2008=60 TOUR
SCOOTER CYCLE DIARIES
DAY 5
I was rudely awakened at 6 am by a clock radio blaring out country in western music. I was slightly confused as I am usually up before 6 and no one had set the alarm clock. My best guess is “Scoot” and done it to get me going. Another one of the mystic things that have been happening on the this trip. So, I loaded up me and “Scoot” and at 7am rolled off Pine Ridge Dr. and out of Manchester in a light rain.
If you are wondering about day 4 there was not one. It was spent with family and friends and you have your own stories about that. “Scoot” did try and pickup chicks while I was out roaming around.
The rain did not last long and we where rolling along under partly cloudy skies and a
comfortable temperature. The landscape began to vary more as we moved north in Georgia. Not quite as much timber and more open fields and farms. The homes started to improve and I went long stretches without seeing other cars. We circled the courthouse square in Thomaston and bypassed Burnsville, but not on purpose.
I stopped for gas outside Burnsville. Everywhere I stop people ask about the gas mileage.
Today I met Willie and he and I talked for awhile. He was the first to admit he had never seen
a scooter in person.
In Forsyth I made my first stop at a fast food joint on this trip. I needed a coffee and it was the only place open. Back on the highway pretty quick and traveling through some pretty areas to arrive in Monticello, Ga. Monticello is most proud of the home town girl, country and western singer Trisha Yearwood and have named a road “Trisha Yearwood Parkway”. I am more impressed with the fact that they filmed a lot of My Cousin Veny, with Joe Pesci at the courthouse, Daves BBQ and Soul Food, and a few other locations in the county.
In the rural south, everything closes on Sunday so I had to ride around town looking for an
open gas station. The 4th one, officially out of town in the wrong direction, was open. Fueled up and headed back into town. Just as we passed the city sign a big deer slowly loped across the road, over a fence through some ones yard, and disappeared.
are a different bred and mindset. Some posts are trying to adapt and change to attract the younger veterans but I am not sure it is working.younger veterans but I am not sure it is working.younger veterans but I am not sure it is working.
In Eatonton, we ran across some interesting things. I had passed the VFW 6686 but the
condition of the old anti-aircraft gun caught my attention and I turned around and went back. The gun was falling apart and had seen better days. The POW flag was tattered and torn reflecting the condition that the VFW, American Legion, and DAV are starting to find
themselves. Sadly their membership is dwindling as the old soldiers die off and present day soldiers are not joining. They
Right next door there was a sign for the Uncle Remus museum. Unfortunately, being Sunday, it was closed. I may come back this way just to see what it is all about.
From Eatoton we headed for an old friends house on Lake Occonnee. To get their house we got to do some “no line” roads and a goat track. The pictures do not do justice to the condition of the this road as we became “dirt bikers”. I am just glad it was not wet and muddy. It was well worth the adventure because at the end Roxanne and her husband ,Andy, where waiting with lunch and Roxanne's own home grown watermelon. Roxanne and I had learned to fly the Airbus together and I must say she was the most fun sim partner I have ever had. I had not met Andy, but he was eggar to meet me as we is on the opposite ends of the political spectrum. I had a great time talking to him. He owns a large successful veneer mill had has first hand knowledge about economics and government regulation. They have done a fantastic job of redoing a good old boys cabin. The down stairs had his and hers bathrooms with stalls. Lots of stuff had been ripped out and redone with Roxanne doing a lot of the tile work and other projects by herself. We said goodbye after several hours and a great visit, and I hit the road again.
A planned possible stop was Washington, Ga and I hit it at my desired quitting time of 3:30 pm, however, despite having several B&B's and an old restored hotel, it did not have the “feel” that I wanted to spend that night. So I continued on to SC and arrived at the McCormick Inn a little after 5pm. This was a much better choice.
machinery, though he never sat foot in it. He bought the land as a real estate speculation and it paid off. He was able to establish a cross roads of to railroad companies and their tracks on the property and the town of McCormick grew out of that.
The McCormick Inn was built in the 1800's as a hotel and been one most of it's life until the 1980's when a descendant of the original owner dead. The town took it for taxes and sold it for $200 to a local business. Lots of money was spent in restoration. It has passed through several owners and the newest owner is Paul and his wife who came from Washington state to try his hand. Everyone I have met on this trip has been friendly, but if I had the friendliest it would be the people of the McCormick Inn. As I was the only guest, got all the attention. The dinner was great except that being Sunday in SC there was no wine with the honey and pecan crusted brieor the mustard sauce pork chop. Thank you Paul, Mickey, Amy and Fred.
