In September of 2020 Ri and I decided to grab my son and go visit my parents in Alabama.
After months of sitting at home under lock down we were desperate to get out and about again. My mother had recently turned 73, which is amazing after 3 bouts of cancer (stage 4 at that). My birthday was in September, so it seemed like a great reason to go see family. We gassed up the car, packed our bags, and headed out to Athens, Alabama.
It was on this road trip that Ri asked if we could see places on the way. And so began the "honey, pull over” that sparked a passion to travel, finding the hidden gems that exist all around us.
Our trip to Alabama saw stops in Memphis, the Space Center in Huntsville, and a few other spots. We had yet to fully understand the joy we would get from our trips together.
Beale Street, Memphis Tennessee. Ri, having moved from Russia at 15, wanted to see any new place we could on our trip. The first was Memphis and Beale Street.
B.B. King's Blues Club, Memphis, Tennessee
Martin Luther King, Jr. and the 1968 Sanitation strike. Memphis, TN
US Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook, US Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, AL
Junior and Ri enjoying the outside walk at the US Space and Rocket Center
Apollo 11
Apollo 16 Command Module capsule at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. Apollo 16 was the tenth crewed mission in the United States Apollo space program in April of 1972.
1961 USSR propaganda for Yuri Gagarin during the heated space race.
Big Spring Park, Huntsville, AL. Big Spring International Park is over 200 years old and features a famous red bridge and cherry trees which were gifts from Japan.
Big Spring Park, Huntsville, AL
Built on the bones of the century-old Martin Stove Factory that was once all work and no play, the reimagined Stovehouse is Huntsville’s premier destination for eats, drinks, shopping, and leisure. Stovehouse features multiple stages for live music, an exciting event center, a diverse selection of eats and treats, and Gas Light Alley, an eclectic venue for retail shopping.