Texas 2024:
Day 9 - Heading Home

	Thursday, April 18, 2024: We were out of the hotel right just after sunrise, and picked up breakfast at Wendy's before heading north toward Atlanta.
	By 9:00 AM, we were deep in Atlanta traffic, but since we were early for our first stop, ...
	... we paid a visit to Mr. Clean car wash and got all of the bug carcasses and the thick layer of dust off the van.
	After the van was clean, we drove to our first stop of the day, ...
	... the LEGO Store at Sugarloaf Mills.
	We were still a few minutes early, so we looked at the displays in the front window. Here's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, ...
	... and a Dreamzzz character in translucent green, ...
	... and a giant minifig holding a hotdog.
	While bantering with an employee, Debbie mentioned that we'd visited many of the LEGO Stores in the US, and he suggested that they get their store stamp out of the way first thing.
	Meanwhile, Tom checked out some of the new models that he might want to buy. This Star Wars model, the Tantive IV Blockade Runner, was definitely a candidate, ...
	... as was this moving model of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.
	When it came time to check out, somehow we purchased three sets, one small Pick & Build box, and a received a free gift with purchase. It's weird how often that happens.
	45 minutes later, we were at the North Point Mall, ...
	... at a different LEGO Store.
	We only made one purchase here, ...
	... Isabela's Flowerpot, a LEGO Friends model based on a character from Disney's movie Encanto.
	As we were leaving, we followed a fleet of new Amazon delivery trucks across town, ...
	... to Del Taco. We were thrilled that Del Taco has made it to the eastern US, ...
	... and even more excited that Debbie's favorite menu item ever was back.
	This is the crispy jumbo shrimp burrito, which according to Debbie, is the finest food that Del Taco has ever made.
	Our next stop was at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. We paid our entrance fee and headed straight to the train section, ...
	... admiring the various train car displays, ...
	... as we made our way to the Georgia Merci Train Boxcar exhibit.
	There was lots of information about the Merci Train that we hadn't seen before, ...
	... including this flip-card display showing photos that matched the shields on the boxcar and including some information about the provinces of France. The exhibit was in a children's interactive learning area, so it was a great way to get kids interested in one of the most visually recognizable features of the boxcar.
	The boxcar itself was in great shape, with the most unique feature of this one being that the wooden provincial shields had been replaced with flat painted sheet metal versions.
	The back of this boxcar was completely empty, ...
	... but there was a dedication plaque on the end of the car, placed there when it had been refurbished last in 1990.
	Painted on the wall near the boxcar was a quote from a French World War II veteran who communicated the meaning behind the Merci Train.
	There was a display case showing some of the items contained in Georgia's boxcar.
	One of the items was a collection of French military medals, including the Legion of Honor, France's highest order of merit.
	There was a short video that explained the history of the Merci Train, ...
	... showing the ship that carried the train arriving in New York harbor in 1949.
	The video showed clips of several other Merci Boxcars including the one from Kansas, ...
	... Maryland, ...
	... and Mississippi, all of which we've visited on our travels.
	On the way out of the exhibit, we passed this immaculately preserved locomotive that used to be part of the Western & Atlantic Railroad.
	Outside Dalton, Georgia, we briefly exited the highway to get a photo of this Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails sign.
	As we entered Tennessee, it was a little rough to drive 55 MPH after driving through Texas where the speed limit was either 75 or 80 MPH.
	Shortly after we crossed the border, a truck through up a rock that chipped our windshield. It was the second one of this trip, but not to worry, we carry a windshield repair kit with us when we travel.
	Our plan when we'd started the day had been to drive to Kentucky and get a hotel room, and then finish the drive home on the next day. At this point, we decided that since it was such a nice day and it was only seven more hours to get home, why don't we just push on and get home tonight?
	We stopped at Bojangles for some delicious chicken tenders, ...
	... and kept driving north on I-75. We had decided to avoid the traffic between Chattanooga and Nashville and continue north on I-75 through Knoxville and Cincinnati.
	The scenery was really pretty, ...
	... with rolling hills and trees in bloom.
	Welcome to Kentucky.
	Several hours later, we crossed the Ohio River, and started the multi-state zig-zag on I-275 that takes you from Kentucky to ...
	... Indiana, ...
	... before going to Ohio. We were only in Ohio for a few minutes before we headed northwest ...
	... and were back in Indiana. We got home a few hours later, having driven almost 4,500 miles over nine days.  ** THE END **