Gravestones, Ghost Towns, and the Long Way Toward What Matters Some road trips begin with wanderlust.This one began with unfinished business. On Alabama Road Trip #1, Dusty and I did what we thought was right at Bethlehem Cemetery—but “right” didn’t quite stick. Time, weather, and the quiet cruelty of neglect had already erased almost everything … Read more
A four-day journey through history, heart, and the unexpected Some road trips are planned down to the minute.Others leave room for detours, discoveries, and the quiet moments that stay with you long after the bags are unpacked. This was one of those. Our first Alabama road trip began in Orlando and unfolded over four days … Read more
The long goodbye. The final day of a road trip always has its own personality. There’s less talking. More staring out the window. A soft, shared understanding that something good is ending and reality is waiting patiently down the road. Day Four of our first Alabama road trip was exactly that—simple, meaningful, and intentionally slow. … Read more
Promises kept. Curiosities followed. Hearts lightened. Day Two of our first Alabama road trip was a careful balance of wandering and personal business. Day Three leaned into that rhythm even harder—finishing what needed to be done first, so the rest of the day could belong to curiosity, color, and the open road. We had two … Read more
The first day of our first Alabama road trip was all about getting to Dothan with a few cool stops along the way. The second day of our Alabama Road Trip was part explore Enterprise, Alabama and part business. Dusty’s mom passed away a year before this trip and Dusty made a promise to her … Read more
In 1905, the people of Dothan, Alabama gathered beneath a brand-new bell tower to celebrate what they proudly called a Temple of Justice. The original Houston County Courthouse stood as a symbol of progress—brick, mortar, and law rising together in Alabama’s newest county. But while the bell rang and the courthouse doors swung open, another … 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
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