Chatsworth through Macon, Georgia (April 1 - 4)

Wednesday, April 1 – It started sprinkling as I lie down last night and it rained all night long. At the top of Fort Mountain, it was 10 degrees colder, much windier, and darker than anywhere else I'd stayed yet on my trip. I slept like a baby and woke up before dawn. Pulling down my curtain, Dazey and I lay awake until daylight flooded the forest and the light rain stopped. A foggy damp morning, but we were cozy in our van. At 9am, we put the car into neutral and rolled 8 miles back into Chatsworth to pick up some coffee and find some trouble to get into before Logan got out of work.

I found a wireless hotspot, drank my coffee and tried to find some good geocaches around the area. There wasn't a whole lot. I did manage to find a nice spring with a little park. Dazey drank some spring water and we relaxed in the park for a bit. Finally it was getting close to noon, we headed over to the mall to wait for Logan to get out. I walked around the mall wile Dazey stayed in the car. The accent of northern Georgian is so interesting. You can hear the deep southern twang, but also a good bit of Appalachia as well. I bought a spill proof water bowl for Daze for in the car.

At 1:30 Logan called. I met him at the restaurant he worked at, Logan's Roadhouse. Everyone teases him that his name is the same as the place he works out, but I think It's pretty cool. It was great to see him, I didn't expect to ever see him again, and neither did he. His girlfriend Shae works there as well, and the three of us went back to his mom's.

We had big plans for the afternoon but nothing seemed to really get done. They were moving into a house together, and were just starting to move in. They still had no water, power, or any of their stuff. I offered my help and Logan and I drove to his dads house to get his truck so we could move some of his bigger things in.

Logan left his favorite couch in the barn of his friend Daniels' Farm for the past year. We went there to pick it up along with a couple tables. For some reason, Logan thought that a couch would be ok for a year under a tin roof with holes. The thing was covered in mildew and probably stuffed with all sorts of creepy crawlers by now. We grabbed the tables, hung out for a little bit with Daniel, and headed back to his new place.

Shae was waiting there. She was hungry and so were we, so we headed to get some fast food. Taco Bell saves the day again with a $3.50 meal. They picked up a box of wine and we went back to Logans' new place to have a bonfire. It turned out to be a really nice night, bonfire kept us warm and entertained, and Logan and Shae were happy to be hanging out at their own place. Around 10PM, they headed back to his mom's so they could shower and go to work in the morning, and Dazey and I retired to the Nar for another good nights sleep.

My favorite Logan quote of the day. "I think one of the most hippy things you can do is get an education. It's supposed to be about revolution and change. Too many "hippies" just sit around doing nothing. What good is that?"

Thursday, April 2 – It was very peaceful in the morning. No one walking around outside the van, no worries of anyone knocking on my windows or trying to break in to steal my i-pod. After waking up and seeing the serenity of the pond and the dewy trees, I decided to make a cup of coffee, finish reading my book (Anthem) and sit in my lawn chair and watch the world wake up on the back porch. A heron landed in the pond and started fishing, birds sang their morning song and flew after each other, and some cows lumbered over to the fence to stare at my stupidly. This truly was what I was looking for in rural Georgia.

Just after I finished my book and I was walking back to the car, Shae pulled in. She had gone to "Bo Jangles" and brought me a Cajun chicken biscuit for breakfast. Yum. She really is a sweetheart, I hope her and Logan do get married because that girl is a keeper. She also gave me directions to a waterfall nearby that is really hard to get to but if you find it its amazing. I listened carefully to the directions and twenty minutes later we were on the way.

