Wasting away again in Margaritaville...

This will be another long one, I think. So brace yourself. I'm currently in Key West, Florida and that makes me really happy. I'm sitting at the bar at my former place of employment, Jack Flat's, and I feel like I never left. That could be a good thing....or a bad thing. I haven't decided yet.

So, where I last left off I was hanging out with Elvis in Graceland. I ended up spending one more night there so I could explore a couple museums the next day. And let me tell you, the Elvis music was getting a little irritating by now. They played it constantly at the hotel from about 7:30 in the morning to 8 at night. I love Elvis...but not that much. I ended up going to the Memphis Rock 'n Soul Museum which was conveniently located near Beale Street where I fine-dined on a BBQ bologna sandwich. Don't knock it until you try it! The Rock 'n Soul Museum was cool. I spent a good hour or so there walking around educating myself on some music history.

After I did that museum, I wanted to check out the Civil Rights Museum. I almost didn't go because someone told me it wasn't in a safe area of the city but I'm glad that I went because it was really educational. It was actually located in the Lorraine Motel - which is where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. There is a lady who has been protesting the museum ever since its opening and is there every day across the street. While I can agree with the reason she is protesting (she thinks is a desecration to MLK Jr. and a museum dedicated to the shooter), I think the museum has a legit reason to be there. You aren't allowed to take a camera in so here are a couple shots of the outside of the hotel.

The next day, after I checked out of Graceland, I stopped off at the Stax Muesum of Soul in Memphis. Stax is a famous record company that jumpstarted a lot of artists such as Isaac Hayes, Booker T & the MGs and Carla Thomas. But it was another museum that I wasn't allowed to bring my camera in. I really enjoyed it but after going to the Rock 'N Soul Museum the previous day, some of the things were repetitive. But still, can't beat music history!

My original plan was to go straight to Florida from Memphis but my friend Cat (who worked at the BYC with me this summer) invited me to Orlando for the weekend. So what could have been a day trip driving became stretched out over the course of three days. I'm glad I did that though because I drove through some great sections of Mississippi and Alabama. All I really stopped at in Mississippi was Elvis Presley's birthplace in Tupelo. Cool sidetrip, but not worth the entry money if you've already did Graceland. It was neat to see where Elvis was born and to see what he came from.

I had never been to Mississippi or Alabama so it was nice to cross off two more states on my "list". But holy crap, some places I passed by....total hicktowns, big farms with rundown houses but shiny barns, trailers and trailers. And don't get me started on the Wal-Mart I went into! I really wonder where people get their overalls because I don't think I've ever seen them in a store....is there a secret overall store that I don't know of? Haha. 

Alabama was a cool ride. I was originally going to do route 278 and then take a southern route into Birmingham but after some advice from Barbara at Natural Bridge, I stayed on 278 all the way into Georgia. Good suggestion! It was great. Natural Bridge was a tourist stop that I saw signs for and kinda just yanked my car into that direction. It was another nice day out so the idea of taking some nature photos seemed like a good idea. The Natural Bridge is the longest natural bridge this side of the Rockies and it was a welcome stop to stretch my legs and hike a bit.

Also in Alabama I saw a cool covered bridge. I felt like Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood were going to walk through at any moment! But then I remembered that the movie took place in Madison County not Alabama. I also stopped into this place called Ave Maria Grotto. It was part of a Catholic Church and it was all these statues and things that a monk made back in the 50s. Even if you're not religious (like myself), it can be a neat experience. And I didn't burst into flames when I walked through the doors! 

After Alabama, I ventured into Georgia to do a tour of the Braves stadium - Turner Field. It was awesome because I was the only person on the tour. And since it was the last tour of the day, the security guard came with us to lock up afterwards so I felt like I had my own personal bodyguard. And if you know me, you know I love baseball. So not only was it great to visit another ballpark, but it was even better that I got to have my own private tour where I could ask all the questions I wanted to!

I attempted to find the World of Coca-Cola in downtown Atlanta but Samantha, my trusty GPS, did not know that it moved two years ago! Me and Samantha have not completely eye-to-eye on this trip but she really bit the bullet on this one! After paying for parking, walking around aimlessly, getting directions from a cop and still not finding it, I gave up and continued on my journey. I didn't really want to be caught in rush hour traffic anyways. I spent the night in Macon, Georgia which only reminded me of the macon and bacon salad at Caroline's in Key West.

The next part of my trip brought me to Orlando, Florida where I spent the weekend with Cat and Alex at her mom's house. This was the best part of my trip so far. And I'm not just saying that to be nice. It really was. Getting to go to Universal, Magic Kingdom, MGM and my personal favorite - Epcot for free was great and getting to go to the front of the lines was a sweet deal too. It pays to work for a theme park! It definitely comes with a lot of perks. We didn't have good luck at Universal though. The E.T. ride broke down on us when we were already buckled in, the Poseidon ride was misleading, the Spiderman ride traumatized me because it started acting funny and I thought we were going to die, and someone wouldn't let us do the Jaws ride. But still fun! At Magic Kingdom I convinced myself that I could do Thunder Mountain. Having done Splash Mountain back in high school and NOT liking it one bit, I don't know what drove me to think I could do Thunder Mountain. After working myself up into a ball of nerves and being completely numb after the ride, I think I will file Thunder Mountain in my "never again" folder! Epcot was great because I got to drink beer in the countries of the world. And MGM was great because I rode a rollercoaster for the first time EVER! The Aerosmith Rock 'N Rollercoaster was actually a lot of fun. I don't know what I was so afraid of for all these years. But I definitely screamed like a banshee. Actually, I didn't even know I could scream that loud....but I did. And then we rode it again! At the age of 26, I am officially no longer a rollercoaster virgin. Orlando was also really nice because I got to spend time with Cat and Alex and....CONNIE! I love Connie the cat. It had been almost 3 weeks since I was with people that I actually knew and the extra company for a couple days was very welcoming. Maybe I'll stop back through before my trip is over with...

And now that brings us to Key West....my home away from home. I'm staying with my friend Jack for a few nights and reliving all my old memories of this place. Last night we did the ole Duval Crawl and right now the only crawling I want to be doing is back into bed....oh man, welcome back! I've been sitting at Jack Flats for a good four hours now. Not really sure what the plans are for this week. I think we're doing a sunset cruise tomorrow night and I hope parasailing is somewhere in the mix. What I do know I'll be doing is a lot of drinking. That is one thing you can always count on in Key West! 

Once again, if you made it this far...I tip my hat to you! I'll try to write again and sooner, if possible. This trip is going by fast. I can't believe it's already been three weeks. I feel like I could do this forever. But I know my mom wouldn't be too happy if I became a professional vagabond!