Day 17 Week 3

Hickory North Carolina. Had a forced rest day today. I had felt a head cold coming on for the last few days and it caught up with me last night. I didn’t sleep a wink, not a single wink. So when I got up this morning, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to drive feeling like this. The head ached, the sinus’s were so blocked my teeth actually ached.  You have to drive with your head on a swivel and really have your wits about you around here so I went to a Drug Store and stocked up on meds. I went back to bed and slept most of the day. I must be feeling better because I just went next door to Hooters for tea. I had Glazed BBQ Ribs and curly fries and a piece of chocolate mousse cake washed down with a Bud. I really didn’t particularly want the cake but these girls have a knack of convincing you that you want it. (I think she actually just said "Would you like desert? in that southern drawl and I was in)

Tomorrow I will join the Blue Ridge Parkway at a little place called Blowing Rock. Be good to get back up into the mountains.

Day 16 Week 3

Explored the Blue Ridge Mountains today from Georgia into North Carolina. This is real Red Neck country around here and that isn’t an insult. They are proud of it.  Deliverance was filmed about an hour from here. They are celebrating the 40^th Anniversary of the making of the movie this year. I came across a little service station called Clay’s Corner in the town of Brasstown, North Carolina.

 Clay's Corner, Brasstown, North Carolina. Home of the possum drop.

They host the original New Years Eve Possum Drop. Just like in times square these ‘Hillbillies’ drop their equivalent of the ball. A live possum. It used to be dropped freefall but PETA got onto it and now they have to place it in a glass box and lower it slowly to the ground. It is then let go. Even that doesn’t satisfy PETA and they are constantly trying to stop it all together.

I continued on through the mountains further into North Carolina. The amount of people on the east coast is unbelievable. I thought I had seen a lot of people travelling around up till now, but the numbers have increased dramatically since I have come out of the mountains. I think I will visit the sites and people I want to see on this side of the country and get back out into the country. ASAP.

Day 15 Week 3

I visited the Chickamauga Battle field this morning. Chickamauga is inside the Georgian border just south of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

On my way to the battle field, I came across a fellow, Matt Fox, who collects old Jeeps. He mainly strips them and sells the parts on Ebay now. Although he had a couple in restoration while I was there.  He has the biggest collection of jeep parts I have ever seen.

I spent about an hour talking to Matt and at the end he pulled out his bucket of war relics he had collected from around the countryside near his property. He gave me a few interesting bits and pieces as souvenirs.

These three bullets are particularly interesting. They are Union .58 calibre minie balls. The one on the left has been stuck in the barrel and has been 'pulled'. There is a tell tale corkscew hole in the top where they have screwed a puller into the bullet and pulled it out.

The second is a Type 3 Williams 'Cleaner'. It has a zinc plate on the bottom which when fired, is pushed forward and expands on the bottom of the projectile and drags out any build up of black powder residue and lead. The troops were supposed to use one of these after every three normal bullets but they were very prone to failure. The zinc plate would often come off and get stuck in the barrel causing an obstruction. The troops rapidly lost confidence in these and most are found as 'drops' from where the troops threw them away.

The third is a 'chewed' bullet. The troops on both sides would regularly chew bullets because the lead juice tasted sweet. These are mostly found around encampment sites.  I have to admit, I used to chew air rifle slugs when out plinking.

This is a button that was used as a replacement for lost uniform buttons. It was carried by 'hawkers' who would follow the troops around selling them supplies. It is called a 'Cowboy' button.

After visiting Matt, I continued on to the Battle field and Visitors centre. The Battle of Chickamauga has been referred to as the south’s Gettysburg.  It is has the 2^nd highest casualty rates of the War, 2^nd only to Gettysburg.

The battle lasted two days and involved 66,000 Confederate troops and 58,000 Union troops. In the end the Union had lost approximately 16,000 troops, dead, wounded, captured or missing. The Confederacy had won the battle but had lost about 18,500 troops dead, wounded captured or missing.

The reason for the battle was the Union's attempt to capture the city of Chattanooga on the Tennessee/Georgia border. Chattanooga was considered the gateway to the south with the Tennessee River and all roads and railway lines running through the city. The South won the battle and pushed the Union troops back into Tennessee. The Confederates held the surrounding mountains for the next two months before they were finally pushed back after the Battle of Missionary Ridge. This opened up the south for the Union General WT Sherman’s ‘March to the sea’, burning and pillaging everything in his wake. Including Atlanta.

Visitors centre

Small portion of the Fuller gun collection in the Visitors centre

I spent about 4 hours poking around the battle field and visitors centre. I then went for a drive to Chattanooga in Tennessee, via Missionary Ridge.  While I was in Chattanooga, I had a $10.00 hair cut at a little barber shop I found.

I drove back into Georgia because I wanted to travel east through the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains into North Carolina. So that’s where I am tonight. Ellijay, Georgia, at the southern end of the Appalachian Trail and the beginning of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

This is a web site of the region,

http://www.gilmerchamber.com/default.htm

The country is beautiful around here. I found the most amazing antique store which I would have loved to have gotten inside for a look around  but it was about 18.20hrs and they were closed. It must be a really honest community around here because heaps of stuff was just left outside for anyone to look at.

I pulled over in a nearby town to check my maps and accommodation guide because it was getting on to that time of evening. I had stopped in a 'no stopping' zone but I could see no reason for it and  I had to decide which way to go fairly rapidly or I would be pushed out of town and have to double back etc. Anyway, I got busted. A State Trooper pulled up behind me to check me out.

Tomorrow I am heading off into the mountains towards North Carolina or somewhere that way.

