Thursday, April 9 – 7am, the Florida Sun hit with full force. Daze and I walked around the house and lay back down on the couch of the cooler back porch. By 8:30, Lonnie and Coco were up and ready for the day.
Our plan was to go to the Orlando Mall to go on the Flow Rider. After a free lunch at the Country Club, we headed out. The Flow rider is an indoor wave machine that you can surf or boogie board on. $20 later, I was attempting to surf in front of a crowd. After face planting a couple times, I decided it was easier to boogie board.
Coming back from Orlando, we decided to play 9 holes on Lonnie's father golf course. We rode a golf cart around, smoked a cigar and enjoyed a luxury for free that most have to pay big money for. It was 70 degrees and clear as the sun set on another great day.
After golf, we hit the pool again. Lonnie had an inflatable beer pong table, so we enjoyed that and killed a hell of a lot of beer. Drunk and happy, I really enjoyed seeing some of my fraternity brothers here in Florida.
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Wednesday, April 8 – I headed south and crossed the FloridaState line. Instead of taking the highways and toll roads, I stuck to the back roads and headed into OcalaNational Forest. Although it was approaching 80 degrees, I found a nice shady parking area alongside a dam and took a much needed two hour nap.
I woke up a little sweaty but feeling a lot better. I took another pack of sinus and cold meds and drove on. Passing orange groves just north of Orlando, I pulled off a dirt road and took Dazey for a walk into the groves. I grabs a couple oranges and started heading back to the car when suddenly a truckload of Mexicans comes barreling out of the grove just a few yards down. They look at me with fear in their eyes and speed off down the road. I don't know why they were so afraid. Maybe they were filling the truck with stolen oranges to sell at stop lights and thought I was going to bust them.
Orlando is a huge place. The downtown area is pretty small, but the strips and suburbs and stoplights go on forever. I aimlessly drove into the city, planning to spend the night at a hotel because I couldn't get a hold of Coco or Lonnie. I found a nice Ramada, parked behind it in a shady spot, let the dog out, cleaned up the car, ate an orange and then walk into the hotel and took a swim in their pool.
Back at the van at 830, dark was coming in and I was ready to relax and call it a night. I had my internet connected and was catching up with the internet when Coco called back, "Come out to Titusville, we are chilling in Lonnie's Hot Tub."
So I was off again. Directions said Titusville was 25 minutes east of Orlando, but it took me almost an hour to get from the side of Orlando I was on to the east side of the sprawl. Speeding into the humid night, I passed mile after mile of alligator infested swamp.
Finally I arrived at the Great Outdoors RV Resort, which Lonnie's father is the operator of the golf course and restaurant. After battling with the guard at the front gate, I gained access and navigated to the pool area.
Coco and Lonnie were 15 beers deep into an 18 pack and could barely take the hot tub anymore. The pool area was deserted and fenced in, so Dazey came and joined us while I helped them finish their last couple beers. The pool was 90 degrees and the hot tub 105. Not too much later, we headed back to Lonnie's house and watched some SouthPark on their back porch. Their German Sheppard was not having Dazey in the house, so we slept in the van in their driveway.
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Tuesday, April 7 – Both Trevor and Johnny had work early, so by 9 am I was on the road again, I was headed to my last stop in Georgia, St. Simon Island to see my friend Beth and her husband. I crossed the causeway onto the island where she lives and drove onto a golf house as I found her house. The 10th hole is in her backyard. Crossing a forest of oaks and Spanish moss, I finally made it into her beautiful home. She made me a sand which and made me take some allergy meds. I think I am allergic to something in the Savannah area. I was feeling better within an hour.
It was a pretty cold day, but we decided to get out and go to the beach anyways. Out on the deserted beach we find that it was just about low tide and with a full moon just a day away, it was lower than usual. Walking over squishy masses of dead jellyfish, we start spotting and pulling conchs from the sand. We caught 10 live conchs in all, bagged them up and took them home.
Dinner that night was awesome. Beth made lasagna and I made fresh conch fritters. We relaxed, ate and played Wii. I slept that night in a real bed and thought about how fun Georgia had been and how much fun awaited me in Florida.
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Sunday, April 5 – Breakfast at 9am. Before I left Hannah made toast and bacon while I made some more kick ass eggs. I was soon on the road again.
