Sweet Home Alabama

Ok...so I got a little side tracked. I woke up in Alabama and made a bee line for the US Space and Rocket Museum and NASA Testing Facility in Huntsville, Alabama.

I've always wanted to go to Space Camp and this was my chance. Now, to be honest, I was sort of expecting it to be like the training scene from "The Right Stuff" with gyroscopes and elaborate machines to push my body to the limits. It ended up being more like an Amusement park with some cool Rockets laying around.

I did the neutral gravity centrifuge and a bunch of the flight simulators. I'd say it was worth the trip down there, but it didn't live up to how I imagined it.

Some explanation of the pictures...
In no particular order
A moon rock
Me in a wind tunnel
Me in the Mars Rover Flight simulator as the doors are closing
Me in the centrifuge
One of The Saturn Rockets in a hanger the size of 3 football fields.
The actual re-entry pod from one of the Apollo missions.
A giant version of my watch (I actually bought it because it was designed for the first Moon mission by Omega).
The tomb of the first monkey in space...I left her a banana that I had in the car.
The REO Speedwagon Fire Engine at the Jack Daniels Distillery.
The Caves at the distillery.

Next up was Lynchburg, TN to tour the Jack Daniels Distillery. Funny thing...it's in a dry county so you can't buy or try any of the Whisky there. Now, they got dispensation from Tennessee Law allowing them to sell commemorative bottles, but not on Sundays because of the blue laws. I was like..."Seriously. What year is it?".

Next stop was to get some BBQ alla Nashville style. I stopped in a little town right outside of Nashville called Nolensville and pulled into another Diners, Drive-ins and Dives location, "Martin's BBQ Joint". While enjoying their delicious BBQ, I read a t-shirt of theirs that had sort of a BBQ motto on it. One of the "beliefs" that they declared was that "Teddy Roosevelt was the greatest American that ever lived". Well that got me to talking with Brent one of the long time staff members about my love for Teddy Roosevelt too. And I made him an offer he couldn't refuse. He gave me a free t-shirt and I gave him my Portrait of Teddy Roosevelt on the condition that they hang it in their Restaurant for all to appreciate and send me a picture of it up on the wall.

So, I left a little piece of me in Tennessee. So if you find yourself in Nolenville, Tennessee, go check out Teddy and get some amazing BBQ at Martins.

Where am I now....Nashville...at a Honky Tonk bar!