Sweet Home Alabama: Daphne, AL [Jan. 5-6, 2007]

The stallions’ drive through the heart of Mississippi brought them through a very diverse landscape. They moved from river delta and swampland to majestic pines and forest and one of the most beautiful drives in the country.

This stretch of road in Mississippi, called the Natchez Trace, can be thought of as a tunnel through a magnificent forest. Along the way, the boys stopped at Hurricane creek to stretch their legs and get a taste of the Mississippi forest.

Entering Daphne, the stallions may have been facing their greatest challenge yet. They had no contacts in a completely foreign city. They soon realized that Daphne would be nothing like Clarksdale as they found resorts and restaurants built up along the bay shore. Their first stop was a gas station, where one of the three clerks, without hesitation, offered the boys her backyard to camp out in with their tent. Some of the more adventurous community builders were willing to entertain the idea, others were more persistent in exploring other options.

The stallions realized their best bet would be to talk to as many people as they can while also looking for a popular restaurant where they could connect with locals. In their search, they stumbled upon a group of couples celebrating a birthday outside of a restaurant. One of the couples, Greg and his wife Stacie, were very intrigued by the idea of the Campaign and wanted to help out. They suggested a few possible campsites and also recommended a local restaurant called Papa’s Pizza. Greg was even going to check at his church for possible lodging opportunities. The boys were impressed by their welcoming reception.

At Papa’s, the stallions struck gold. Not only was their waiter Brady a way cool guy, he had a friend and co-worker named Ryan who had done something much like the Campaign, only he was the only guy, he didn’t have a car, and he did it for two years. Needless to say, the boys had a good feeling about meeting this guy and hearing his stories.

When the boys did meet Ryan and tell him about their adventures, he immediately offered the stallions his home for the night. He had been on the road for two years out of his life and had often relied on the kindness of strangers, so he was happy to give. In fact, these two gentlemen may come back to Minneapolis one day to experience a little Minnesota nice.

Brady is in the front row, Ryan in the back

Not only would Ryan be housing the fellas for the night, he would be their host and guide for the Daphne nightlife. After he got off work, they headed to a place called The Ravenite where there was some funky live music from the Delta Funk band and some crazy dancing yet again on the dance floor. It was another late night for the trail blazers.

When the morning came, the stallions had the opportunity to meet Ryan’s mom Mary. She was a sweet lady with a strong stomach after putting up with Ryan’s adventures for over two years. The boys learned from her that Mobile was actually the pioneer of Mardis Gras, and that their family new how to celebrate this occasion. They would have a special Mardis Gras tree, a huge light up gator, and over 350 people at their house for the celebration. She even gave the stallions some crazy unique beads!

Ryan and his mom were too good to the Campaign. Ryan even gave the boys a sign saying “Sweet Home Alabama” that a friend of his he met on the road had carved for him. It now shows through the rear window of Rosie. The stallions will never forget the treatment and hospitality show to them by this family.

After leaving their house, they went to check out a new bar that Ryan will own and manage called Capone’s. He and Brady are hard at work with its construction now, and hope to have it open by the end of the month!

After that, the boys headed over to the USS Alabama, a monstrous battleship now retired in Mobile Bay.

To cap off their Daphne experience, the stallions needed a fresh seafood meal from none other than Ed’s Family Seafood Restaurant. The view over the bay was excellent and the food even better. However, the best part came at the end, when the General Manager Dale bought the boys their lunch for no reason other than they were on the Campaign and decided to visit. Daphne sure knew how to treat its guests. The stallions were blown right out of the water!

Now it was on to Niceville, FL, where they hoped to connect with Judd’s mom for what was sure to be a fitting destination before head back north on their return trip!