Day 2: Birmingham to Springfield

We pulled into an RV park late last night and settled in for a good night's rest.  The morning had me brewing coffee and fixing 'dip' eggs and toast for me and the boys.  The amenities were non-existent at the so-called RV park, so after breakfast, we started out for our next stop at UAB Medical Center. This stop would take about 3 hours, so Zach and I made ourselves at home in the camper. While I re-organized our living space, a Star Wars battle ensued in the back of the camper, complete with sound effects and hidden storm-troopers.  Once we got down to business, Zach and I worked on his travel journal.  He loved it because he was able to color and add stickers.  I encouraged him to use the journal as a way to keep track of little details (like the yummy vanilla chai he had yesterday from a neat little coffee shop in Corbin, KY) and the prices of things (his chai was just a few cents less than a gallon of gas). We will add pictures to his journal later, but in the meantime, we will add facts about the states and places we visit and fond memories of our daily adventures.

As we drove north from Birmingham, we saw evidence of tornado damage from the storms that ripped through the area the week before.  While the damage we saw was nowhere near the devastating images we have seen on the news, it was still enough to offer a glimpse of the fury the tornadoes left behind. We also saw huge disaster relief semi's and Red Cross volunteers heading in to offer help and hope to the victims. In stark contrast to the weather system that caused these horrible storms, the weather today was gorgeous with bright, sunny skies and temps in the upper 60's.

We had our first restaurant meal for dinner this evening since leaving Brevard yesterday morning.  While camper-dining is cheap and convenient, it does lack the offerings of a well-balanced diet.  Blake and I were both craving salads and Zach....well, he was craving a cheeseburger!

'Quip' of the day:  Zach and I were playing "My Father Owns a Grocery Store" and it was my turn to guess.  The letter Zach called was "Q".  So, of course, I started guessing things like quince, quail and Quinoa.  Stumped, I finally gave up, at which time Zach chuckled and yelled, "cucumber"!!!  

**Gas deal of the day:  Bessemer, AL  $3.99/gal