Home, Sweet, Home

Day 52 - June 26th

We slept in and then headed to Starbucks once we checked out of the hotel. Robin had spied a restaurant she had been introduced to in Colorado called Which Wich. It is a unique sandwich shop where you complete your order on paper bags. She wanted to pick up a sandwich for later.

We drove rain the whole way. Our drive was over 150 miles, but we were back in familiar territory. We stopped in Riverview to go to Richard and Sharon's house. Robin had ordered her shot medication, which needs to be refrigerated, to be delivered to their house. We stayed a couple of hours, catching up from when they had left us in Omaha, NE.

We left to drive home and finally reached our house around 7:00 pm. We were glad to be home, but picked up the travel bug. 

This was a trip of a lifetime. We thoroughly enjoyed each other's company and weren't ready to face the reality of this dream trip being over. We couldn't make a choice in picking a favorite place, because everything was so different. Would we do anything different if we were to make this kind of trip again? Absolutely! We would plan a couple of days free every 2 weeks so we could make adjustments without having to change all of the reservations for the rest of the trip. There were a few places we would have stayed longer, but it meant we had to give up a few places we had planned to visit. We did well, but we were always pushing to make sure we could make our hotel reservations.

In summary:

• We were gone 52 days.
• We drove 11,024 miles.
• We went to 21 states.
• We saw 37 National Historic Sites, mostly either National Parks or National Monuments.
• We visited 8 Space Centers or Museums.
• We explored 4 Presidential Libraries and Museums.

Would we do it again? In a heartbeat! We had created memories together that we will always cherish! 

Florida Bound

Day 51 - June 25th


We left the hotel around 10:30 am and went to get gas. Shakey's Pizza Parlor was on our way out of town. We hadn't seen one of those for years. The Shakey's Pizza Parlor in St. Petersburg was the hangout for high school students back in our day.

Our drive today would be a long one, a distance of over 300 miles. We expected to be driving for at least 5 hours. There is no way to get to I-75 except back county roads. We saw lots of corn fields and even some baby Christmas tree fields.

We stopped at Chick-fil-A in Albany, GA. We picked up lunch and ate in the car. We reached I-75 at Tifton, GA around 3:00 pm. Now it was Interstate driving the rest of the way. We kept looking for fresh peach signs in Georgia so we could pick some up and bring them home. However, we did not see one sign. We were really bummed.

We had driven nice, sunny weather the whole day. Then, we crossed the Florida state line around 3:50 pm and it immediately started to pour. We drove heavy rain all the way.

We got to our Courtyard Marriott in Gainesville, FL around 5:45 pm. We had just enough time to check in and freshen up. Robin's brother, Kim, works at The University of Florida for the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). He oversees all of the state 4-H camps. Kim picked us up at the hotel and we went to dinner. His wife, Tammy, was out of town so it was just the 3 of us. We went to one of his favorite restaurants and it was closed. Instead, we went to his favorite barbecue restaurant, David's Real Pit BBQ. It was delicious. We then went to a frozen yogurt shop for dessert. We really enjoyed our time together. Although we don't live that far away, it seems like life interferes with our visits. Hopefully, we can fix that in the future. 

Kim brought us back to the hotel and stayed for a little while. Realizing he had to go to work the next day, we finally let him leave. We headed up to our room and got ready for bed. We were in a much better frame of mind tonight. Sleep came quickly. We were close to home.

War Eagle

Day 50 - June 24th



Robin felt better this morning. We went to Starbucks again and ate bagels. From there, we went to Bama Fever-Tiger Pride in the nearby shopping mall. Robin was anxious to see what they had in Auburn items. As we knew, everyone in Alabama has to make a choice! They are either Auburn fans or Alabama fans, no matter if they went to the universities or not. This was never so apparent as in this store. There were 2 doors - one for Auburn fans and one for Alabama fans. Inside, the store was split down the middle with Auburn items on one side and Alabama items on the other. Upon checkout, there was one for Auburn and one for Alabama. Robin found quite a few items to purchase. She went to checkout at the Auburn register and the clerk said he had to use the Alabama register. Laughingly, she told him that wasn't fair, but she crossed the middle boundary and checked out on the Alabama register. Since he was the only one running the store, it made sense to just open one register, and he was an Alabama alumni. At least he was true to his school! Robin left with a bag of Auburn goodies and was very happy!

