50 States, Day 307

  Montgomery to Tuscaloosa, 116 Miles

"Above anything else, preparation is the key to success."

~Alexander Graham Bell

Once again, the day's ride was cooler than the weatherman predicted. I've decided to slap the people that run weatherdotcom. Apparently they call Aunt Frieda in Tillman's Corner to get their forecasts. They have been consistently optimistic. When we stopped at a Visitor Center, the friendly Visitor People used the 's' word, first time we'd heard of it.  

Snow.

Yup. Supposed to get in the low thirties and could flurry. With Quilter Girl we don't need flurries to stop. We just need a flake. Tomorrow we may stand down. Or we'll take off and run South to Mobile and get out ahead of the mess. We'll be scientific about it. Tomorrow morning we'll step outside and figure it out. 

The temperature never climbed above forty- eight today. And thank God for the Gerbing gear. You'd think Gerbing would use us for their poster couple. Like Jerod and Subway.  We rolled into Tuscaloosa and stopped at a Motel 6 to a first: No room at the inn. What? Yep. College town, so either a basketball game or gymnastics, and too few motels. But LaQuinta hooked us up. 

We met old friends, Kevin and Becky Henderson, and went to barbecue dinner with them along with their daughter Stormy and her boyfriend. If you want great food, ask the locals. Kevin got us to Dreamland, completely off the beaten track, a tourist would never find it. 

License plates adorn the walls, along with signed photos of cool people who have visited, like the Four Tops, Penn and Teller, bunches more. 

It's in a humble place. They have two menu choices. Do you want some, or not? But if you want ribs, you are in for a treat. Tender, succulent meat, barely hanging onto the bones, huge pieces off some giant animals. Cole slaw and baked beans, delicious. And a Southern thing, plain white bread. Take a slice and smear it in a puddle of hot barbecue sauce. Eat until full. Then finish it off with banana pudding. Ahh. Life is good, is it not? Great food, awesome friends, a building packed with folks, food and fun. And we could listen to Becky talk all night, her accent smooth as syrup on pancakes. 

We finished and rode in their car to see Mike Jones. The car featured a heater. Nice. Mike worked for me for around a decade, and it was really good to see him again. He works dispatch for Kevin at his trucking company, keeping seventy or so trucks moving hopefully in the right directions.  

We bid everyone adieu and Becky gave us a lift back to the motel, the heater doing a magnificent job. The car seemed pretty cool, no wonder so many people drive them. 

And now, the friend of the automobile, Quilter Girl!

Yesterday at the capitol in Montgomery we saw an exhibition of quilts made to commemorate people who were organ and tissue donors.  It was sad and inspiring at the same time.  I have seen the quilt done for the 9/11 victims and felt the same, being a quilter it is inspiring to see these people being remembered.  These quilt squares were a mix of cross stitch, appliqué, fabric pens, piecing, photo transfers, machine embroidery, all different techniques and skill levels.  It all worked and was a great tribute to giving people who gave even after their death.  However, I couldn't look at it too long before I was sniffling because of the loss that it represented.  There were squares for babies, children and teens along with adults who passed way too soon.  What I really needed was a quilt of people who were blessed by these donations.  I suppose that is a violation of medical ethics.  

QG

Tomorrow we don't know what we're doing. You don't either; you just think you do. See you then hopefully!