Montogomery, Alabama

We spent Friday setting up, and made a nice pork tenderloin roast for dinner. This is a nice peaceful campground, very pretty.

Saturday morning I had to make some repairs to our living room slide out. The mechanism broke (again) and I had to do my contortionist act to reach it and fix it. After cleaning up I phoned the historical sites we wanted to see, and found they would not be open on Sunday. We rushed around getting ready, then headed into downtown Montgomery.

Our first stop was the state Capitol building. This ornate building (Greek Revival design), built in 1850, was the site of two major events. In 1861 it was the site of the founding of the Confederate States of America, and where Jefferson Davis stood on the front steps and declared a new, independent nation.

In 1965 Reverend Martin Luther King led a voting rights march from Selma, Alabama to the steps of the Capitol in Montgomery. Our tour guide in the Capitol was an African American with his PHD in American history. He marched with King in 1965, and was beaten by the police.

After our tour of the Capitol, we crossed the road to the first Confederate White House. This is where Jefferson Davis was housed once he was named president. Later he moved to another white house, this one in Virginia. The house in Montgomery has been restored, and is filled with items that belonged to Jefferson Davis.

Having had our fill of history, we drove back down the Old Selma road to our campground, where we BBQ'd some burgers and rested our sore feet beside our campfire. We had a heck of a time getting the fire to stay lit, but eventually we triumphed and accomplished a respectable blaze.

Late Saturday night it started to rain, and it has rained steadily ever since. Apparently a drought here has now broken. Due to the inclement weather, we have stayed in, with the occasional drenching while taking Ben out to do his business. Sunday Marlene roasted a 5 pound chicken that we had bought at Walmart in Tuscaloosa for $3.20. We were so hungry we forgot to take a picture, but we had a delicious feast, and now Marlene is making a pot of chicken soup to which I will contribute Matzo balls.