We left Birmingham and drove to Auburn, AL, a distance of 110 miles. Robin attended Auburn University her first year and a half of college. She left Auburn to come home where she and Dean got married 8 months later. Although her degree came from The University of South Florida, Auburn was her school of choice. However, love won out this time!

We talked with Les and Arlene on our drive, catching up on their travels. They were going to the Badlands as one of their stops. We passed along some of the things we did and other travel tips. 

Once we got to Auburn, our first stop was Toomers Corner. This was the center of school spirit when Robin was there and its traditions continue. When Auburn would win, especially an away football game, people would meet at Toomers Corner and "roll" the two prominent oak trees with toilet paper. It was a place for celebration and tradition. However, after the huge oak trees were vandalized and eventually killed, the corner is now being revitalized. While under construction, the entire road area of the corner was closed to all traffic in all directions. Sidewalks were surrounded by fenced walls that did not allow crossing the road except at the end of each block. It was hard to get the spirit of this special corner when you couldn't see the intersection. Pictures were almost impossible to take.

We started at Little Italy Pizzeria for lunch. The pizza and salad were very good. There were a few college students who came to eat, but it was summer so things were quiet.

After we ate, we went to Toomer's Drugs. This old fashioned drug store with a soda fountain has been an Auburn tradition since 1896. It was originally started by an Auburn agricultural and pharmacy graduate who was a halfback on the first Auburn football team. Toomers is world famous for its fresh squeezed lemonade. While we were there, people were coming in, waiting in line, just to get a lemonade. Robin bought a couple of t-shirts, one highlighting the oak tree tradition.

Next, we went to Johnston and Malone Book Store, known as J & M's for short. This used to be the main place to buy your books for your classes. We looked around and bought a few postcards.

We couldn't leave Toomers Corner without at least looking in Ware Jewelers. Robin's brother, Hal, had gone to Auburn University's School of Veterinary Medicine. As a family, we had traveled up to Auburn many times. Robin's dad had shopped at Wares for special jewelry purchases. The family had gotten to know Mr. Ware, who would give the "Gumbiner family discount" on all purchases. Even after Hal and then Robin were gone from Auburn, Robin's dad continued to make purchases from Mr. Ware. Her dad was such a good customer that Mr. Ware would send multiple items for him to choose from and send back the rest. Jewelry that came from Wares were cherished items. So, of course, we had to go in and at least look. We found several items Robin liked, but we really weren't looking to buy jewelry on this trip.

We drove around campus, but many of the streets we used to drive were now blocked off to traffic permanently. We drove by Jordan-Hare Stadium and saw the new video scoreboard being installed. It will be the largest video scoreboard now in college football. 

Our drive took us by Anders Book Store so we stopped to look. We bought a few things before leaving.

It was time for us to leave, but it was very emotional for Robin. She and Dean had not been back to Auburn's campus for forty years. Obviously, a lot had changed. Instead of having Dominos, Chenellos, and "Over the Hump" as the main choices for dining, there were actually options, including McDonald's, Subway, and Zaxby's. There were even some fancy restaurants in town without going to nearby Opelika or Columbus, GA. Dean used to visit often while she was in school so he could see the changes as well.

We left town with Robin feeling very old and out of touch. Little was familiar to us and the memory of the little small town was just a memory. Like we've said before, sometimes memories are better left as memories. Robin thoroughly enjoyed her time attending Auburn, and wished she had continued there to get her degree. Granted, we were there this time during summer when the town was not bustling with students and football hubbub. We need to go back during football season to get the real feel of tradition.