I pulled into Savannah in scattered thunderstorms. Trevor works till 4 so I stopped at the travel info center (not impressed) and then drove a little bit aimlessly around downtown. Finding a city park, I pulled in. Dazey walked, a peanut butter sandwich in me and my legs stretched out. I lay down and read some Lord of the Flies as the rain comes in.
Trevor calls, waking me from my dozing and I drive to Bay St. to meet him downtown. They have those little roundabouts with micro parks inside all over the city. I pulled up around one and my back tire bumped a curb. Pop! Metal was suddenly scrapping the ground as I pulled over.
Of course, the lug nuts were rusted on and the spare was crap. The pounding rain just added to the frustration. It took AAA only 20 minutes to get a truck there and he towed it to a Wal-MartTireCenter. Trevor came and picked me up from the Walmart and we headed out to a sports bar for a sweet tea and some wings. We stopped and got a movie from Blockbuster and called it a night.
Monday, April 6 – I have never had any problems with allergies before, but there was definitely something in the air here in the southeast. I woke up on the couch not feeling good at all. My nose was stuffed up, eyes red, and a pounding headache. Not a good way to start the day.
We went back to Wal-Mart and picked up my van. ($71) Then the day was on! We headed over to SkidawayIslandState Park to do some hiking. Skidaway is a palm and Spanish moss forest on a historic island. We walked along a tidal creek, Dazey discovered crabs, and Trevor and I did some stick fighting.
Tired and hunger from our adventures in the jungle, we headed back to Trevor's for some lunch of Mac and Cheese with tuna and some relaxation. I had an amazing shower and got laundry and some other essentials done. We stopped out to T Island and checked out the beach. It wasn't bad, but too crowded for me. A few blocks away, we helped his friend Van move. Van is one of the craziest guys I've ever met. Nice black guy with a Serbian girlfriend, Olga. In her attitude and figure, she looked a lot like a Macedonian friend of mine from home, Lolita.
On the way back to Trevor's house, we stopped at his buddy's house so he could practice with his band. He plays out in a southern rock band, and they do some pretty good stuff. I wasn't expecting too much at first as I was told they weren't good, but they really proved the nea-sayer wrong. I was impressed.
Back at Trevors for the night, we drank some Yingling and played darts. Trevor couldn't handle the fact that I was a lot better at Cricket than him, so we switched to a movie. "Yes Man," with Jim Carey reminded me how I was to try to live my life, with the exception of a couple of really juvenile but still funny scenes.Jim Carey will always be funny.
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Wednesday, April 1 – It started sprinkling as I lie down last night and it rained all night long. At the top of FortMountain, 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 IndianSpringsState 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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Charleston, South Carolina through Chatsworth, Georgia
Friday, March 27, 2009 – Ah, the joys of sleeping inside. The morning sun doesn't wake you are the very crack of dawn. The temperature remains constant and you don't awake all sweaty and hot. Krista and I woke up at 10, right around the same time. She offered to make some eggs, and I counter offered to make her the best eggs she has ever eaten. God, I love being a great cook. I made a simple omelet with some cheesy chip dip mixed in and some good spices. Blew us both away.
In Myrtle Beach there isn't much for a poor boy with a gimpy dog to do. Everything costs money, and at an inflated tourist price at that. Most places won't let dogs in either. Even though it was kind of cloudy and storms were in the forecast, Krista took me down to the namesake beach so I could see what all the fuss was. It was ok, lots of sand and surf, but it didn't look much different from JonesBeach or the Jersey shore. And although in my head, I envisioned palm trees and tiki bars strung along the beach, the only "improvement" was a line of towering and very ugly looking resorts. After walking a mile and collecting some picked over shell fragments, we headed back to her apartment.
My plan was to leave by noon and it was already 2pm so I bide farewell to Krista and got on the road to Charleston. After a few minutes on the road the battery light came on. Weird, I thought. Why would that come on? I stopped for fuel in a gas/service station in Georgetown and checked my wires. Everything looked alright and the Nar turned over no problem. As I came into the Greater Charleston area, the light came on again, accompanied by a whining noise from my engine. Not good, but only 15 more miles to my destination. I can hold out and check it when I get there.
