SPARTANBURG,SC

Feb 5th - Friday

We left Spartanburg, SC at 10:30 am in heavy rain with storm warnings of snow and ice. Our goal was to get ahead of the storm, in fact that has been the mission, as there have been warnings of 20-25 inches of snow!! Good reason to go south……

Lou drove 530 miles yesterday, trying to get as far away from the storm as possible, but both of us decided we were too old to do this anymore, the shorter trips are much easier on the old bodies.

We drove past a BMW plant and show room and it was very impressive, this was in Greenville, SC. We also noted that Hartwell Lake near the Georgia line was full and there were many streams that were flooded and of course, the mud was all red clay. I remember the first time I saw the red clay mud, I asked about it and I was told that many southern boys died in the Civil War and their blood was still in the soil. I can remember be embarrassed to have remarked about the color and didn’t know for several years that wasn’t the case.

We gassed up at Flying J and I quickly made sandwiches and walked Estee in the rain, and we were back on the road. We called Warner Robins and made reservations for tonight, so we wouldn’t have problems if it were late with the heavy rain.

We traveled route 129 through Athens, GA and found beautiful green fields that were populated with black angus and horses. The boundaries were all marked with beautiful white vinyl fences.

In Madison, GA we saw large three story homes in rural settings, all looked a bit threatened by the high water and the heavy rain that was still coming down. The temperature was 45 degrees, so we didn’t have to worry about it freezing. There also may well kept pecan orchards and a world of gourds that were arranged many different ways to make homes for Purple Martins.

As we traveled through Ononee National Forest we turned off the radio and enjoyed listening to Johnny Cash’s new release of his mother’s favorite hymns. As we approached Macon in a lighter rain, we saw people along the road selling boiled peanuts. Neither Lou nor I care for them, so we drove on past. I had always thought the only reason they sold them boiled, as they had to get them clean somehow, so why not add some salt and them sell them?

Noticed a sign that caught my eye.. “Trails End Taxidermy”, now doesn’t that just about say it all?

We arrived at Warner Robins Air Force Base at 4:30 pm and the rain had just about stopped; however, traffic on the base was heavy and the police told Lou they would give us a police escort to the RV Campgrounds. So with flashing blue lights ahead of us, we started to the campground; however, one police car didn’t know what was happening, he simply saw us run a red light and he was in pursuit of us from the rear. I was busy trying to get a picture of the escort and I should have turned around and have a picture of the red lights flashing behind us. The two cars got together on the radio and cancelled the pursuit and we continued on to our campsite.

We have a lovely campsite in the pine forest with a beautiful lake, running trails, and anything else you could ask for. We quickly unhooked and while we were doing that we heard “Taps” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” being played, Lou jumped to his feet and saluted, before I realized what was happening. Old habits die hard!

We decided we needed to stay an extra night, so we could look around more in the daylight. This is the Air Force base Lou retired from in 1966.

As I went out to walk Estee in the evening, I heard Peepers!! That made my day, and with Lou’s new hearing aids he could also hear them.