11 May, Monday, Prescott, AZ to Albuquerque, NM: After a lovely breakfast with Alan and Linda, we began our drive east. As we drove back toward Flagstaff on a sunny morning, snow covered Mt. Humphrey was in full view.

12 May, Tuesday, Albuquerque, NM to Oklahoma City, OK: Flat land and miles of wind farms were the hallmarks of this long drive today. We took a couple of detours to drive on Historic Route 66. The towns have been destroyed by the interstate, and it is not a happy sight to see abandoned gas stations, motels, and homes along the way. I cannot imagine how difficult it was for these communities when I-40 was completed.

13 May, Wednesday, Oklahoma City, OK to Hot Springs, AR: Another cool, gray, rainy day. We left Oklahoma City and I-70 and drove east through ranch land and small towns and then south into Arkansas through the Ozark Mts. and the Ouichita National Forest. I didn't expect the charming, rolling hills in Oklahoma, and the drive through Ouichita was beautiful. There are numerous small towns along the route we took. There is a mix of prosperous looking ranches and serious poverty. There are more churches per mile here than any other place we have ever traveled, and some of them are huge. In one town we came to a crossroads with a big church on each corner.

14 May, Thursday, Hot Springs, AR to Muscle Shoals, AL: Another day of driving off the interstate. Buzz does all the driving even though I offer to drive from time to time during the day. Through Arkansas and Mississippi we drove through farmland planted with corn, rice, and soybeans. It was a relaxing ride broken up by stops at a few antique shops including one that was previously an elementary school. Every classroom was filled with stuff! The bridge across the Mississippi River at Helena was pretty impressive. While there is flooding in many areas, the river looked fairly low. We stopped at the first Welcome Center in Mississippi to have our picnic lunch. The facility is the fanciest of these centers we have ever seen with huge chandeliers and oriental rugs. A video about the state was accompanied by a complimentary cup of coffee, and we were on our way. We stopped at a produce stand to get a few things and were treated to a sweet tea...on the house. It is a sugar fix for a few days, at least. Checked into our hotel, found a good lace for BBQ dinner (not as good as Rudy's) and have settled in for the night.

15 May, Friday, Muscle Shoals, AL to Scottsboro, AL: What a great day! This morning we checked out of our hotel and met Carl and Sandy Greenbaum for a quick visit. They are staying in Red Bay, AL having their wonderful motor home refurbished; so we arranged a meeting. We drove into the city of Florence and had a stroll around town with a stop at a malt shop. It was good to catch up with them and wish them safe travels as they head to Grand Teton next week for their summer "gig". We took the rest of the day for a leisurely drive to Scottsboro where we eagerly anticipated our visit to the Unclaimed Baggage Center where they sell all the stuff people never claim from the airlines. It was pretty disappointing. Not a lot of bargains. Good prices on electronics - but all are sold "as is". Oh well. Dinner and a quiet evening completed the day.

16 May, Saturday, Scottsboro, AL to Atlanta, GA: This morning we drove to Skyline, AL about 15 miles from Scottsboro where Buzz spent some time with a man who shares his hobbies I read and did a puzzle on my iPad while they chatted. I caught snippets...very interesting. When Buzz reminded him we are from NH, he asked Buzz when we were going to get out of there and join the United States...hard to tell if he was joking. We drove along scenic roads stopping at Little River Canyon National Park for our picnic lunch and a short walk to the Little River Falls. It is a popular spot, and people were swimming in the river. We stopped into an antique shop in Fort Payne, and the owner said his daughter lived in NH for a while. the daughter and son-in-law now run the shop. It turns out they lived in Hudson for a short time about 20 years ago! Several antique shop stops later we arrived in Atlanta. It is great to be with Joe and Mary. We'll be here until Tuesday when we begin our drive north.