Rolling hills, roadside shrines, and storybook trees—these scenic stops are more than pretty views; they’re pauses in the plot.
After leaving the abandoned Pioneer Village earlier that day, Dusty and I made our way into downtown Montgomery, Alabama. Before stopping at the Capitol, we drove past several other historic landmarks to capture a bit of dashcam footage—including the Hank Williams statue, Union Station, and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. But as we … Read more
Some places don’t let you rush. They slow your steps, quiet your voice, and remind you—without ever saying a word—that history is heavy. Steel-heavy. Memory-heavy. The kind of heavy you feel in your bones before you ever feel it in your feet. Our final stop on NOLA Road Trip #2 was Battleship Memorial Park, home … Read more
Alabama Road Trip #2 — Last Day, First Stop Dothan has a way of sneaking up on you.It looks like any other Southern city from a distance—busy roads, familiar storefronts, the promise of breakfast somewhere nearby. But if you linger just a moment, if you slow down enough to look, you realize this town is … Read more
When Dusty and I found ourselves wandering the quiet early morning streets of Dothan after visiting the Cherry Street AME Church, we weren’t expecting to be stopped in our tracks by a federal building. But there it was — rising at the corner of West Troy and North Foster — a granite-anchored, column-crowned monument that … Read more
A Juicy Detour at Sunset There’s a certain kind of road-trip delirium that only shows up near the end of a long day—when the sky turns purple, the gas station lights hum awake, and everything starts to feel a little surreal.That’s the exact moment Dusty and I rolled into Clanton, Alabama, chasing the most gloriously … Read more
There are days on a road trip when the universe hands you iron, fire, and history… and then follows it up with something delightfully weird just to keep you on your toes. Orr Park was exactly that. We’d already spent the day weaving through Alabama’s industrial past — places like the rugged remains of Sloss … Read more
They say you can still hear the hammers ringing at Sloss Furnaces, echoing through the smoke and iron that built Birmingham’s name. But when Dusty and I first tried to visit, the only sound we heard was Murph laughing in the distance. Round One: When Murph Closed the Gates This stop was supposed to be … Read more
Alabama Road Trip #2 There’s something about ruins that pull you in—the way time folds itself around stone and iron, how silence can still hum with memory. We hadn’t planned on finding Brierfield. It was one of those “Murph detours” that started with a roadside sign for the Absalom Pratt House and ended with Dusty … Read more
An Unplanned Stop Worth the U-Turn We weren’t even supposed to be here. Dusty and I were rolling toward Tannehill Historic State Park when a weathered wooden sign caught my eye: Sadler Plantation Home, Circa 1838. Before my brain caught up with my hands, I’d whipped the truck into an illegal U-turn. Murph laughed the … Read more
We hadn’t planned this stop. With Sloss Furnaces closed and a little time to kill after visiting The Old Grist Mill, Dusty and I pointed the truck toward Tannehill Historic State Park, not really knowing what we’d find. Honestly, I thought it might just be a quiet patch of Alabama nature—a picnic spot, maybe a … Read more