Day 2: Tuskegee, Secession, and a March

Auburn AL to Tuskegee AL

Today was another day of many miles traveled. We ate a hearty complimentary breakfast and then got on US 29/80 about 8:30 am for the short drive to Tuskegee. We arrived at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site at the opening time of 9:00 and toured for about 30 minutes.

 
Then we got back on US 80 west to the town of Tuskegee to Tuskegee University, formerly the Tuskegee Institute. After some frustration and confusion, we found the George Washington Carver Museum at 10:30 but chose not to tour it and instead took the 30-minute tour of The Oaks, the house of Booker T. Washington, who established the institute.

Tuskegee AL to Montgomery AL

It's 11:00 and on to Montgomery (via US 80 west)! We arrived in town at 12:00 and parked near the Alabama State Capitol. We admired the grand memorial to the Confederate soldiers on the state house grounds. This thing is big!

We then climbed the steps of the Capitol and took a picture of the spot on the portico where Jefferson Davis took the oath of office of the presidency of the Confederate States of America in February 1861. (Robert's shoes included)

After entering the front door of the Capitol,

we toured the building to find the original Senate chamber where the delegates from the earliest secessionist states met to form the CSA.

We walked over to the State Archives and Museum of Alabama to quickly see an excellent exhibit of Alabama history and a display of photographs from the Selma to Montgomery marches of March 1965 and the rally in front of the Capitol addressed by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Montgomery AL to Selma AL

We ate sandwiches in the car made from provisions we are packing in a cooler, and at 1:30pm, we got back on the road for Selma. We traveled US 80 west in the opposite direction of the historic Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights in March 1965. We rode over the iconic Edmund Pettus Bridge and into downtown Selma.

Selma AL to Jackson MS

US 80 west from Selma to the Mississippi state line took us through some desolate country. It's a good road to make good time, but pack your provisions. Ours were boiled peanuts, of course. At the Mississippi border, we connected with I-20 west which took us into Jackson, MS. It is the first time in Mississippi for both of us. Got gas and arrived at the hotel about 6:00 pm. No complimentary drinks nor food in the evening like the other Hampton Inn, but we resourcefully made sub sandwiches for dinner. After a gin and tonic, we were not leaving the hotel. Is it only the second day?