Summary

The author reflects on the personal and professional changes experienced over twenty years in Alabama, with Interstate 65 serving as a constant and reliable presence throughout their journey.

Abstract

The article titled "I-65: If This Road Could Talk" is a personal narrative by the author, who arrived in Alabama in 1995 with little more than a duffle bag and a sense of optimism. Over the years, the author has witnessed significant changes in their life and surroundings, yet Interstate 65 has remained a steadfast fixture. This highway, spanning from the Gulf of Mexico to Indiana, has been a source of stability and reflection for the author, witnessing their transitions through multiple jobs, vehicles, and personal challenges. The author also recounts the emotional impact of a specific billboard near Prattville, Alabama, which serves as a stark reminder of the region's cultural and religious undertones. Despite the changes and the haunting presence of the billboard's message, I-65 has been a dependable throughline, carrying the author through various life phases and offering a scenic connection to cherished memories and destinations.

Opinions

The author views I-65 not just as a highway but as a symbol of reliability and centering in their life, providing a sense of continuity amidst change.
The iconic sign outside Prattville, with its religious message, has left a lasting impression on the author, prompting introspection and occasional unease.
The author acknowledges the cultural significance of the sign, recognizing its power to evoke childhood memories and influence behavior, despite the passage of time and personal growth.
Despite the tragic accidents and deaths that have occurred on I-65, the author maintains a reverence for the highway, emphasizing its role in their life's journey.
The author expresses a deep connection to the Alabama landscape, appreciating its beauty and diversity as experienced through travels on I-65.
The highway is personified as a reliable companion, expected to be there for the author until the end of their journey.

I-65: If This Road Could Talk

Road Inspired Revelry

Post #9 of #20: I’m reflecting on twenty years of personal and professional experiences in Birmingham and beyond. Visit www.medium.com/HonestlyEd to read the full #20For20 series.

There have been very few constants in my life since I arrived in Alabama in January 1995. I departed the Greyhound station with a duffle bag over my shoulder and a glean in my eye as I headed to winter orientation as a transfer student at Alabama State University.

The duffle bag is long gone, the glean in my eye has been traded in for a pair of eyeglasses, and even the campus of my alma mater looks radically different than it did since the day I arrived. So many incredible changes, so many personal revolutions.

One thing has remained constant: I-65.

Interstate 65 is one of the longest north-south federal highways in the United States, connecting from the Gulf of Mexico in Mobile, Alabama all the way up to Gary, Indiana, right outside of Chicago. It is hard to get lost on I-65. It is ridiculously reliable, with only one major bend around Indianapolis, Indiana.

This highway has been a dependable centerline throughout my entire journey in Alabama. It has centered me when I have strayed from my life path. It has anchored me when I have been rocked by life’s storms. More than a dozen jobs, five vehicles, and a few heartbreaks; I have driven I-65 in all conditions of weather, of the heart, and of the mind.

If only this road could talk.

My hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is exactly 12 hours from Montgomery, Alabama with four stops for gas and a couple of bathroom breaks. It can be completed in one long driving shift if one keeps up a speed of 80 miles per hour all the way through. It is best to leave at 4:00 am to beat Nashville or Chicago morning rush hour and it is best to plan out music, audiobooks, and phone calls.

As a college student, I can recall driving home for summers and holidays. There were always a lot of kids from the Midwest and South going to and from school. Though we were all familiar with the road, invariably each year there would be a student from the university that would die in a tragic accident on the road. No drinking, no texting, just young and likely distracted in some way. Tragic. I-65 knows death.

I-65 will consume you if you let it.

Go to church or the devil will get you.

But, what really makes I-65 different than any other highway in America is the iconic sign that sits right outside of Prattville, Alabama. The sign is straight to the point with its admonition: “Go to church or the devil will get you.”

I remember seeing this sign for the first time and chuckling in disbelief. “What?!” It is not the saying itself that conjures disbelief, of course, we have all heard it before whether or not we believe in the church or the devil. It’s the fact that the saying is plastered on a small billboard on private property with the clearest and most enviable line of sight of nearly any billboard in Alabama. Enough to make Alexander Shunnarah do a double take.

What makes the billboard so distinctive is the large, old-time water wheel that sits just to the front-left of the sign. And, nothing surrounds it. Just a massive green space, auspiciously carved out by God’s hand so that his dutiful servant might present His solitary command: Go to church or the devil will get you.

I won’t lie, the sign affected me a time or two.

Early in my career, I commuted to Birmingham from Montgomery. I got used to leaving at the perfect time to avoid (the now unavoidable) Birmingham morning traffic on I-65. I got used to the consistent 4-degree temperature difference between the two cities. And, I even got used to the large fuel bill at $1.51 per gallon.

But, I couldn’t get used to that sign. It haunted me. It haunted all who encountered it and still does. What is one to think after reading it? It triggers memories of sitting in Sunday School as a child facing an uncreative teacher who, exasperated with trying to interpret scripture, finally resorts to good old-fashioned fear-mongering: Go to church or the devil will get you. Plain and simple. Don’t overthink it, just go to church and get the devil off your back.

Somehow it still works. There always seemed to be a devil on my back. I’d think, ‘Maybe I should just go to church.’

In 2016, a storm tore the sign down. Another version of it popped up in its place. It wasn’t the exact same, but it was a suitable replica of the original. You see, even that sign was toppled, yet I-65 remained the same.

She is more reliable for the sure-footed faithful.

I-65 has carried me to and fro for more than 25 years now. I have enjoyed beautiful scenery driving to visit friends, loved ones, and the Magic City Classic.

I Am The Classic

25 Years: Birmingham, The Magic City Classic and Me

medium.com

From Appalachia to the Gulf Coast, I have enjoyed experiencing the wide range of Alabama’s topography, bio-diversity and people.

And, when I finish my tour of Alabama and this beautiful journey of life, you can rest assured that I-65 will be there to carry me home.

Honestly,

Ed.

I am celebrating 20 years in Birmingham and beyond with #20For20 — a series of reflections, insights and homages to my journey. Follow me on Medium, LinkedIn and Twitter to be notified of new posts.