Day 2.22: Atlanta, GA to Hot Springs, AR

We had intended to get out right away after getting up, but we were quickly convinced to play 2 rounds of Sushi Go, in which Arielle was obliterated, before we hit the road, thanking Sarah, Hillel, and especially Jonah for their very warm hospitality.

We crossed into Alabama and stopped at the welcome center. Our first attraction of the day was the original location of Steel City Pops in Birmingham, Alabama, which features an appetizing assortment of fruity, creamy, and cookie pops. Arielle spent a while thinking and ultimately settled on a buttermilk pop dipped in milk chocolate with gluten-free graham cracker crumbs, a caramel drizzle, and a drop of raspberry drizzle, while Abe, who had visited with USY on Wheels back in 2016, got cookies and cream. They were quite sizable and filling. As we left, Abe said, most appropriately, “Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

We drove to Mississippi, stopping at the welcome center, and continuing along to Tupelo, where Elvis was born. As soon as we pulled up to Mugshots Grill and Bar, we were greeted by someone exiting a truck next to us who saw our license plate and said “You’re a long way from home! Welcome to Mississippi!” Everyone there was incredibly nice, the waiter said he would replace our food if we didn’t like it, and multiple employees in the restaurant came to check on us throughout the meal. Arielle got fried pickles (at half off!) and a veggie burger with sautéed mushrooms and cheese. Abe got 10 wings, half with BBQ sauce and half with Carolina Gold BBQ sauce (he liked the former before). Both of us got fries, and both the regular and sweet potato were delicious. They even gave us the root beer float (which was only $2.95!!) that Abe got to go for free. Arielle decided that she wanted to live there and quickly found a synagogue, which was only eight minutes away. We drove there to see what it looked like but there was no one there, just some nice trees nearby.

We got back on the road as it got dark and entered Tennessee. The welcome center looked open but there was no one there.

We went over a bridge and were in Arkansas! This was state #47 for Abe and #42 for Arielle. We didn’t even both stopping at welcome center since we knew it would be closed and just got gas. We arrived at the Hotel Hot Springs after nearly twelve hours on the road, benefiting from the extra hour we gained once we entered Alabama. The hotel had a lovely lobby and made a good first impression on us, and we unloaded before parking in the garage down the street.

We collapsed into bed after crossing through more states than ever in one day!

Approximate number of miles covered: 580

Day 2.7: New Orleans, LA to Orlando, FL

We got up early for our most ambitious drive of this trip yet. We had the car packed before our planned 8am departure time - Arielle wants to emphasize that since it rarely happens. Arielle started driving but realized quickly that she was too tired, and so we stopped just as soon as we crossed the border into Mississippi to switch. Right before that, we had been mesmerized by the length of the bridges, one of which took us 4 minutes and 35 seconds to cross at 75 mph. It was hard not to think about the fact that we were suspended on a piece of concrete in the middle of the water, very far from either side. Technically, Mississippi was the 41st state for Arielle, and should count because she bought a Mountain Dew. Alabama, however, does not count since she only woke up to take a picture of the sign and for us to sing the Fifty Nifty United States song we always do upon entering a new state. Fear not - we’ll do something more concrete on our next visit to both states in just two weeks. We were already in Florida before we knew it, marking the 25th state our car has driven through, regardless of activities done or not done. We stopped at the welcome center and were greeted by an offer of a cup of orange juice or grapefruit juice, which was far sweeter than the unhelpful directions we got from a SunPass representative about a toll-free route to Orlando (the state is just starting to accept E-ZPass in some places, but right now they’re still mostly on a system we don’t have). We were amazed that our GPS told us we had six and a half more hours left in Florida alone, along with a one-hour time difference not in our favor. We were also greeted by the sight of a Confederate flag right next to a Shell station visible from the highway.

Somehow, we made it to Kissimmee, FL by around 7:15pm, stopping eagerly at a Wawa gas station down the street from our hotel, fully aware that we would return to the convenience store daily during our time in Florida. We were a bit nervous about the quality of the Destiny Palms Hotel Maingate West, which we had booked the night before for just $59 on Hotels.com. Fortunately, it was perfectly fine, and we unloaded a few items into our room before driving down the “main drag” to local restaurant Olive Garden. We were not pleased to discover an excessive wait time of more than half an hour, but upon checking back in with the hostess, we were directed to the bar, where we got to sit and watch the bartender make numerous drinks per minute. Arielle got the reliable soup (minestrone) and salad, first with Italian house dressing and then with ranch, and Abe got the equally reliable Fettuccine Alfredo, which was superb as always.

Abe was excited to see Chocolate Brownie Lasagna on the menu and couldn’t believe that they had brought back the delicious Chocolate Lasagna dessert discontinued during his summer working for Olive Garden in Massachusetts back in 2006. Sadly, that was not the case, and some quick description reading and Googling convinced him not to try the pale cream cheese-heavy imitation. We were beyond tired after a great dinner and returned to our hotel, ready to call it a night before a trip the next day to what many call the happiest place on earth.

Approximate number of miles covered: 647