To find these waterfalls I have to get to a place that isn't marked, in a place I have never been. I drove down Logans' road until it turned to a gravel road. Then I followed it up into the foothills of the mountains. Past the picnic area, the next parking area. Daze and I walked up the first quarter mile of trail and came to a river. Shae said that we will have to cross the river and may get wet depending on how much water flow. It had been raining the past week here and the water was still high from the winter melt. Looking for a better spot to cross, we walked upstream a couple hundred yards. Finally, I found a spot to cross without getting wet. I picked up Dazey (Splint cant get wet) and carried her across. I almost fell stepping to the last rock but we made it. Imagining the trail would be just up the hill, we headed up into the thick underbrush. No trail. We followed the river back downstream all the way to where we first saw it and saw that the trail crossed the east branch, then immediately crossed the west branch of the river.

There was no way to cross without getting wet over here. The east branch was all big rocks, this one was only little round ones. I took off my shoes, waded across, dropped off my bag and camera, then recrossed and brought Dazey over. The trail was much pine needles, and not as compressed as the first quarter mile of trail as not many people will cross two rivers to go see a waterfall, so I left my shoes off as we walked and my feet dried. I need to toughen up my feet anyways, I thought as we walked through the beautiful national forest. After a quarter mile, they were dry and I put my shoes back on. 100 feet later, the trail crossed the river again.

And one we went again, crossing and recrossing the river for three miles before we came to the waterfall. In all, I had carried Dazey across the river TEN times! The trail was great besides that, leading up the river through oak, sweet gum, and evergreen forests. The waterfalls were worth it though.

Emery Creek falls was a cascading waterfall, several drops with pools below each drop. When we got there, Dazey drank some water, (see picture) then we shared a Powerbar and hung out looking at its majesty. I hadn't taken a shower in over two days and there wasn't anyone around, so I stripped off my clothes and jumped into the frigid water. 50 degree water and 65 degree air makes for a quick swim. I did however dunk completely underwater and felt like I was pretty clean as I drip-dried and shivered on the bank of the river.

On the way back, I crossed the river 8 times. On the last two crossings, I attempted to stay on the one side so I didn't have to cross back a quarter mile down. The forest got so thick, and the banks of the river so steep, I soon realized it was worth the trouble to cross it twice. On the very last crossing of the deeper east branch,  I didn't really plan my crossing as I had already crossed 19 times. Halfway across, I started slipping into a deep pool and felt the current almost take me down. I lurched for the closest rock out of water, dropped Dazey onto it, and climbed on myself. Carefully crossing Daze from rock to rock, we made it over the final leg of our journey. We had walked about 7 miles, about half of that barefoot, and crossed the river 20 times. Dazey slept until we got back home.

I called Logan as I pulled into his driveway. "We on actually on the way over there now," he said. Minute later their other roommate Richard pulled in. He hadn't even seen his new home, so I gave him a little tour. Logan and Shae arrived with cleaning supplies, and we all started to wipe down, sweep and mop the house as it started pouring.

An hour later the house was clean and we were sitting in their new chairs and couch. The water was turned on now, but still no electric. Richard left to go eat with his Mom and Shae went to do something with her Mom as well. Logan and I messed around the house, getting really bored.

Finally we decided we were hungry and we needed something. Looking over my limited supply, we took a envelope of Ritz crackers, a can of anchovies and my bottle of hot sauce. Hunting for edible plants in the yard, we came back with Dandelion leave and violet blossoms. We ate crackers with the salty fish, hot sauce, and yard salad on it. Considering nothing above is too good alone, the mini sandwhiches were pretty good.

Shae and her mom came back with some supplies for the house and we all sat talking for a while. She gave Shae $20 so we all could get some food that night and she took off before too long. The three of us went and ate Mexican food while Dazey waited in the car. My mouth is watering now thinking about that great salsa.

Back at the dark house again, we sat around my candlelight talking. We decided to end the night early so we could get up early and have one last great adventure here in Chatsworth before I moved on to the next town. I fell asleep listening to the rain on the roof for the third night in a row.

Friday, April 3 – Waking up to songbirds again, it's a cloudy and cool morning. About 45 degrees, but the blue skies are on their way in. After a breakfast of grapes, I made some coffee and sat in my lawn chair with Dazey and called Delhi to try to get my ID again. They now told me that I had to come and pick it up from them, and they will be issuing a ticket. Police in NY never cease to amaze me. They lie to me, lead me on, and now want to give me a ticket.

