After a quick breakfast at the hotel, I will be leaving at 8:00 am for the ride home. After 3 hours and 45 minutes of driving, I'll arrive in Meridian, MS. They currently have an art project in which 50 brightly colored carousel horses can be found around town. I found this particularly tasteful one in front of a McDonald's, which I will most certainly take a picture on. I will not be eating at McDonald's.
Instead I'll be going to Weidmann's. Established in 1870, it is the oldest restaurant in the state, and is known as a Meridian, MS staple. After looking at the lunch menu, I am already decided on the fried green tomatoes and the smoked salmon BLT. Delicious.
I'll head out at 1:30 pm and do my best to drive non-stop to Canton, TX, which is about 7 hours. Here I will find the world famous (at least according to East Texas) Dairy Palace, built in 1984. It boasts a simple, delicious burger with the best milk shakes around. Sounds like dinner to me.
From here on out it's the home stretch. Four hours more of driving and I will arrive back in the beautiful city of Austin, TX. My journey will be over, but I will have done plenty of meaningful things as I engaged in the life and loves of Ralph Ellison, as well as interacted with the history and present of the Tuskegee Airmen. I hope to be more knowledgeable and more appreciative of this literature when I return.
For my trip home, I will be listening to the likes of Duke Ellington. Ellison loved his music, and wrote about him in some of his works. Ellington was a huge inspiration for Ellison, so I hope to be inspired in some way (if only to stay awake). Here is a video of the Duke playing his classic "Take The 'A' Train."
After a nice breakfast at the hotel, my first visit of the day will be at the George Washington Carver Museum at the Tuskegee Institute. Ellison attended the Tuskegee Institute in order to study music and ended up finding a love for writing as well. This is where his writing career began. Carver taught at the Tuskegee Institute for 40 years, becoming the most well-known teacher in the school's history. This museum has exhibits about his life as well as a 30 minute movie shown upon request. It would be interesting to spend a couple hours here to learn about arguably the most important man in the university's history.
At around 12 pm, it will be time for a lunch break. One of the most famous eateries in Tuskegee is known as the Coop. It boasts southern soul food, complete with fried chicken and any side one could ask for. I think I'll be going for the fried okra and mac and cheese. I'm looking forward to this.
After lunch, I will return to the Tuskegee University campus to visit the home of Booker T. Washington, known as The Oaks. I said Carver might be the most important person in the history of the Tuskegee Institute, but this man can rival that claim. His affiliation with both Ralph Ellison and the Tuskegee Airmen is very close, as he founded (and even built) the school at which they studied. Tours are given until 3 pm on Sundays, so I will make sure to catch the last tour after my undoubtably heavy lunch settles down.
For my evening I would like to do something a little different. There is a restored plantation in Tuskegee known as the Grey Columns Plantation just outside of Tuskegee. I would like to pack a lunch and spend the evening on the grounds of the plantation. I will take a few things to read, including "Flying Home," and of course my guitar. The experience of reading Ellison's short story on a plantation near to where Todd probably crashed will hopefully give me a unique appreciation for the story. I will also be spending some time in my hammock, reading Scripture, and watching the sunset. After quite a bit of non-stop road tripping, this will be nice night to reflect on the things I have done so far and how that helps me to understand Ellison and the Airmen better. I will then head back to my hotel for some rest.
My album for the day will be one that was just released in March of this year by Lionel Richie, entitled "Tuskegee." It's a country album featuring many of the biggest names in country, and is inspired by the town itself. Below is a clip of "Easy," a song featuring the always wonderful Willie Nelson.
After waking up and having my lovely southern-style breakfast, I am off to Tuskegee at 8:00 am sharp. It's only a 45 minute drive, but I want to make sure to arrive in time for the 45th Annual Memorial Day Fly-In, located at the Tuskegee Municipal Airport. This is the site of the base where the Tuskegee Airmen trained. It will be a surreal experience being in the same place that the Airmen flew, watching the fly-overs throughout the day. I am very excited to go through the interactive exhibits that will be on display and to enjoy the carnival food (there will definitely be corn dogs and turkey legs consumed this day).
What I'm most looking forward to this day, however, is the chance to meet a real Tuskegee Airman. The man pictured here is LTC William Holland III, a fighter pilot in WWII and a proud member of the Tuskegee Airmen. He is pictured here at the event in 2010, and he died shortly thereafter. Although there are not very many men remaining, I still have the opportunity to talk to at least one. The opportunity to meet and talk to someone who was actually there is one of the most exciting moments of my trip. I hope to be able to ask him how the pressures of representing his fellow African Americans in such a big way and in such a crucial era was like. Was he, like Todd, overwhelmed? I'm looking forward to hearing his response.
