“I flew from Washington state to pick up my cousin in Chicago. We drove to the South the see the Angola Prison Rodeo. I have always been interested in prison things and saw a documentary about the rodeo and thought let’s do it. We are old enough to do something like this. This was or first time to see a rodeo and there is a gamut of emotions and thoughts watching prisoners do this. It is also a thrill and something weird. The rodeo started with men riding eight bulls at once and then eight broncos. They also sold more crafts than any state fair I have attended. 

The road trip is two weeks. It started at Noah’s Ark in Tennessee and we met some women from there from Fairhope. We drove to Mobile because her uncle went to Malbis Plantation a long time ago. We wanted Greek Food so we came to It’s All Greek to Me in Fairhope. It has been our best meal on the trip so far. Ten years ago I heard a story about jubilees on This American Life. It has always been on my heart, so we came to the bay to see where they happen. We park in places and stumble around. That is how we ended up in the police museum in Mobile.  We went to Memphis and Jackson and drove through the Delta. We saw a sign that said Yazoo City. We are going to Montgomery and Birmingham today. Maybe Nashville. I have to be back in Chicago by Saturday. I am adventurous and love road trips. I have been to the eastern part of the South, but nothing this far.”

“I have been to New Orleans and Florida. My family drove to the Appalachians once and we ended up in Charleston.  I am in between jobs and this gave me a chance to come. I am now in love with this part of the South. We have been completely charmed. Being from Chicago my whole life, so many people are from Mississippi and have relatives there. There is such a strong connection that I never understood until I drove through there.” 

“I am a lifetime west coaster, there are some racial things in the South that don’t make sense to me. I don’t know if we are over it or that people moved to the West Coast to get away and didn’t bring racism with them. I am a historical landscape architect at Mt. Rainier National Park and preserve the historic integrity of the landscape so it will look the same as when your grandparents went there or your grandkids go there in the future.  I like to understand the history of a place and what it means. The South has been so interesting to me.”

1. (There were two cousins on the road trip. The other one didn’t want to be in the picture.)