We drove to Opelika, AL and checked into our Holiday Inn Express. Nearby O'Charley's restaurant was under renovation, so the hotel held a reception in the lobby as a way to support O'Charley's during their down time. There was plenty of food and so we didn't have to go out for dinner. It was nice to see community businesses supporting each other. That part of Auburn hadn't changed.

Behind the hotel was a brand new movie theater. We decided to go watch the movie, Spy. When we it was time to walk over, there was a bad storm beginning so we drove instead. Dean dropped Robin off so she could buy our tickets. By the time he got inside, she still hadn't bought tickets because she couldn't find the ticket box office. As it turned out, people had to wait in line and then buy their tickets at the concession stand. That way, they could try to sell you popcorn, candy, and drinks. We had never seen this before so finally got our tickets and went to our theater.

As we sat waiting for our movie to start, the storm got really bad with thunder and pounding rain. Finally, the previews started and then, "Boom!" The power went out and the emergency lights came on. It took about 30 minutes before they got everything back up and running. During this time, Dean decided to go get some popcorn and a drink for us to share and had to go back to the original line and wait. Then, he was given an empty bag and cup and had to go to another island where popcorn was put inside his bag. He had soda machines where he filled up his own cup. Boy, everything is changing in this world! Guess that means some of us are just getting old. 

We did enjoy the movie and survived the monsoon to get back to the hotel. It was a night to take a nice hot bath and head to bed. The day had been full of memories and change. Old people need their sleep and we definitely felt like we fit the bill tonight.

Vulcan of Birmingham

Day 49 - June 23rd

We started our day at Starbucks. Dean is excited to have Starbucks around again. We went to a local bakery, expecting to pick up a morning pastry, but only found cake and desserts. We decided to go ahead and drive into downtown Birmingham for lunch.

Passing by University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB), Dean headed to Dreamland, a famous barbecue restaurant in Birmingham. He had eaten there many times when he worked for SouthTrust Bank. Having told Robin about it over the years, we knew that's where we would eat lunch.

When we walked in, the decor was definitely unique. It was reflective of University of Alabama, Auburn University, and just deep South tradition. Where else would you find a neon "No Farting" sign! The first thing that happened at Dreamland was the waitress brought us a stack of plain white bread and a cup of a special dipping sauce. Dean explained that people dip the bread into the sauce and eat it while they wait for their food. The sauce was very spicy. Our sandwiches came and they were good. However, even the mild barbecue sauce was still pretty spicy. Dean was disappointed that they weren't cooking the ribs on the big pits while we were there. When he had been there before, they apply the barbecue sauce to the meat with a mop. Of course, the mop is only used for sauce! 

We left Dreamland and drove to Vulcan Park and Museum. The giant statue is the world's largest cast iron statue, and among the nation's tallest. It is the city symbol for Birmingham, reflecting its roots in the iron and steel industry. Vulcan sits atop Red Mountain, overlooking the city of Birmingham since the 1930s. 

We toured the museum first, learning about the materials and history of creating Vulcan. 

We rode the elevator to the observation deck. The views of Birmingham were fabulous! It was very hot outside so we didn't stay outside for long.

Back in the car, we drove around Birmingham. We thought we were going to be able to go to our friend, Linda's, store, but we realized we were running out of time, fighting the local traffic. Robin had a bad headache and was beginning to not feel well. We went back to the hotel so she could take some medicine and lay down. We fell asleep, but it was to be a short nap since we were supposed to meet some of Dean's former colleagues from SouthTrust for dinner.

Upon waking up, Robin was very sick to her stomach and really felt bad. We decided she would stay in bed and Dean would go to dinner. Robin went back to sleep and slept for a few more hours. 

Sandra and Gretchen came to the hotel to pick Dean up. They enjoyed a great dinner and conversation at The Fish Market, which is a well-known local seafood restaurant. They had fun catching up and sharing stories.

Robin had tried to eat some soup from the Courtyard Bistro, but didn't have much luck with it settling her stomach. Once Dean arrived back from dinner, we went to bed for the night. We were hoping Robin would feel better in the morning.

