On the Way to Memphis

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Brian and I experienced our first instance of car troubles on the drive from Atlanta to Memphis. It happened in the middle-of-nowhere Alabama. Brian and I were just driving along when all of a sudden we heard a loud gug-gug-gug come from our car, accompanied by the sight of our tire tread flying off behind us in the rearview mirror! Needless to say, we pulled over to check out the damage. Apparently, when you’ve been driving for a long time on a hot road, the rubber on your tire tread can literally melt off leaving you with a bum tire…and did I mention we were in the middle of NOWHERE?!?! So we examined the tire for a few minutes and decided we’d try to drive on it for a little while instead of attempting to change the tire ourselves. Brian also took this time to take in the scenery...see pictures to better understand. We were anxious and extremely nervous for the next 20 miles. The heat outside was unbearable and our thoughts kept wandering to how hopeless we’d be if our tire was to give out altogether. After what seemed like hours (but in actuality was only about 20 minutes) we finally came to the small town of Hamilton, AL where we were directed to Watha’s Tire Shop. Twenty minutes and $63 later the Focus was ready to continue the trip to Memphis. On the way, we made sure to call Mr. McCarty and thank him for “supping up” the car before we had left.

Our next stop in Alabama wasn’t much better aside from a delicious hotdog Brian had at Pete’s Famous Hotdog Shop in Birmingham. The place was TINY. Brian’s head practically touched the ceiling and there was only enough room for one row of customers (mostly large, beer-bellied men). Brian got his dog “all the way” with onions, sauerkraut, chili sauce, and cheese while I just got a normal hotdog. Anyway, we thought we’d walk around downtown Birmingham before making the last stretch to Memphis but the town looked so run-down and deserted that we decided we’d just get gas and move on. Unfortunately, getting gas just heightened our desire to get out of Alabama that much faster as we had to go to three gas stations before arriving at one with a functioning toilet and we had to deal with toothless, homeless men telling us jokes that didn’t make any sense and asking us about Baltimore. As soon as our tank was full we hightailed it out of the miserable state of Alabama in hopes of better things in Tennessee! (No offense to anyone with a soft spot for Alabama).

XOXO
Allison & Brian

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Comments

[Mac Daddy]

It Looked OK When It Left Maryland
Sorry about the tire. If you drove slower on hot roads it never would have happened (I learned that from Bill Nye the Science Guy). I wouldn't be surprised if you lost the other rear tire on your way through Texas. HA!