The power truck came by and turned on the power, then a lady came by with a GPS in order to mark where Logan's' house was for a map that they were making. I sat out waiting for them to come with more boxes and wrote.

The extent that racial issues impact the daily lives of southern people really astounds me. Don't get me wrong, people in the north are not 100% tolerant with all racial issues. But in the south, there is a wide degree of views on it. In Charleston, I was told that I could never say the word "nigger." The word means ignorant, and in today's society, its often used to describe someone who is sketchy, not able to be trusted, and that you would be afraid to meet in a walk alleyway. Although usual it would be used against a black person, the new context that the word is used can also be used to describe a white person who has the same bad character. In Charleston, I was told I could not use it at all, period.

In Chatsworth, just a few hours away, I was told that this was a "racist town." The whole of the community generally didn't like anyone who wasn't white. However, most of the younger generations are totally tolerant, and they think that racism is funny in that some people really think people are that different. He said that I "better not let them know you got Jew in you," and here in the country "you can scream the word nigger as loud as you can." 

I feel that you should transcend race. Worrying about if a certain phrase may offend someone, and changing your habits in order to make sure no one is offended, stop being offended in the first place. If you don't let the little things bother you, people will stop poking you in your soft stop. I feel that is obviously wrong to be point blank racist, but to be so super-sensitive about it doesn't help the problem either.

Generalizations about race are generally true, but may not hold true to every single individual in the group. For example, most black people like Fried Chicken, most Pollack's eat galosh, Irish eat potatoes and drink beer, and Asians enjoy rice with a lot of their meals. It's not wrong to assume that someone in a certain group will like the food that is associated with their heritage and culture; it's something they should be proud of. There are also negative generalizations that are given to groups. Again, they are true most of the time, but not to all individuals within the group.

When I meet someone from another race or religious, I may have a general idea about them; what they will eat, act, hair type, music preferences, etc, but I don't close off the idea that this person is different. Unless they personally do something bad to me, I will trust every person the same. I try to look beyond the outer stereotypes and conceived perceptions and let the person inside out.

This is the future of America as I see it. Although there are still pockets of hate and ignorance, the younger generation are seeing that all people are just people. Issues such as interracial dating, segregation in towns and gay marriages are fading. The older generations still clutch the values they were brought up with, but its time for change. Obama is president. It's clear that something is happening in the majority of our society for something like that to happen.

Today was meant to be a true move in day for Logan and Shae. Shae's Mother, father and brother came to help, bringing more boxes. We all worked on cleaning the house, moving stuff in, and fixing doorknobs and lights.

Logan and I took a drive to his uncle's house to pick up some pots and pans from him, but not before stopping at the liquor store for a small bottle of whiskey and then at dollar general for paper towels and coke. Taking the alcohol over to his uncles place, we had a drink and helped clean out his house. Logan got his pots and pans, as well as a fiddle, a Swede shirt, and a shower head. They gave me a Spanish Galleon ship to take and give to someone by the ocean.

On the way back to Logan's' move in party, we pasted an old historic church that Logan told me a cool story about. "That church there used to face the other way," he started, "The old highway was on the other side but when they built the new one, it was facing backwards. So they spent a bunch of money to spin it around. 2 days after it was spun, a tornado came, picked it up off the foundation, and spun it right back facing the original way. All the hardcore Christians didn't want to move it again as they thought it was god's will. It was eventually torn down (tornado did do damage) and then rebuilt facing the new highway. The Christians are still waiting for god's wrath to spin it back around again.

Back at Logan's, Shae's Mom drove into the yard, got out of her car and handed me several bags. "I got you some food and stuff for your trip," she said. She is so nice! She bought me nuts, crackers, Vienna sausages, Gatorade, easy Mac and more. The genuine compassion of most southern people really impresses me.

