2025 Late-Summer Road Trip - Day 25-of-35 - September 7, 2025

Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025 - Visit Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, and the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts - 574 miles ending up at Super 8, Indianola, MS:

I was originally just going to head west to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art (Memphis), the Dixon Gallery & Gardens (Memphis), and then the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (Little Rock):

but this morning I noticed, down in the lower right Muscle Shoals, Alabama, home of the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios:

Along with Sun Studios up in Memphis, Muscle Shoals Sound Studios is an ICONIC AMERICAN Sound Studio. It was where The Rolling Stones recorded "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses" - I'll just copy-and-paste from Wikipedia: "Over the years, artists who recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio included Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Percy Sledge, Willie Nelson, Duane Allman, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe Cocker, Levon Helm, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Cat Stevens, Jimmy Cliff, Cher, George Michael, and the Black Keys." This is where Boz Scaggs recorded his debut solo album in 1969. Duane Allman was a session guitarist here.

So I am definitely making this a stop this morning!

This is what 7 AM in southern Tennessee looks like:

I was able to attend Church (and watch my wonderful wife!):

Crossing over Cypress Creek in south Tennessee:

I crossed into Alabama at 10:05

and reached the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios a little after 11 - VERY COOL. As I was leaving, 4 guys with guitars were going in to do some recording:

This was in Tuscumbia, Alabama - 691 miles away from Key West, as the crow flys:

Nice Mississippi countryside:

My route took me up through Memphis, but I was running too late to see either the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art or the Dixon Gallery & Gardens - maybe next time. I crossed into Arkansas at 3 PM, and reached Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts at 4:40 - hey, I can do a museum in 20 minutes!

Michele Marieschi - "The Rialto Bridge, Venice", circa 1740 oil:

Michele Marieschi - "The Grand Canal, Venice, with the Dogana di Mare and Basilica Santa Maria della Salute,", circa 1740 oil:

Albert Bierstadt - "Pacific Northwest Coastline", 1881 oil:

The Interior Spaces are quite lovely, too:

That was a nice 20-minute-walk:

Heading southeast, it turns out that I am traveling on the Delta Rhythm & Bayous Highway:

A pretty Arkansas Sunset:

Around 9 PM, I checked into the Super 8, Indianola, MS (picture from the next morning):