That night, I plan on spending some time at P B's Blues Bar to experience live music in the city that Ellison studied it in. I'm looking forward to engaging in the city's music culture. There are apparently no pictures or any websites about this place, so I can't show you anything. This may make the night that much more exciting, though. Who knows how crazy it could get?
That night I will stay my first of two nights at the Kellogg Hotel.
In the spirit of the day, I will be listening to "Flying Home" by Lionel Hampton, originally written by Benny Goodman. This song was the inspiration for Ellison's short story with the same title, and it seems appropriate considering the activities of the day.
My next day will start at 8:00 am at the famous Cafe Du Monde, the home of the beignet. Although some might consider it a glorified powdered donut disguised as an acceptable breakfast meal, I am looking forward to having an order of the classic Acadian dish with some coffee.
After enjoying my morning at the cafe, I will walk over to Armstrong Park, while enjoying the unique architecture of the French Quarter. The park was named after Louis Armstrong, and is located around the historic Congo Park, the site where slaves would meet together in the 1800s for open markets and African dance a drumming celebrations, which played a large role in the formation of jazz as we know it today. I plan on bringing my guitar and jamming for a while in the park. I think it will be a unique experience playing music in such a significant place in the history of jazz. It is another step in immersing myself in the jazz culture that Ellison was a part of.
I will then head over to the world famous Mother's for a shrimp po boy. Delicious! By 2:00 pm I'll be back on the road.
After driving for 2. 5 hours, I will stop to tour the USS Alabama. This vaguely relates to the Tuskegee Airmen, if only for the fact that they are both a part of the US military. Regardless, I am looking forward to touring this piece of American history. After the devastation of the attack on Pearl Harbor, our navy was significantly hurt. The USS Alabama, known as the "Mighty A," played a critical role in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, serving for 37 months in WWII, earning 9 battle stars without so much as a scratch from enemy fire. The Mighty A is now permanently stationed in Mobile, AL, where tours are given daily. I will arrive around 4:30 pm, and the tours close at 6:00 pm. All of this information can be found on the official site of the USS Alabama. In learning a different history of WWII through this battleship, I hope to be ready to learn about the Tuskegee Airmen.
After driving for about 2 hours and 45 minutes, I will arrive at my final destination for the night, Montgomery, AL. I will be staying at the Red Bluff Cottage, a nice little bed and breakfast built in 1987. It promises genuine southern hospitality, which will make for a nice night, not to mention a breakfast of biscuits and gravy.
The music of the day will consist of a lot of Louis Armstrong, in order to commemorate his roots in New Orleans. Here is a 1929 recording of "When You're Smiling."
After about 4.5 hours of driving (unless I get caught up in Houston traffic), this looks like a nice little burger joint to stop for lunch. I checked out some reviews, and while some mentioned the uncleanliness of the place (I don't care), everyone raved about the burger. Melanie L. wrote that it's "everything a good burger SHOULD be. Messy, flavorful and slightly overwhelming." She also mentioned the fried okra. Cheeseburger and fried okra? People get ready.
I'm looking forward to driving on this bridge on I-10 in Louisiana, known as the Atchafalaya Swamp Freeway. It's an 18.2 mile bridge over the Atchafalaya river, making it the 14th longest bridge in the world. It spans the Atchafalaya River Basin, which is the largest swamp in the United States, according to History.com. Something interesting about this swamp is its inhabitants. In the 18th century, a group of French colonists were expelled from Acadie, which is part of present-day Nova Scotia. These people, known as the Acadians, relocated to the Atchafalaya River Basin, and proceeded to create what's known as the Cajun culture of Louisiana, with its distinct food, music, and dialect. This relates to my theme of jazz music that was a large part of Ellison's life and inspiration.
It will only be about 3 hours from Beaumont to Baton Rouge, but I would like to make a stop at LSU's campus, if only to look around. One interesting monument is Memorial Tower, erected in 1923 as a memorial for Louisianans who died in World War I. Inside there is a rotunda covered in bronze plaques bearing the names of the 1,447 soldiers from Louisiana who died in the war. There is also a military museum. This stop doesn't necessarily pertain to Ellison or the Tuskegee Airmen, but it will be interesting to see the campus of LSU, and a piece of southern history in Memorial Tower.
My final destination for my first day will be the great city of New Orleans. Seeing as I am looking to experience Ellison's love for jazz, I would not be justified in stopping in this city for a while. I will be staying at the Ritz Carleton, for the main reason of listening to the musical stylings of Jeremy Davenport, who will be playing with his band. Davenport, like Ellison, is a trumpet player (he also has a smooth jazz voice, making for a relaxing night of soft jazz, with a few drinks of course. Here is a clip of Jeremy Davenport's "I Thought About You."
