Alabama

16:30
There’s a hell of a thunderstorm overnight. It wakes me at 02:30. It’s cool to watch and listen to for a while, but I’m more than a little pissed off when I can’t get back to sleep. I spend a couple of hours trying, but nah - not happening. This is slightly disheartening. I get up at 05:30, piss around for a while, then get showered and packed up. I’m a little concerned I’ll feel properly knackered on the road later, so the earlier I can get to Gadsden, the better.

I swing by the world-famous Bluebird Café, a real institution of the Nashville music scene. I promise myself I’ll come back here with Vicks and make it to a gig. I then head pretty much due East. In the space of 45 minutes, I pass through Lebanon, Carthage, and Sparta. Later in the day, I spot Antioch. Some serious Middle Eastern / mythological shit going on around here. I stop in Cookesville for an early breakfast, at yet another slightly strange backwater diner. My breakfast is a little more traditional than yesterday’s, MUCH lighter, and very tasty. On the way out of Cookesville, I drive past a pink elephant - as you do.

I’m off the highway today, and heading to the far South East corner of Tennessee, and the city of Chattanooga. The drive is spectacular - such wonderful scenery. Anyone that tells you the UK has the lushest, greenest countryside in the world, is high. There are plush pastures here, rolling forests, farmland interspersed with beautiful waterways - it’s such a treat to womble through.

I get more than a little confused as I arrive into Chattanooga, as I appear to have lost an hour somewhere. It’s only when I stop that I discover that Tennessee actually spans two timezones. I discover that there are 13 states that span two timezones, including Florida, where I’m ultimately headed. I shall be on my guard. As a result of this timewarp, it’s time for lunch. I stop into Puckett’s, a bit of a Chattanooga landmark, and have my second shrimp and grits of my trip. It’s amazing. I really need to figure out how to recreate this dish at home - I suspect using polenta. After lunch, I have a little wander around the town centre, which has that folksy, small-town feel to it.

Back on the road, I’m heading through more countryside into Alabama. I’m slightly surprised when I quickly go past a sign welcoming me to Georgia, but go with it. It’s about 100 miles down to Gadsden, and takes around 2 hours. It’s yet more of a delicious backdrop to drive past. I marvel at some of the tin-can construction of the houses alongside the road. From the little I see of it, Georgia’s pretty as a picture.

At one point, I drive over some roadkill, which on closer inspection transpires to be a skunk. A strong smell fills the car. It’s not pleasant.

Pulling into Gadsden, it’s little more than a strip mall either side of the highway. There is, however, a BBQ place across the road from my diner, that’s supposed to be brilliant. I’m at a Red Roof Inn, a budget motel chain that’s found across the country. I’ve done pretty well with my accommodation options thus far, but my luck may have run out here. The room is a touch grubby, and has a slightly strange smell to it - a little musty. I mention this to the person at the front desk, who says all the rooms smell like that. (“Cain’t hep ya Sir, aw the rooms smell like thayat.”) I leave the door open to air the room out a little, and have a quick bifta, in the hope that it might rob me of my olfactory senses. Hold tight for feedback…

22:00
FFS. Put my head down for a hour’s nap at 18:30, and wake up at 21:30, having slept through my alarm. The BBQ place is shut, and I’m not sure I can be arsed to head out for anything. I read for a little while, but I can still feel my head is tired, so head back to bed in the hope that I’ll sleep until a reasonable hour.Read more