Start Your Day with a Memory

Day 48 - June 22nd

We got up and went to Bojangles for breakfast. Dean and Kimberlee used to go to Bojangles for chicken biscuits some mornings. They both say, "Aaawww, we are having a memory!" every time they pass by a Bojangles during family trips. Dean decided we would go to the Bojangles by our hotel and have a memory. We ordered breakfast sandwiches and sat down. After a few bites, he said, "Maybe it was better to keep it a memory!" After we left, Dean called Kimberlee to share. We headed to Starbucks next for coffee and tea.

Heading back to U.S. Space & Rocket Center, we headed to the Teacher Resource Center. Kimberlee informed Robin on the phone that she was no longer a teacher and didn't need to go to the Resource Center. Robin informed her she might not have a classroom anymore, but would always be a teacher. We went inside and Robin was able to get 3 space resource notebooks, although she wanted about 20. 

Inside the Marshall Institute Educator Resource Center, they were conducting teacher training. Honeywell sponsors teacher scholarships to go to Teacher Space Camp each summer. Robin had always wanted to apply, but never did. Guess it should have been considered in her younger years.

We dropped the resource books back in the car and took some pictures of some of the outside exhibits. One was an A-12, a precursor of the SR-71 Blackbird. This type of jet was retired from service in 1968.

Another area we visited was Huntsville's space shuttle. It is the only completely stacked (orbiter, external fuel tank, 2 rocket boosters) space shuttle on display in the country. It was hard to find just the right spot to take a good picture.

We also took pictures of additional displays or interactive activities: rocket garden, replica of Hubble, T-38 jet, and Free Fall Ride (children's version as well).

As we walked towards the U.S. Space & Rocket Center entrance, we spied 2 grave markers. Upon investigation, they marked the graves of Miss Baker (monkeynaut) and her husband, Big George.

Now it was time to shop. We really enjoyed finding just the right t-shirt for each of the grandchildren. In fact, we had to wait while one employee ran to another one of their stores to get the right size for Connor. 

As we walked back to the car, Robin took pictures of one of her favorite exhibits. The first sign closest to the door was the Sun with information about it. The next sign was Mercury which was a scaled distance away from the Sun. The next sign was Venus, then Earth, and then Mars, all at a scaled distance from the Sun. Down the sidewalk at tremendous scaled distances were the signs for Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Venus. They included Pluto as a dwarf planet and its sign was all the way out to the farthest part of the parking lot. This was a variation of an activity Robin loved to do with her students.

We took a look from the parking lot of Space Camp. The habitat where the campers sleep was really neat, except Huntsville's is functional unlike Kennedy's.

We left the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and headed west on Interstate 565, also known as Alan B. Shepard Memorial Highway. We tried to get a picture of the sign, but were unsuccessful on 2 U-turn attempts. It was positioned right at the entrance ramp of traffic trying to get on Interstate 565. We went south on Interstate 65 to go the 1.5 hours to Birmingham, AL, a distance of 103 miles. We crossed over the Tennessee River on the way.

Our Courtyard Marriott was located in Homewood, a suburb of Birmingham. We checked in and rested for a little while. 

We met our good friend, Linda Sanders, for dinner at Firebirds. Linda was Assistant Manager at JC Penneys when Robin worked there for a few years. Linda and Dean became very close buddies who picked on each other all of the time. We became good friends and wanted to get together while we were there. However, the problem was that we had SUCH a great time, we forgot to take any pictures of us together. We laughed and laughed about so many things. None of us were ready to leave, but we finally closed the restaurant down. Linda is now a Store Manager for 1 of the Belks in Birmingham. We enjoyed our visit so much, but Linda had to go to work the next day. Sadly, we left and went back to the hotel.

We had to settle down a little bit because we were so wound up from laughing. Robin did work a little more on photos and blog, but it wasn't too long before we went to bed. We had a great day and enjoyed renewing friendships.