Waking Up in another State of Mind

Tuscaloosa – Starkville – 79 miles

You know you have slept well when you wake to your alarm and forget where you are.  At 6’oclock AM Alan Jackson’s “It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere” went off. I had to take a few moments to figure out where I was and remembered we started Our Excellent RV Adventure yesterday and we were in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Al and I had promised to do something fitness wise every day of our trip so I knew I had to get up before it got too hot!  So up we were to tackle our first day of our 30-Day Fitness Challenge. 

After run/walking 2 miles and completing 100 abdominal and oblique crunches it was time to head off to Starkville, Mississippi to visit Braden.

It was my turn to drive so off we went on our 79-mile journey to Mississippi State University.  Here are some exciting things we learned on our very familiar trek to Starkville:

1.     The town of Gordo, Alabama – best known for being one of the biggest speed traps in Alabama – was named to commemorate the 1847 Battle of Cerro Gordo in the Mexican-American War,

2.     The post office in Gordo has been in operation since 1847.

3.     Larry Blakeney, former Auburn quarterback and Head Coach of Troy University is from Gordo,

4.     The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, an intercostal waterway connecting the Tennessee River and the Gulf of Mexico crosses at Columbus, Mississippi,

5.     The great American playwright, Tennessee Williams was born in Columbus, Mississippi,

6.     And lastly, the roads from Alabama to Mississippi are in much need of some TLC. It was a very bumpy drive!

After our hour and half drive we pulled our RV into the parking lot of Fraternity Row on Mississippi State’s campus where we met Braden.  We were 30 minutes late but what’s 30 minutes when you aren’t on a timetable? 

The time spent at Mississippi State included completing some much needed “tasks” for Braden, having lunch in the Cotton District, and of course finishing it up with the purchase of fresh Mississippi State ice cream, cheese, milk and butter! We need that for Mimi's homemade bread which we will pick up at our next stop!

Next stop:  Little Rock, Arkansas!