Saturday, April 4  - Packed up before the sunrise, I woke Logan (not happy) and Shae to say goodbye. We made coffee and watched the fire globe break the horizon before I loaded up and headed south.

An hour on I-75 and I was moving good. I was feeling good and ready to get to Macon. Then I got to Atlanta and traffic got crazy. The interstate was a 20 mile parking lot through the entire Atlanta area. I struggled through it and got to Macon an hour and a half later than I was expecting to.

I know Hannah from working in Yellowstone. She lives way out in the rural Georgian countryside. To get to her house you have to turn off onto a really steep dirt road, drive down into a gully, then back up an equally steep hill up to their house. They live in a beautiful spot though. The house overlooks the river, they have a creek that they find arrowheads in, and their three dogs roam the lush woods as they please.

I met Hannah's father, brother and boyfriend, then we headed to Pinky's deli where her mom works to pick up some sandwiches for lunch. Taking the sandwiches, we drove to Indian Springs State park, which is the oldest state park in the country. We walked around on a couple trails, then checked out the springs. The water from the springs smells and tastes terrible, but it's supposed to have healing and vitality powers. There was a couple filling up some 20 gallon jugs. I asked if they could fill my cup so I could try it and I got a weird look. They said you are supposed to let it sit so it can settle and taste better. "No matter," I thought as I pulled back a few swallows. For the record, it DOES taste like rotten eggs.

Back at Hannah's house, we hung out down by the river for a bit. They have an awesome camp spot down there, with handmade wooden tables, benches, chair and all sorts of cool things hanging on the trees. I got talking about geocaching and they got really excited, so we went back up to their house and looked up some in the Macon Area.

Our first stop was at "Tennis Ball" park. There was hundreds of tennis balls in the woods next to the court. We collected a bunch after we found the cache. The next one was deep in one of the largest and oldest standing hardwood forests in Georgia. The cache was hidden right next to an old Monastery that was built in the mid 1800's. It was a very cool spot, it felt eerie and you felt tiny next to the giant trees. Our last cache was in the woods next to a small neighborhood park. There was a large family having a picnic there and they watched us go into the woods. I wonder what they thought as we came strolling back out 10 minutes later.

Buffalo really liked the geocaching and he wanted to do it some more so we went to an Internet Café in downtown Macon. He was trying to get his i-phone to connect while I wondered around the historic downtown. I learned that Macon was a very big music town and that Duane Allman is buried here.

We weren't able to get internet connection, but it all worked out because Hannah's friend Savannah drove by and told us to come by her place for a BBQ. We were all up for some free food, so we headed a few blocks over to her house.

There was 3 girls drinking gin and tonic's already there. Buffalo and I were going to split a 12 of bud light. We all hung out on their gigantic 20 step front porch. Her Husky/German Sheppard Fin and Dazey got along really well and were tiring each other out. A hour later the food was ready. We came inside and had some of the best southern cooking I've had to date. BBQ chicken, home made Mac and Cheese, Green bean casserole, lima beans, and hamburgers.

Although it was Friday night and prom night, everyone wanted to go downtown. I didn't think that we could get into any bars considering there were only 2 people with 21+ IDs, 3 without,  and I had Dazey on a leash. 20 minutes later, we had been rejected from the only real bar in Macon, which had a $10 cover anyways. We walked down the street a bit and stood outside a building with a band jamming on the second floor apartment. The girls started dancing to music coming from above. More people started stopping and the party was on!

 Suddenly an old drunk walks right into our group and starts mumbling nonsense at Buffalo. The only thing I caught was, "Dont waste your life," then he walked a half dozen steps, tripped off the curb and face planted on the cement. You could hear teeth breaking as he landed flat. Everyone had to do a double take to believe their eyes.

The man got up to his knees and swayed. He looked down, scooped up some teeth and put them in his shirt pocket. He stood up and shuffled away.

We headed back to Hannah's place soon later. It was after 2am when we lay down. I got the nice leather couch while Dazey slept in a chair. 

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