SOUTH CENTRAL U.S.
Oct. 3-6 2007
PART 1
My trip to Birmingham, New Orleans, and Memphis is best known for Mountain Dew getting spilled down inside a TV set at a motel room. Also, you'll notice that the memory card I ordered for my camera was on its worst behavior, causing the ruinment of several of my photos shown here.
Crossing from Tennessee into Alabama on I-65!
The welcome center and rest area on I-65 in far northern Alabama is known for this giant rocket!
A cotton field along I-65 in northern Alabama.
A big, big bridge! I-65 rises to form this bridge over the Tennessee River in northern Alabama.
The Tennessee River as seen from that long I-65 span.
Continuing on the Tennessee River bridge.
Note these distinctive islands in the Tennessee River. Aaah, relaxing!
It's...Birmingham!!!
South on US 31 in Birmingham. That route forms the Elton John - oops, Elton B. Stephens Expressway.
Another good view of the 'Ham.
Heading into downtown Birmingham.
I don't know exactly where in Birmingham this is, but note that statue atop that building. It looks like a miniature Statue of Liberty!
In my hunt for the Vulcan Statue, the Birmingham skyline peeped into view behind this construction site.
From the parking lot at the Vulcan Statue, this is probably facing south.
After I visited the Vulcan Statue on a one-day trip back in 1991, I uttered an expression often attributed to Vulcan himself: "I shall return!" And now I have returned! The statue had been renovated extensively since my first visit. This is the largest cast iron statue not just in America but in...the...world!
Looking over part of Birmingham from the park at the Vulcan Statue. This has to be looking northeast towards the airport. I'm guessing that the highway you see could be the Elton, but I'm not sure.
Downtown Birmingham as seen from near the Vulcan Statue. The building in the foreground that looks like an old school is on 13th Avenue South.
Looking northwest from near the Vulcan Statue. That set of 4 tanks off in the distance is way out on US 78 and is 5 miles away.
South on US 31 on the north side of the 'Ham. Though I-65 doesn't cross US 31 here, it does have an oddly-shaped interchange with it. The signage is ambiguous, but I think the ramp on the right makes a sharp turn to I-65 north. The ramp to I-65 south is a little bit past this. As US 31 curves to the left, you can see it going under the ramp from I-65 north to US 31 north in the background.
Cool! My memory card can do night photography even when it's light out! This is south on I-65 towards downtown Birmingham.
A little further on I-65, still a couple miles from the big downtown interchange.
Further yet on I-65. You can see the sign with the diagram for the exit to I-20/59.
We're on I-20/59, going over the Black Warrior River near Tuscaloosa, AL. You can see the US 11/43 bridge. The name of the river comes from a translation of the name of a Choctaw chief (from which the name Tuscaloosa derives).
Another river crossing on I-20/59 in western Alabama.