Talladega Superspeedway, Alabama. Thirty miles outside of Birmingham, this happened on October 20, 2013. The NASCAR Sprint Cup at Talladega Superspeedway. The NASCAR fans take tailgating to epic proportions, especially considering that attendance is in the range of 200, 000. Before the race there were a lot of announcements and the unfurling of the flag and then, wait for it........ Lynyrd Skinner's Sweet Home Alabama was blasted through the massive sound system to the delight of the fans. The 43 cars lined up in the pit area and the announcer bellowed: "Danica and gentlemen, start your engines". Danica Patrick is the first women to compete in NASCAR at the top level driving the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet sponsored by GoDaddy. It was a bit of a rush when the cars were started. A lot of rumbling machine noise. The racers then do two warm up laps before they kick in to full gear. At that point, things get exciting and when the pack flies by at 200 miles per hour inches apart, I have to admit it is pretty cool. You can fell the vibration in your chest. (Earplugs are a necessity). Awesome experience.

Danica Patrick

The Pit

Cars lined up in the pit before the race

Danica, driving the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet

Danica

Wow

Montgomery, Alabama. A lot happened here on the Civil Rights front back in the fifties and sixties. There is a moving Rosa Parks Museum where a guide takes you through the story of how on December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. She was arrested and convicted and fined even though the segregated bus rules didn't require her to actually give up her seat in those circumstances. In response, a bus boycott by black riders ensued for 13 months. The authorities responded by filing charges of criminal conspiracy agains 80 ministers leading the boycott. Dr King chose to go to jail rather than pay the $500 fine. Meanwhile, a civil action was brought challenging bus segregation and finally the US Supreme Court in Browder v. Gayle ruled that the bus segregation ruled were contrary to the US constitution. The Court directed that bus segregation cease. Our guide told us that one of the worst features of the old system was that a black bus rider would enter the front of the bus and pay er fare. She would then have to exit the bus and walk outside to the back of the bus to get back on. Too often the driver would drive off as she was on her way to the rear door.

The Montgomery Biscuits (as in bisuits and gravy), is the farm team for Tampa Bay. David Price and Evan Longoria played here in the way up to the big leagues

kinus

Tucked away in a back corner of the Montgomery Museum is some memorabilia relating to Governor George Wallace, the fierce segregationist. 

Malden Brothers Barber Shop back in the 1960s

Malden Brothers Barber today

Got my hair cut; not sure if he was a Malden

One of the few restaurants left on the main strip.......Hank Williams was a regular and regularly got kicked out for being too rowdy

Alabama's Capitol building

Rosa Parks on the bus

Rosa Parks being fingerprinted

No photography allowed in the museum so here is President Obama's instead

Orange Beach, Alabama. Wow. This is an amazing strip of sandy beach with beautiful warm swimming on Alabama's gulf coast. Long walks on the beach, great seafood, warm weather. We stayed at a hotel on the beach where there was a convention of Alabama prison administrators. Serious dudes and dudettes. Nice, but serious. By the way, I was communing with that seabird, and I was setting up a very nice photo, when Emily photobombed my picture. See the results below (last picture)

Mobile, Alabama. France's capital of its state of Louisiana back in 1702. It went from being under France, then under Britain, and lastly Spain until it joined the Union as part of Western Florida when it joined the Union in 1813. Back in the 1703, Mobile first celebrated Carnival during the French period long before New Orleans. We stayed in a hotel constructed from two neighbouring antebellum houses completed in 1862. We had a beautiful balcony off our room. To get out to the balcony, we had to open the sash window and duck under it to get out. To save on taxes, the builder did not have a balcony door.

Our hotel room balcony

Mobile was originally under the Bishop of Quebec

Peanut Roaster

Low Country Boil

Mobile neon

Biloxi, Mississippi. We had come back from a walk on the beach and came up to our hotel pool to cool off with a swim. That's where we met Cortney and Donna. We soon realized that moments earlier, Donna had asked Cortney to marry her. Cortney said yes. We celebrated with our new friends. There was a lot of laughter and much joy. Congratulations, friends!

Biloxi, Mississipi. Mississippi touches the Gulf Coast and that is where Biloxi is located. We went for some nice walks on the beach and visited the Presidential Library......yes, that would be the President of the Confederate States, Jefferson Davis. Here he Civil War is referred to as the War Between the States. Jefferson Davis actually retired to Biloxi and wrote his memoirs and lived at a beautiful old house called Beauvoir overlooking the Gulf. It was badly damaged by Katrina but has been completely restored.

Beauvoir

Beauvoir

Beauvoir

Our Beauvoir guide

President Davis' Presidential Library

Jefferson Davis