We woke up fairly early, yet kind of tried to enjoy a relaxing morning. We then headed to the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, the site of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., back in 1968. This is an impressive place, and the front has been preserved so that it looks just like it did on that day in 1968, right down to two vintage era cars parked in front of the motel face. There are some powerful exhibits, and it was a reminder of some of the less savory aspects of the history in the South, with strict Jim Crow segregation being both legally and socially enforced.
That took a few hours, and after that, we ate at the other Memphis Central Barbecue, which was right across the street. It was very good food, just as it had been at the other location the day before. Then, it was time to start the long drive. We headed towards Mobile, and I was surprised by how close the Mississippi border was. However, I had begin to have my suspicions, because there were just so many Mississippi plates around in Memphis. But it seems like many of the suburbs of Memphis must be in Mississippi, because we seemed to arrive there quickly after leaving the city of Memphis. Let me tell you: Mississippi was long. And boring. I love trees and woods, don’t get me wrong. But the landscape seemed painfully repetitive, and gave the impression that very little progress was being made. We drove down Route 45, and our GPS kept telling us to drive for maybe an hour, only to “turn” onto Route 45. It did this over and over again, making the drive feel probably longer than it otherwise would have.
It began to rain just as we crossed into Alabama. Still, we took pictures by the "Welcome to" signs. The rain picked up for a bit, adding some to the stress of the drive as it also was getting dark. But it did seem to taper off once we were near Mobile. Finally, we arrived at our hotel in Mobile, Alabama. It was not a bad room. On the way, we noticed the first palm trees that we saw during this trip, so I took a night picture of them (see both above and below). We were exhausted, of course. With a busy day ahead of us, we both decided that we should relax for the rest of the night, and get as much sleep as possible, which is what we did.
Civil Rights Museum, Memphis
Mobile, Alabama
Welcome to Signs:
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