I was within sight of the beautiful CooperRiverBridge that crosses you over into the city of Charleston when I lost power. My fuel gauge, speedometer and clock also stopped working. I suddenly had no power locks, headlights or taillights. I was looking for a service station when my car stalled right on Hwy 17 at a red light. I shifted it into neutral and was able to push it off the road. Since I have two batteries, I can jump my main one from the secondary. I was able to start it in this way, and limped down the road to the Jiffy Lube. My van started convulsing, stopping short and not responding to my attempts to give it gas.
I died as I pulled into the Jiffy Lube station. These two really nice black guys came out and wanted to know if I needed a oil change, or a new radiator or anything. I told them I didn't really need that, but just wanted to get my battery issue fixed. "Go on down three buildings and you can find the guys to do that," they said. They checked my battery output and tinkered with a multi-meter for a few minutes and asked questions about my trip. "You mean you LIVE in here?" "Why are you doing this?" Questions I have heard before and would hear again.
They got me started again and I tried to make it three buildings down. I died again just next door to the repair place. With no power to even put on my flashers, I left the car and went into the shop. A nice southern girl was behind the counter. She got "Jeff" to come out with another battery and we got the van inside. Now at any normal shop I've been to, they would have wanted to leave it overnight and we'll look at it tomorrow. The guys here were awesome. They let me come into the bay with them and watch them work, asking questions about my power setup and the trip and even asking me to "pass a screwdriver."
I chatted with the lady at the counter for a bit too. She has several dogs and she recommended a vet here in town that "cares about the animals, not the money." I made a mental note of the location and planned to take Daze there Monday to change her splint. Finally Jeff gave me the news. My alternator was not working at all. Since it was only 2 months old, this was a surprise but what can you do. They gave my battery a full charge and I checked out. Only $34, not too bad.
I stopped at the auto parts store they recommended and got the new alternator ($200) but instead of stopping at Firestone for an install of another $200, I decided to place an ad on craigslist later that night, and crossed the bridge into Charleston.
I made it to Cara's house at about 6pm. Soon after I got there, she had to go speak at a rally for child soldiers fighting in the Congo. She is a very big human rights and anti-poverty activist. A great girl and an inspiration to me to do more for my fellow man. Cara is from Anderson, South Carolina and as a child, one of her best friends was a board named Francis. Francis was just a piece of wood. No Face, no clothes, no limbs. Not even a nail. Cara is such a unique and compassionate girl, and I was very happy to spend a couple days with her. While she was at her event, I relaxed for a bit and watched SU get knocked out of the NCAA tournament. (At least they made it to the Sweet 16!) When she got back, she was tired and wanted to go to sleep, but her friend Tristan called and convinced her to come out.
We were off, heading to the Purple Tree lounge and club. More than halfway there, and I realized I left my passport in the van. After looping back around, we finally got to Purple Tree. Thanks to my forgetfulness, there was now a $5 cover, but no worries. I drank a couple beers and she had a couple vodka crans and I met some of her friends. We all laughed at this really drunk guy that kept bothering Tristan with his tush. He kept coming up to her and shaking his ass on her and she kept pushing him away. The look on her face was priceless, I wish I had a camera. Cara and I danced for a bit and I was enjoying the scene that I normally avoid.
We left around 1am, and walked back to her place. Halfway there, we fell into a doorway and shared a passionate kiss. It was nice to get a little human contact after a week with only dog contact. For the first time in 8 days, I slept in a bed. Cara and I shared her big bed and I enjoyed a night of cuddling and comfort. Dazey was also very happy to have room to sprawl out.
Saturday, March 28, 2009 – Cara had to wake up early to go to another function. She spoke to high schoolers about leadership in their community, then stayed for their poetry slam. Meanwhile, I met up with John, a guy who responded to my Craigslist ad for a mechanic. He came over and for $50, installed the new alternator and did some other diagnostic work on the van. Note to self – stop at a junkyard and get a new taillight because my brake light is out. She came back around noon with half a delicious sub for me from Jimmy Johns (The EXTREMELY fast sandwich delivery.)
Next on our agenda was a walking tour of downtown historic Charleston. I loaded up half a dozen geocaches to supplement our walk and we were on our way. We visited a lake that used to be a mill pond, a church with a historic graveyard, the old slave auction, the market, and the wharf area. We stopped and saw the "pink house," which is one of the oldest houses in America, built in the 1690's.
