Monday, February 25, 2013

We started out today driving around Auburn's campus, just getting a good look. It's a beautiful campus; even now in winter and drizzly and overcast, it was gorgeous. We walked around their campus corner area, right where the guy poisoned the trees, and stopped in an old drug store to grab a couple shirts. You're welcome Jarrett. I might try to convince Will that we can pay for our kids to go here and not just OSU. It's all orange.

We left town and started back north to Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. It was here that Gen. Andrew Jackson massacred every last warrior of the Red Stick faction of the Upper Creeks in 1814 during the Creek Wars of 1813-14. This war was fought between the Upper Creeks and US government with the Lower Creeks aligning themselves with the US Army. The Lower Creeks fared better in general than the Upper Creeks because of their willingness to look for peaceful solutions. My family is Upper Creek. We were rebel rousers. Go figure.

From here, we headed back south to Tallasee, AL where my 4 great-grandfather, Pahosa Harjo "Phillips", was born and raised. It was here that his family served as mico, or town chief, for many generations. Pop said we should drive around town, knocking on doors telling the residents, You're Welcome, and then leave. We attempted to locate their historical society and found ourselves on another wild goose chase. When we finally found the Talasi Historical Society, they were closed. Of course. You can read a bit of Tallasee's history in the photos below so I won't bore you here. It's a picturesque, run down, small town that has seen better days. But hey, they got a McDonalds, man.

We continued on to Tuskegee, AL since that is where my 4 great-grandmother is from. It was rather disappointing. Dead or dying, beaten down and just sad. We didn't stay long before moving along to Phenix City, AL to stay and check out Fort Mitchell which is the origination point for the 19000 Creeks who were forced to move to Oklahoma. We went on to Fort Mitchell today and it was closed! Closed, I tell ya! They aren't open until Thursday! Their website says Mon-Fri. All this way for them to be closed! Gah! So we'll just continue on our way to Mobile tomorrow and make up the trail as we go, again. This time we're going to come back up the Mississippi River, and depending on the snow we will see when we turn west.

But tonight wasn't a total loss. We went over to Columbus, GA for dinner at The Cannon Brew Pub. It was just a local brewery, but it was decent food and really good beer. I didn't like the IPA or Double IPA but then I don't like those brews from any brewery, so they could've been very good. If you're ever in the area, go by and check them out.

Hope those at home are staying safe and warm.