As a kid, my family traveled quite a bit. I remember my dad, when staying at hotels for a night or two, would check on our family vehicle in the morning and report back: "The car is still there, thank God." He said it so casually and with such non-chalance...I remember thinking, well of course it is. And why wouldn't it be?

Ah, to be a kid again. My first thought upon waking this morning in Birmingham, AL, was: "Is the car still here?" My hotel wasn't the nicest but it certainly wasn't the worst I'd ever stayed in. Still, adulting has taken its toll, and although I had removed valuables prior to turning in for the night, I was still worried that I would find it burgled or missing in the morning.

(Spoiler: the car was fine. Thank heavens.)

After 7 more hours of driving today, I called my family (see pic) almost as soon as I arrived in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Did you know Hot Springs is actually a super cool place? See below! (and check out the other pics!)

Approximate miles completed:

• 1,180

States I drove through:

• AL, MS, TN, AR
• Is Mississippi MS? I'm too tired to Google it...

Cool Stuff I Learned:

• Mountain Valley Spring Water is headquartered in Hot Springs
• In 1832, President Jackson signed the 1st law in history to preseve land for recreational purposes. That land is now known as Hot Springs National Park (Yellowstone has the official designation as the nation's 1st National Park, but per the Hot Springs folk - they were first!)
• Tony Bennett first sang his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" in Hots Springs (Black Orchard Club)

Cool Stuff I Saw:

Check out the album!