December 27, 2012. Montgomery

Upon beginning a tour of the Rosa Parks Museum I was taken back in time to  Montgomery, Alabama in the 1950's, a time when for no other reason than the colour of their skin, black Americans were treated unfairly and often cruelly. Segregation was the law...separate schools, separate water fountains and separate seats on the bus. In fact, Blacks had to sit at the back of the bus and if the bus was full and another person got on, they were expected to give up their seat it that person was white. 

Rosa Parks did something that started a movement to change all of that. Although many history books would have us believe that she refused to give up her seat to a white man because she was tired from a long day at work, such is not the case. She refused to give up her seat because she just couldn't take the injustice any longer. Her subsequent arrest, trial and fine ignited the simmering embers of the Civil Rights Movement and changed the course of history. I bought a t shirt with the inscription,"women who behave rarely make history".

After this very moving experience we headed for the Hank Williams Museum which houses a massive collection of memorabilia. Hank Williams was a country and western singer/songwriter and considered one of the most important country artists of all time. While browsing this enormous collection and hearing Hank's songs playing in the background I realized that most of those songs were familiar. This museum was well worth the price of admission.

On our way to the Civil Rights Memorial and Centre we stopped at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a pastor here and it was from the pulpit of this church that he began his quest for civil rights. Unfortunately the church was closed for the day. Just up the street we could see the steps of the capital building where the Selma to Montgomery voting rights march of 1965 ended.

The Civil Rights Memorial and Centre honors the achievements and memory of those who died during the Civil Rights Movement. Reading the stories of these innocent men, women and children who lost their lives during the period from 

1954 - 1968 brought tears to my eyes. These people were murdered, many of them tortured first, because they were black or because they were white people who supported the Civil Rights Movement. 

Sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Centre, this organization is dedicated to fighting hate and seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society. Before entering the Centre you are screened for security. Pockets must be emptied and bags are put through a security scan. This because in 1983 the KKK firebombed the center's office. Outside, the memorial bears the names of 40 people who died fighting for civil rights. Above the memorial are inscribed the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. which were the inspiration for the design of this memorial, ".. we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."

All of the above are "must sees" if you visit Montgomery, Alabama.

December 22, 2012. "Drive safe and War Eagle"

War Eagle is a battle cry, yell, or motto of Auburn University and supporters of Auburn University sports teams. War Eagle is a common term of endearment, greeting, or salutation among the Auburn students and fans. It is also the title of the university's fight song.  At the beginning of every football game an eagle flies around the stadium and lands on the Auburn University symbol in centre field.  Although the eagle is very special to Auburn their teams are the Tigers and their mascot is Aubie, the tiger.

Today we went to an exciting Tiger's basketball game. It was more than a game as there was entertainment on the floor during every time out: cheerleaders, dancers and a band. T shirts were thrown into the stands, kids competed for prizes and the smile cam winner got a $50. gas card.

At the end of the game the announcer said, " Drive safe, and War Eagle!"

December 21, 2012. Indian Pines, Petco and Kiesel Park

Wednesday was a warm, sunny day, a perfect day for nine holes at Indian Pines. The rate for nine holes on this well groomed, 18 hole, par 71 course was a mere $11. Even though there were three water hazards on the front 9, I managed to come home with the same ball I teed off with. Now that's a good day of golf.

Petco pet store encourages dog owners to bring their pets shopping with them.   Jackie was very excited when we pulled in and noticed people entering the store with their dogs. Once inside she helped us pick out a chew toy while she visited with several other puppies. One little dog was so excited that she peed on the floor. I am guessing that the pet store staff  is used to cleaning up since the floors were so spotless and shiny that Jackie looked like she was skating as we navigated the aisles.

After the pet store we drove to Kiesel Park, a 128 acre park with over 4 miles of walking trails, a dogs off leash area, as well as numerous picnic spots. Although it was only 12 degrees today, there were lots of flowers in bloom. The sun was bright and the sky was a brilliant blue with not a cloud in sight...a great day for a walk.

December 18, Oil Change and Chewalca Park

Early this morning, well, early for a retiree, I took Westy for a much needed oil change.  It seems like everything is close by here in Auburn, much closer than they appear on maps. At any rate,  after the oil change, a visit with the garage's dog and a homemade peanut butter cookie, courtesy of the garage, I drove the three blocks back home.

We decided to go Chewacla State Park for the afternoon.  Again, although it looked quite far away on the map, in less than ten minutes we were there. The Park attendant was quite taken with Westy and so we invited him aboard for a  tour of the van. He then pointed out some good hikes for us and Jackie (the dog) and so we drove to the top of the park and walked two trails, one to a picturesque waterfall and the other through a wooded area. Needless to say, Jackie was exhausted after our excursion and headed straight for her bed when we returned to the house.

A trip to the car wash and a cup of coffee at the Overalls Cafe in Opalika rounded out the day.

