South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky - Mar. 21 - Apr. 23, 2007
Sounds like we are trying to outrun the law - or, given the time of year, the IRS. But that isn't the case. Honest.
After leaving Jacksonville we were on a mission to Wakarusa, Indiana to pick-up our new Monaco Diplomat motorcoach - ETA: May 1. Although we were moving fast (by our standards), we wanted to see a few sights, meet a few people and install a few satellite systems along the way.
Georgia-South Carolina - March 21 - 27
We left Florida bound for Savannah on March 21. Our home for the week was across the Savannah River in Hardeeville, South Carolina, equidistance between Savannah and Hilton Head. The park owners were very pleasant and the park somewhat like an open field with utilities. Open was important since we were configuring a few systems and needed a clear view of the southern sky.
Our first excursion was to Savannah. What a beautiful city. No wonder the citizens surrendered the city rather than have Sherman torch it. The historic area comprises beautiful homes and businesses centered around 21 town squares, and a warehouse district, called the Factors, along the river. We were fortunate to see the city while she was dressed in her best finery of azaleas and dogwoods, beautifully accessorized by Spanish moss.
The best seller Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt has resulted in a new tourist niche over the past decade and many of the homes and clubs featured in the book are noted on the self-guided walking map. Bill bought a copy of the book just to figure out what Susan and the information signs were talking about, but hasn't actually read it yet.
We returned to Savannah several days later to meet Ralph and Jeanne (see Key West and Space Coast) for lunch at Paula Dean's "Lady and Sons" restaurant. To say the restaurant is very popular is a major understatement. Unfortunately, the restaurant doesn't take reservations, so Ralph and Jeanne arrived at the restaurant at 10:00 am to put our names on the lunch list. Alas, fine dining was not to be. Apparently, one has cue up by 8:00 am to get on the list - but it was a valiant effort.
We quickly altered our plans and the four of us met along the Factors Walk area by the river. We found Fiddler's Crabhouse with a wonderful view for lunch. After lunch we did a bit of strolling along the Factors Walk then climbed the steps to city level to admire more of this gracious town.
Our next excursion was through the South Carolina Low Country to Hilton Head for a bit of biking around the island. After fueling ourselves at "The Crazy Crab" we hit the bike path. The public bike paths wind around the fifteen golf courses and upscale-gated communities that occupy this 42 square mile island. What is really is cool is that you can ride your bike on the hard-packed white sand beaches. It was quite an experience to ride along the smooth beach maintaining a pace with the dolphins swimming just off shore.
One of Susan's favorite movies is "The Big Chill" so off we went to Beaufort, SC on the way we took a side trip to the Old Sheldon Church Ruins. The original Church of Prince William's Parish was built between 1745 and 1755. The British army burned it in 1799 during the Revolutionary War. It was rebuilt in 1826 and renamed Sheldon Church of Prince William's Parish, only to face conflagration again at the hands of Sherman's army in 1865 during the Civil War. Today, dogwoods and huge oaks surround the beautiful red brick ruins. This is a "must see" if in the area.
Beaufort is the embodiment of the South Carolina Low Country - picturesque tidewaters dotted with fishing and shrimp boats, slow meandering rivers, grand oaks shading narrow streets and graceful homes dating to the 1780's. It is a setting directly out of a Pat Conroy novel. We strolled the historic residential section, peeping over hedges and through fences to get better views of the lovely old homes, admiring the views and enjoying the slow pace of the town.
White Oak Creek, Alabama - March 28 - 29
Bill had been in contact with, Susan F. regarding hands-on installation and training for a satellite system. We determined our travels would take us within 100 miles of one another so made a date to meet at a Corp of Engineers Camp at White Oak Creek, located on the Georgia-Alabama state line. On March 28th we drove across Georgia, passing through tall pines, rolling farmland and small towns. We noted that the edge of the pine forests were being devoured by blooming wisteria that grows like a parasitic vine in this part of the country.
We arrived at White Oak Creek in late afternoon and were very pleased. What a lovely location. Our camp was right on the lake and we loved it. Susan F. came over to greet us upon our arrival. She was very excited about the prospect of finally getting unlimited Internet access and, after many phone and e-mail conversations, to meet Bill face to face.
The next couple of days Bill spent setting up Susan F's system and instructing her how to set it up, point it, get on-line, etc. Meanwhile, Susan D was basking in the sun, taking little hikes, and visiting with Gus, Susan F's very interesting dog. Life is good.
Americus, Georgia - March 30 - April 6
While staying in Bonita Springs, FL, our neighbors Mary Beth and Steve told us about how lovely Americus and Plains, Georgia is in the spring. Another Bonita Springs acquaintance mentioned his affiliation with Habitat for Humanity and their 'Care-a-Vanners' program for RVers. We decided it deserved a stop, so we were off to the Brickyard RV Park just south of Americus.
The Brickyard is a relatively austere park with two major attributes - very friendly folks and a wonderful 27-hole golf course. RV park patrons can play as many holes as desired for less than $10. What a find.
Sadly, Americus suffered considerable damage during the early March tornados that ripped through Alabama and Georgia. It was our first experience at seeing the devastation a tornado can wrought and it reinforced are awe and respect for this unpredictable weather event.
