in my price range I arrived at the Hampton Inn in Tullahoma, TN. It was about 7:30 and I was very hungry. I went inside and asked the women how much a room for the night would be. When she told me that the cheapest room was $65 plus tax I said no thank you and turned to leave. She asked what I was hoping to spend and I told her about $50. We talked for a while and I got her life story, heard about how she has a daughter in Iraq who would be home soon and how she's been living in Tullahoma since she was 12. By the end of our conversation she offered to put in an $85 room for only $55. I gladly took the offer and later that evening I took a bath. I guess it pays to be friendly. I'm going to have to be nice to more people.

Today I went on a really incredible tour of the Jack Daniels Distillery which is located in Lynchburg, TN. I got to learn all about how whiskey is made and the life story of Jack Daniels. Jack started running the distillery at the age of 13 after it was given to him by a minister. Probably the most interesting thing about the distillery is that it is located in a dry county, therefore they are not allowed to sell the product they make. However, about 10 years ago an amendment was passed which allowed the distillery to sell limited edition bottles to people who went on the tour. Also, the first payday of every month each employee receives a bottle of Jack Daniels with their paycheck. Nice perk.

After my visit to the distillery I drove to Suwannee, GA to visit my cousin Barry (J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets!) and his family.

Jack

Smells So Good

From Barrel to Bottle

Look What I Found

Day #18
Tripometer: 2081.1 miles
Mile #2000: De Rossett, TN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAWN!!!

Today I drove to Knoxville, TN and walked around for a few hours. As wandered around I saw a very large basketball on top of a building, so of course I decided to check it out. It turned out that it was the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, something I didn't know existed. I paid my $8 and went inside to check it out. It was small but absolutely worth $8. I learned a lot about the evolution of women's basketball, heard halftime speeches by various women coaches, and saw many, many highlights. It is definitely a place that all basketball fans should check out. Besides, their motto just makes a lot of sense.

The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Motto

1 Mile Down....9999 More To Go

Monday, February 28, 2005

Amazing History

Sunday, February 27, 2005

What Not To Do In Birmingham, AL

Saturday, February 26, 2005

Selma, Alabama

Friday, February 25, 2005

Spring Training

Thursday, February 24, 2005

St. Petersburg

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

What I Almost Did

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Treasure Island

Monday, February 21, 2005

Key West

Sunday, February 20, 2005

My First Visitor

Saturday, February 19, 2005

What A Day

Friday, February 18, 2005

Parrot Jungle Island

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Must See Stop #2

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Florida At Last

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Jekyll Island, Georgia

Monday, February 14, 2005

The First Must See Of My Trip

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Stone Mountain, Georgia

Saturday, February 05, 2005

Atlanta

Friday, February 04, 2005

Me and Jack

Thursday, February 03, 2005

Look What I Found

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