Day 14 Week 2

Visited the ‘Home of the Tuskegee Airmen’ today. Moton airfield was the primary flight training field for the Tuskegee Airmen. The hanger that the National Parks Service has set up the museum up in, is the original hanger used by the Black trainee pilots. All the surrounding buildings are preserved in as close to the original condition as possible. It is quite a good display.

After this, I travelled slowly through the Georgian back country heading up to the battle field of Chickamauga in the north of the State. I met a number of colourful characters along the way.

Steve Shirah

 Steve and his brother Wayne

This is the 'old' Georgian State flag that Steve gave me. It was the official flag from 1956 - 2001. The Government caved in to pressure to replace it because it had the Conferderate Battle flag on it. There were heaps of protest marches and petitions to keep it but the government went ahead and changed it anyway.

The countryside is beautiful around here.  A lot of ruins scattered throughout the bush.

I am in the town of Rome tonight. I will push on up to Chickamauga in the morning and then travel east through Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains into North Carolina.

Day 13 Week 2

I Took the ferry back over to Gees Bend this morning to get Laraine her quilts. I ended up getting two. Both handmade by the local ladies.  The ferry didn’t leave until 11.15 so I had a bit of time to look around Camden and talk to the locals. Met some really nice people.  

These are the quilts I bought her.

The houses are really cheap around here. This house had a for sale sign out the front so I went for a look. It was empty so I took a look around the outside.

I checked out the realtors website and it is listed for $187,000. A lot of the smaller 3 bdrm homes are around the $30,000 mark.

After I had finished with the ladies, I headed off towards Georgia. I stopped at the town of Selma and spent a few hours looking at museums and touring the town.

Tonight I am at Tuskegee, the home of the ‘Airmen’. Tomorrow morning I will be visiting the museum dedicated to them and then heading to Atlanta.

Day 12 Week 2

Had a bit of a look around Indianola, Mississippi this morning. Went to the BB King Blues museum. BB King grew up in Indianola and comes back every year for a welcome home parade. Indianola is in the heart of the ‘Mississippi Delta’ the home of the Delta blues etc. The Delta that they are referring to, isn’t really a delta but a Mississippi River flood plain that extends from Memphis in the north to Vicksburg in the south.  The soils are rich in nutrients from previous floods and make for excellent agricultural use. Cotton is very big around here. The true Delta is the Mississippi River Delta where it joins the sea about 300 miles south.

From here, I headed over to Alabama to a place called Gees Bend. You won’t find it on the maps because it is so small. I had a heck of a time finding it. If you look up Boykin AL in Google maps you are in the right vacinity. You can even see the path the ferry takes on the river. I had to flag down a local for final instructions. It is way, way off the tourist routes and deep in Alabama. Every local I speak to says “What are doing here?” They never get visitors down these parts. I am here on an errand from Laraine to see some ladies about quilts. Their web site is:

http://www.quiltsofgeesbend.com/

This is Mary Ann Petway. She is the Director of the Gees Bend Quilt Collective 

To get back to the nearest town with accommodation, Camden AL, I had to take the ferry or do about a 40 minute drive. I was the only car on the ferry. Total cost....$3.00.  I will going back over the river tomorrow to finish up with the ladies.

Coming in to dock

The houses around here are lovely. Everything is lush and green and all the trees have their spring leaves. Most the homes have expansive lawns of about 3-4 acres by the looks of them.

Tomorrow after I finish, I am headed towards Georgia. I’ll see how far I get.

Day 11 Week 2

Today I am in the heart of the Confederate States of America. Well, what used to be. I am in the Deep South, Indianola Mississippi. Home of the Delta Blues.

 Crossing the Mississippi River

It's a big river

I'm home at last

I travelled across Oklahoma and through Arkansas today, right across Tornado Alley, during the Tornado season, hoping to see at least one and just my luck, the sky was blue and not a leaf on a tree was moving. It was actually really HOT today. It was 81 degrees which is about 27.5 Celcius. Not too hot normally but the humidity really added to the hotosity factor.

Arkansas was really nice. Everything was lush and green and thick with trees. I mean thick. You would really struggle to walk through the bush.

 Typical Arkansas countryside

I couldn’t get over the amount of eagles in Arkansas. There were a few in Oklahoma but in Arkansas, they were as common as Magpies back home. Every few miles there would be one or two circling the Interstate. There was a lot of road kill, so I suppose they have it worked out. One spot there was about 12 of them circling around. I tried to take a pic but it didn’t work real well.

It has been really interesting noticing the changing accents as I travel east and now south as well. I was talking to a fellow in a service station in Pine Bluff Arkansas and his southern drawl was such that I could hardly understand him and he couldn’t understand me so it was like a comedy act. Both speaking the Queens English but asking each other to repeat what we were saying. We had a laugh about it afterwards.   He was filling his car on the other side of the bowsers to mine.

So far I have done 3096 miles or 4982.52 Kilometres since picking up the car. About a quarter of the way.

I think I will spend a few days in the South poking about. There is a lot of Civil War history down here so I will see how it goes.  The people here have been really nice.

Day 10 Week 2

Quiet day today. Drove from Trinidad in Colorado to Shawnee just outside Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 519 miles. Very little to see in NE New Mexico or through the top of Texas for that matter. As flat as a billiard table with farm paddocks dotted with oil rigs. They are everywhere. In the main street of towns and people even have them in their yards.....as you would I suppose.

North East New Mexico

Texas

Miles of nothing in Texas

I stopped for a snack at a little rest stop just north of Shamrock TX. It was still early so I pushed on into Oklahoma. I am making up some time today because I have decided to head further south because I have to run an errand to Alabama and pick something up.

Oklahoma is full of Wind farms.

Oklahoma City - Dirty windscreen

Tomorrow I am heading for Arkansas and maybe Mississippi if I get that far.