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Wednesday, October 19, 2016

A Trip to the Gulf Coast - 2016

Whatever has happened to Tom's Travel Blog?

A good question - I have been on hiatus for quite a while, with only two posts since our return from Egypt.  But Linda has departed for two weeks in Spain with her regular "traveling ladies" group from the Red Hats - and that leaves me free to chase my computer history ghosts.

I headed out a few days ago to Citronelle, Alabama where William S. Burroughs died in 1898.  That gave me the opportunity to drop into Mobile, Alabama and check some newspapers; make a stop in St. Louis, home to Burroughs' American Arithmometer company to check more papers and, finally, stop in Macoupin County, Illinois to gather information on another American Arithmometer founder.

Since this was late in the election season, I took a few pictures of campaign signs along the route.  If you arrived from another planet and drive the midwest countryside North to South, you will no doubt come to the conclusion that there is only one person running for president this year.

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The presidential campaign signs are quite a bit more sparse than usual but in driving through seven states I only saw Trump signs except for one small Hillary sign amidst some mobile homes in tiny Shipman, Illinois.  I assume there are more Hillary supporters to be found in the larger cities.

I did see more than the usual evidence of this sentiment expressed in hand-made signs, though.

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You certainly get a feel for the diversity of American driving this route.  In the south, there is a much greater inclination to name things after politicians - especially senators.  Not to be outflanked by the Bankhead Highway, Mississippi has designated most of I-55 as the Eastland Memorial Highway. If you are not old enough to recall the senator, you can get a history lesson in the middle of this article.  You might be as surprised as I was to find him memorialized here.
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Think of Mississippi and Alabama and you might think NASCAR racing.  But, as I cruised down I-55, I was passed by a jet truck.
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I caught up to the vehicle at a rest stop and took a couple more pictures.
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We'll continue on to the Gulf in subsequent posts.


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