Today began with breakfast at a restaurant chain that we have seen at literally every single interstate exit while driving, so it must be good; Waffle House. Waffles, biscuits & gravy, hashbrowns and whatnot and we were sufficiently full. Loaded back into the car and set our course for Alabama.
Not long after we hit the road, it began to rain so hard that our wipers couldn't keep up. Traffic on the interstate slowed to a crawl and vehicles all put on their 4-way flashers. There was a ton of lightning and the thunder was very close and strong. We could feel the thunder on the floorboards of the car. If Charleston gets this weather, there will certainly be flooding there, so skipping it was probably for the best. As we crossed over into Alabama, the rain slowed. Didn't get a chance to try a Georgia peach unfortunately.
As we proceeded through Alabama en route to Birmingham we saw a sign for a Nascar speedway. We looked at each other and asked "is that like the one in the movie?" Yes, yes it was. It was the Talladega Superspeedway. Went in, took some photos, bought a sleeveless shirt as a souvenir, and headed down the side road back to the interstate. Just before we got back, we stopped for gas at a little station that was conveniently located right next to a 2 for 1 fireworks store! So we bought an arm full of firecrackers and asked the lady where we could set these off legally. She said "Well we usually send folks down the gravel road behind the place but the last guy we sent there accidentally started the forest on fire, so we aren't recommending that spot anymore. Tell you what, we own that abandoned lot over there with the burned down building on it, so go use that spot." So we went over there and set off a buttload of firecrackers!!! AMERICA!!!
Shortly thereafter we reached Birmingham and had a couple spots picked out from extensive research (Googling things to do in Birmingham at the hotel this morning) so we went straight to spot number one, the Sloss Furnaces. This is an abandoned iron mill turned historical site. You get to go in and tour around to old, creepy, eerily quiet buildings and walkways by yourself. Very creepy vibe, very cool thing to see. We got back in the car and headed to spot number 2, but along the way saw this little roadside BBQ shack and stopped because it was near lunch and this place looked awesome. And so it was. the BBQ combo plates at Lo Lo's BBQ were quite possibly the best BBQ each of us have ever eaten. A gem of a find in the middle of Birmingham. We asked the girl working where our next spot to visit was (a huge statue on a mountain overlooking the city) and she said that despite living there her whole life, she had never gone to the statue and wasn't really sure how to get to it, but there will be signs that will "follow you there." Luckily our GPS had it as a point of interest so we went up to the top of Red Mountain and visited the Vulcan statue. This is a character from Greek mythology who was the blacksmith to the gods. Chosen for Birmingham based on the iron working history of the city. So we took an elevator up to an observation deck that let us look over all of Birmingham and off in all directions over the thick forests of Alabama. We were all surprised with both how beautiful Birmingham/Alabama are and how much forest there is. Also, here was the first spot that we encountered friendly, southern hospitality from everyone we spoke to. All genuinely incredibly nice people. We went through the Vulcan museum which was like the Western Development Museum back in Saskatoon; lots of little displays about the iron working history of the place and key people in the story of the city. As we got back on the road to Nashville we discussed how difficult it is to not imitate the accents of people in Alabama. It is such a fun, cool-sounding accent that halfway through speaking to a local, you realize it's starting to sneak into your words.
On the I-65 we crossed the Tennessee river, which is absolutely massive. Equivalent to maybe 4 Bow Rivers of Calgary put side by side. We decide spur of the moment to go through Lynchburg to see the Jack Daniel's distillery. Ends up being disappointing. We didn't want to do the tour so just saw some big buildings and took photos with a barrel. The gift shop had no magnets or shirts or anything; just bottles of Jack. So we carried on, seeing a Jack Daniel's employee credit union bank as well as a Co-op gas bar (which I might need to discuss with my boss when I get home)...
We finally get to Nashville, check in to our motel and walk over the Broadway, which is the busy nightlife street of the city. We tried a BBQ place but it had just closed for the night so we went next door to the Tequila Cowboy for some grub and beers. Live music on stage here, as there was at almost every single bar along this strip. We then chose a place called the National Underground, which offered a "hipster special" of a pint of PBR with a double shot of whiskey on the side for 6 bucks. So had a couple of those specials... There was good live acoustic duos on stage. Wandered up the road to another spot, which was much busier, called Paradise Cove, where for 6 dollars each, we each got a pitcher of beer. Night ended around 2 for me passing out on the bed, but Matt and Nick stayed out much later than me. Nashville is a fun city.
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