December 15, 2012 Auburn

Although  Auburn is a city, it feels very much  like a small town. With a population of about 50,000 the main employer and the centre of this town is the University.  Auburn University  has over 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty. Almost everyone in town wears the Auburn colours of navy blue and orange.  Auburn  gear is sold in many stores including the drug store and the golf course. The Auburn University emblem is on most license plates and in many rear windows. Support for the university's sports teams is huge, especially for football. The stadium seats 90,000 and I am told that it is filled for every game! In short, Auburn fits the description of a true university town. 

There is lots to do in this town. Yesterday we played golf at one of the many courses nearby and today we  went to the Christmas parade. There were lots of floats and a huge, great sounding marching band. Like the sporting events, it looked like the whole town, wearing Auburn U orange and blue, turned out to watch the 45 minute long parade. The afternoon was spent walking the dog and raking leaves. Life is good in Auburn. 

December 9, 2012. Made It

According to Lori, my GPS, Athens, Tennessee is a mere five hours from our destination in Alabama. She was right. We left Athens at 7am and arrived in Auburn at noon. Actually it was 11am due to the change from eastern to central time when crossing into Alabama.

When we turned onto Jess and Nolan's street there was Jessica outside with the dog, waiting for us. After a delicious lunch of homemade pizza (Nolan is an excellent cook) we went for a walk in a nearby park. Part of the park is a large dogs off leash fenced area which Jackie (the dog) thoroughly enjoyed. It was quite amusing to watch about 20 - 30 dogs playing.

It is great to be here!

December 8, 2012 Only 400 Trucks

A Saturday drive on the Interstate means fewer 18 wheelers on the highway than on a weekday. Today 40 truck per hour passed us as compared to at least double that on Tuesday. It was a very enjoyable although long drive today. The radio stations played lots of Christmas music, which helped to pass the time as we sang along. We both liked the scenery in Virginia and Tennessee. The rolling hills got greener the further we got down Interstate 81 as the temperatures got higher, reaching the high 60's by the time we passed Knoxville.

Tomorrow we will reach our destination. Here we come Auburn!

December 7, 2012 Progress

We were happy to see the state of New York in our rear view mirror. We spent the early part of the day on a state highway and enjoyed the ride. I particularly enjoyed seeing the coal mining towns in Pennsylvania.  I noticed  a town named Carbon with a main street named Coal. This area is supposed to have the largest deposits of coal in North America.

Leaving the scenic route and traveling the Interstate meant very little scenery and zillions of trucks. However, we wanted to make up for some of the time we lost while being stuck in New Windsor and so pushing Westy to do 55 - 60 helped us reach Woodstock, Virginia where we will spend the night.

December 6, 2012 Fixed

Westy has a new coolant hose and is ready to move on. The guy who owned the repair shop loved to talk politics and was only too happy to share his staunch very right of right wing, Republican views with us. In spite of this, he was a nice guy. We will leave here early tomorrow morning.

December 5, 2012, New Windsor, NY

We walked to the RV repair place this morning and found  Westy and its contents along with the bikes safe and sound. We met the shop owner who said that although he doesn't do RV repairs anymore and is into real estate now, he would fix it tomorrow as long as we didn't call him every few hours to see if it was ready yet. We put the bikes inside the shop, took the food out of the fridge  promised not to harass and walked back to the motel.

I spent a good part of the day on hold as the TracPhone folks tried to reactivate my cell phone. In the end, we walked to the local drug store and bought a new prepaid phone. There is not much to do in this town. However, the day was warm, the sun was shining and it felt good to walk around after sitting for two full days.

Hopefully Westy will be all better by the end of the day tomorrow and we will be on the road again by Friday.

I did take a picture of Westy on the tow truck bed but can't post it as it is on the phone that has yet to be reactivated.

December 4, Stuck in Fishkill Again

Last year when we traveled this route we were storm stayed in Fishkill, NY for two days. As we approached the town this year the temperature gauge rose to an alarming level and we made a quick exit and managed to park in a mall parking lot. Steam was rising from the rear of the vehicle and as we looked underneath we could see the coolant pouring out of a pipe. Luckily  I have a Good Sam roadside assistance program. With one phone call, on a borrowed phone (my US phone was having problems) I reached Good Sam, they located someone who would work on the Westy and a tow truck arrived to take us there.

 Unfortunately, it was after hours and we had to leave Westy in the yard of a repair shop. I am hoping that our belongings, especially the bikes, will be safe. The tow truck driver was kind enough to drop us off at a local motel. I spent over an hour both online and on the phone trying to get my US cell phone problem resolved. I ended up with a case # and a promise that it would be working within 24 hours. 

I will either sleep soundly due to exhaustion or fitfully with concern about Westy.

December 3, 2012 Heading South

It was easy to get up early this morning as the day had finally arrived when I could hum "Farewell to Nova Scotia" and know that the cold weather will be abandoned until April. 

Today's drive was uneventful. The roads were clear, the weather fine and for most of the ride we had the road to ourselves. We are spending the night in Waterville, Maine.