While in Americus we visited Plains - and all things Jimmy Carter. President Carter was born, raised, married, and, when not performing his diplomatic and charity work, still lives in and teaches Sunday school at the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia. From the old high school to the railroad station, this tiny village is practically a shrine to the 39th President. We speculated on how full and satisfying President and Rosalynn Carter's lives must be in the warmth and love of this community.
We visited Habitat for Humanity headquarters, picked up some literature and strolled through the recreation of a Third World slum, and samples of Habitat's dwellings built around the world. It was a very instructive view of the possibilities of human compassion and cooperation. One especially poignant habitat was a home built of native materials in Sri Lanka. The walls were hung with drawings made by children that survived the 2004 tsunami.
The big event for Susan was driving north to meet Sylvia, one of her fellow Sacramento book club members. Sylvia and her husband moved to Warner Robins just south of Macon last fall and are in the process of building their home. They are currently living in an apartment stacked with moving boxes, or as Sylvia refers to it, their 'climate controlled storage facility'. So Susan and Sylvia rented a restaurant booth for a couple of hours for their reunion. It was more than wonderful to reconnect with an old friend.
Choestoe Falls, Georgia - April 7 - 11
Point'nSurf once again took us to a place we did not expect to go; to meet people we wouldn't otherwise encounter. This experience has confirmed that personal instruction is our business model of choice.
On April 7th we drove north through the seemingly endless Atlanta sprawl, into the Blue Ridge Mountains to Choestoe Falls, near Blairsville, to meet Dennis and Joyce. We parked at their neighbor's lot who had not yet returned for the season. What a fabulous setting and wonderful people. Unfortunately, it was during the spring freeze that hit the eastern states and it was bloody cold. It didn't get above freezing until after noon, which made working outside quite uncomfortable. OK, so we're wimps, we admit it.
Bill and Dennis spent a day on setting up the system. Then the next two days we spent setting up, calibrating, packing and shipping two additional systems. Our little fingers were cracked and frozen. Yeah, yeah - wimps.
Between shivering and satellite business we got some visiting in and discovered that we were all going to be in Nova Scotia in August and promised to make a point to meet up. Dennis and Joyce graciously took us to dinner and a took us on a driving tour around the beautiful mountains on our last evening in the Blue Ridge. Very nice. Thanks!
Nashville, Tennessee - April 12 - 18
On Tuesday morning we reluctantly moved north, through North Carolina toward the Nashville Country RV Park, just north of Nashville. We were not thrilled with our new home in the shadow of I-65, but one has to live with one's choices.
Our first outing was to visit downtown Music City and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Not being big country music fans, we were surprised at how much we enjoyed the museum. Susan was surprised to learn that much of the music she listened to in her pre-teen years was considered country.
The museum traced the evolution of country, gospel, hillbilly and rock-a-billy music - and the artist's instruments and costumes. Hank Snow's costumes were really amazing. The museum boasted Elvis's Cadillac painted with crushed diamonds, and his gold plated baby grand piano. It also displayed honky-tonk singer Webb Pierce's amazing silver dollar convertible Bonneville with its silver six-shooter door handles and longhorn steer hood ornament.
The museum got us in the mood for some honky-tonk so we ambled over to Broadway for a beer and some 'pass the hat' live music. Broadway has numerous no-cover-charge, honky-tonks offering live music 18-hours a day.
After a trip to Lebanon, TN to have some work done on the truck we stopped at The Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson's home. We enjoyed touring the home and grounds in spite of it being a dreary day. The Greek revival home is restored to its appearance during Jackson's post presidential residence, including the beautiful imported French wallpaper, furniture and flooring. The grounds include former slave quarters, farm buildings and President and Rachel Jackson's graves.
On our one sunny day in Music City we headed for Centennial Park to stretch our legs and view the Parthenon. Originally built as a centerpiece for Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition, the Parthenon now serves as an art museum. Unfortunately, the sunny day fell on a Monday so the museum was closed and we didn't get to see the 41-foot, gold-gilded Athena Parthenos statue inside. We were very impressed with the structure and enjoyed our power walk laps around the park.
Louisville, Kentucky - April 19 - 23
Susan was way too excited as we headed north to Louisville to pick-up the Honda CR-V from Bob Montgomery Honda which we ordered while in Jacksonville. We stayed at the very pleasant and quiet Shepherdsville KOA south of Louisville. The new managers were working diligently to spruce up the campground before the hordes arrived for Derby Week. The park encompassed a very pleasant 2-mile walking path along the Salt River which was great for evening strolls.
Back to the Honda. Jeremy at Bob Montgomery was great. He managed to find the model and color we were looking for and had it on the lot when we arrived. It even had a few unanticipated accessories already installed. It is liberating to have a small, maneuverable, fuel-efficient vehicle to do our running around.
Besides picking up the car, aka 'Kermit' (because it is green and will be 'toad' by the coach), installing some Honda accessories, having the Sirius radio uninstalled from the truck, and checking out various navigation systems we did very little while in Louisville. However, on one lovely morning we took a hike and did a little geocaching in the beautiful Bernheim Arboretum, but that was about it.
With much excitement and anticipation we hitched up and headed north to pick up our new home in Wakarusa, Indiana. We planned to stay at the Goshen Fairgrounds RV Park for a couple of days then park at DeMartini RV to switch our worldly belongings from the Mirage and truck to the motorcoach. The saga of the new motorcoach will continue in the next installment.
