Into Alabama

I would say "sweet home Alabama" like it says on all the signs welcoming us to the state, but I do not know much about this state and do not know if it is sweet or not.  The terrain from Tennessee into Alabama is not dramatic.  It is still hilly, but not mountainous.  It is rocky, but not overwhelming.  It is clearly farm land.

When we travel, I look at the data about the states - I am curious about the differences.  Kentucky and Tennessee are small states - population-wise - and Alabama is even smaller.  When we drive down I-75, it is always crazy.  Driving through Atlanta is the worst!  Kentucky is small and so is Tennessee, but Alabama is even less densely populated.  Birmingham, the largest city, is less than half the size of Atlanta.  So we were right to choose a route that was less populated - it did result in better traffic flow.  But, it is true that every state has experienced a bad winter and each one is doing major road repair.

What makes me wonder is why can we not keep our roads maintained in Michigan?  Tennessee and Kentucky and Alabama are poorer and less populated but they have found a way to pay for road maintenance and upkeep, but Michigan has not.  What is going on?

We chose to stay in Montgomery and were glad of our choice.  We stayed in a Drury Inn - our favorite hotel chain - and looked for a good dinner place.  We found Jan's Beach House.  It was strong on seafood; very local; and had live music.  It was so much fun to hear local musicians playing familiar music and seeing their fans enjoying the music.  We felt right at home.  So much fun tonight.  We are looking forward to our trip on side roads into Florida tomorrow.