Euro Fest - Ridgeland, MS

9/30/2016


We left Tuscaloosa this morning and drove to Ridgeland, MS via Eutaw and Livingston, Alabama, continuing on to lunch in Philadelphia, MS.  (Philadelphia is infamous for the murders of three civil rights workers in 1964).  We ate at the Taste 'N See cafe downtown.  It was quite busy and not quite as efficient at Chick-Fil-A!  But, the the sandwiches were good and filling.  After filling up with gas, we continued on Hwy. 16 until we hit the Natchez Trace, then took the Trace to Ridgeland and checked in the hotel.  We have covered about 500 miles thus far.

Taste N See - Philadelphia, MS

Shortly  after arriving, there was a drive for Euro Fest participants, from the hotel to a private car collection about 15-20 miles away.  There were about 50 cars on the drive and with a police escort stopping traffic at intersections, a la a funeral, we all stayed together!  It was a little unnerving running through red lights, especially with a policeman right there!  We arrived at the estate of the gentleman whose collection we came to see and it looked like a park!  And, the garage looked like a house!  Inside were about 18 showroom quality vehicles, including a V-12 Lincoln Zephyr, two 1957 Thunderbirds, a couple of rare Mustangs, including a 50th anniversary  model, of which only 1964 were made (1964 being the initial year of production), an F-40, an F100 pickup and a Ford Bronco.  The collector was a Ford dealer!  But, he also had a very nice MG-TD, along with a Fiat Jolly and several other nice vehicles.   After the visit, we returned to the hotel and picked up our registration packet.  We then ate dinner at Panera Bread, which is one of the stores in the Renaissance Center, the site of the show tomorrow.  So far, we have covered about 510 miles.

custom luggage in a Mercedes

The Garage mahal

A T-Bird and a Ford Woodie.

MG Homecoming...and more!

Sept. 29, 2016

We're headed to our first stop, of this multi-stop trip, at the Renaissance Eurofest in Ridgeland, MS.  It's a homecoming of sorts as I bought the MG in Jackson 42 years ago.  We've never been to this show and it looks like it will be alot of fun.  To make sure we make it in time for a special event on Friday afternoon, we decided to leave today and stop in Tuscaloosa, AL, then head to Ridgeland Friday morning.

So, we left Grayson, GA at three dark thirty so we could make it across metro Atlanta on the Interstate before rush hour traffic.  It was amazing!  Leaving very early, it was much colder than we had anticipated.  But, we made it from Grayson, on the east side of Atlanta, all the way to the QT on Thornton Rd. near Lithia Springs west of Atlanta at the speed limit and almost non-stop.  There was almost no traffic on I-285 or I-20 and we made it in less than an hour!  That's the time to drive around Atlanta!!

After our stop at QT for coffee, we took Hwy. 78 all the way to Oxford, AL where we stopped at the Waffle House for breakfast.  We made such good time, the Cracker Barrel next door was not open yet!  Traveling at night is nice for traffic, but you can't do much sightseeing.  After getting gas, it was on to Tuscaloosa, via back roads.  We passed through Talledaga, Pelham, Helena and Vance before getting to Tuscaloosa.  

Artist studio on Main Steet

Anders Hardware

City Cafe - Yum!

When we arrived at our hotel, the room was not ready so we dropped off our bags and did some sightseeing.  We crossed the Black Warrior River to the quaint town of Northport, AL.  After walking around the 3-block downtown, we ate lunch at the popular City Cafe.  I had a "meat and 2", and Kathy had a "3".  It was all good, and I got change back from a $10 bill!! (OK, that total did not include the tip).  We checked out Anders Hardware store, in the same place since 1909, and even talked to one of the Anders.  One of those places where you can find almost anything you could ever need.

After lunch, we went back to the hotel and parked and explored some of downtown Tuscaloosa, and found where we will eat tonight - the Avenue Pub.  (Review will be forthcoming).  The hotel called and said the room was ready, so we went back, checked in and crashed for a little bit.  

This evening we walked three blocks to the Avenue Pub for dinner.  In this area, there are a lot of old buildings that have businesses in them, many of them restaurants.  We tried this local place that had good reviews.  My fish and chips were tender, lightly breaded and tasty and were washed down with a good, local wheat draft beer.  Kathy had a grilled chicken salad which was also very good. 

Tomorrow, we will head out for Ridgeland, MS!

The Avenue Pub - Tuscaloosa, AL