Day Three: Coming Home to Jackson, MS

The real world hit us real hard today, but thanks to the supreme driving and navigational skills of LT2, we made it through alive. We started driving at 9AM again this morning, as per usual, departing the fine Mountaineer Inn for Jackson, Mississippi. From Asheville to Birmingham, the road was kind to us -- over that 350 mile stretch, we turned approximately five times. LT2's smart phone led us straight and true. After a swing through the edges of Atlanta, passing in view of the Olympic torch (we think), we pulled in to one of Birmingham's finest Bar-B-Q's, Dreamland, located at 1407 South 14th Street. But it wasn't there.

Indeed, the Bar-B-Q of our dreams had been replaced by a potentially sketchy neighborhood and a massive cemetery. (We hoped one had not caused the other.) The car went silent. We pulled over. LT2 checked her smart phone.

As noted by The Captain, it turns out there is indeed a difference between 14th Street and 14th Avenue. It is approximately a 15-minute difference. Let the record show that this is the second detour in two days led by the military-trained LT2. Experts predict more LT2 Daily Detours over the next 25 days.

Under new navigational command, we did indeed make it safely to Dreamland Bar-B-Q, and it was good. According to our local sources, Dreamland deals in racks of ribs, and the common parlance is to walk in and tell the waitress whether you want "one" or "two;" but we walked in at 3:30PM and told the waitress we wanted to split a half-rack four ways. The waitress thought she had misheard us. We panicked, and quickly ordered four local beers to cover our tracks, but the waitress knew something was afoot. Yes, dear friends and family, we have been outed as Yankees.

But holy shamoly, that half-rack was tasty. It was so good, we forgave LT2 for all her sins. See below:
                                     

If you are ever in Birmingham and looking for some ribs, the four amigos recommend you stop at Dreamland, located at 1407 South 14th Street. OH WAIT. You should ask LT2 for directions.

(NOTE ON BEER: We almost went for the Sweetwater IPA from Atlanta, but we opted for the even more local IPA from Good People Brewery. These four amigos fully enjoyed washing down some ribs with the stuff.)

LT2 did actually save us, though, don't forget. As we neared the border of Alabama and Mississippi, the skies darkened. Fingers of stormy clouds reached down toward the highway. This, I decided, was a perfect time for me to give the helm to LT2. and to give the helm to LT2. After a quick change at a Mississippi rest stop, we hit the road again and the storm hit us. The rain pounded harder than any of us have seen in a long time. We almost had to stop, but yea, LT2 lead us through. Two rain storms in three days! Thankfully we're also getting a lot of sunshine.

Only a few hours later, Southern hospitality met us in Jackson in the form of our new friend, Ben, who is a friend of Elizabeth, the lovely lady whose house we stayed at last night. Besides showing us to and around the house, new-friend-Ben also made a very convincing case to detour to New Orleans, which we are just about to start on now. In New Orleans tonight, LT2 will have yet another opportunity to lead us astray, but also another opportunity to deliver us safely home. If Ben's favorable description of the New Orleans nightlife is to be trusted, we hope LT2 will do a little of both. The real world won't know what hit it.