The highlight of the walk was probably Dazey. Everyone saw her and said, "Oh look at the cute puppy. How did it break it's leg?" At first it was nice to talk to so many people and Dazey loved the attention. Then it started getting annoying. Finally, we started making up stories to tell people on how she broke her leg. One person we told, "I was hiking in ShenandoahNational park and slipped off the edge of a cliff into a ravine. She jumped after me and hurt herself while trying to save me." To another gullible couple, "When we were in Baltimore there was a house on fire and there were 2 kids upstairs. Dazey ran in and saved the kids, but when she tried to get out herself, there was too much smoke and fire in the front. The only way to get out was to jump, which she did and that's how she broke her leg." They said, "WOW! Really? That's amazing!"
Dazey met a lot of other dogs too. Then she turned a corner and came face to face with a couple of horses doing carriage rides. She didn't know what to think. First she started walking towards them, then realizing they were giant, she back away and did circles around us making the most curious face. The tour guide driving the carriage said, "On your right you will see a historic building. On the left……oh! Everyone look at the cute little dog with the broken leg!" 2o pair of eyes fixed on Dazey, and boy did she love it.
Later that night back at Cara's house, we were trying to decide what to have for dinner. I volunteered to make her something using what she had in the fridge and with what I had in the van. I whipped up a delicious meal of cereal coated chicken breasts, rice-a-roni and Cajun broccoli and carrots. Eaten with a bottle of Wine, the night was great.
Sunday, March 29 – Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head. Oh wait, I think that line has already been used. We got up around 8, took a shower and stepped onto the scale that was in there. 162 lbs! When I took Dazey to get her cast I weighed 178. Somehow, I've lost 16 pounds in just over a week! I guess eating light and doing a lot of walking really does make you lose weight. I haven't weighed this little since I was in 8th grade!
The plan for the day was to go over the bridge into Mt Pleasant, do a little hike along a trail at the marsh and find a couple caches, then have a picnic lunch at the beach. The little hike turned out to be a couple miles because the trail wound in and out of little estuaries and bays along the marsh. We were working on a three part multi-cache in order to obtain a combo that opened the final part. No luck on the third number. Looking at the final box that we couldn't open, I noticed a name and number printed on the side that said "geocache caretaker." I called the number and Mr. William Hamilton said he would be right over, just stay where you are.
A few minutes later we heard a voice call out, "Are y'all the geocachers?" Mr. Hamilton pulled up in a golf cart and said, "Hop on, lets figure out what's wrong." Turns out one of the three caches we went to was the wrong one, so he brought us to the right spot, we got the final number, and he brought us back to the locked box so we could get the find. After doing a couple trades and taking a picture with Mr. Hamilton, we were ready to go.
Only Mr. Hamilton had different plans. He said, "y'all want to go on a tour of the neighborhood?" Cara and I looked at each other and shrugged. Why not? He took us all over the community, which was an intentional built community with giant houses. The whole point of the neighborhood was to be able to be close to your neighbors and use the walkways to commute instead of having to drive everywhere. The neighborhood is 10 years old, and before that it was watermelon fields. Mr. Hamilton brought us to a very old graveyard, which he said he used to visit as a child when it was deep in the woods. Then he took us to see the lakes that were made when they mined for gravel, to the wildlife sanctuary, to the charter school, the soccer field, playground, tennis courts and pool, shops, memorials and church. He engaged us with discussion on how this neighborhood is the end dream for rich republicans, and that many of the people who lived here were way too into materialism and were obsessed with the size and look of their houses and not the value of the people who lived inside. As one of the only liberals in the neighborhood, he was often confronted by neighbors who didn't like his ideas, but as a very active member of the community, he often got his points across to the point that they become reality. Mr. Hamilton turned a simple walk along the water into a very memorable and informative tour that was conducted in a way only a southern gentlemen could do. In NY, you would never find a random person being so nice to complete strangers. Thank you William Hamilton!
After our 30 minute walk turned into a 4 hour ordeal, Cara and I were starved. We still hadn't eaten breakfast, so our first stop was to the grocery store. Buying cheese, lunch meat, oranges and beer, we made a dash for the beach. It was an amazing day, 70 degrees, sunny with a breeze. We made sandwiches and sat on the rock wall, looking out at the open ocean, Charleston across the bay and pelicans swooping above and into the water. Cheap lunch meat on white bread never tasted so good, and with a cold Blue Moon to wash it down, the afternoon couldn't get better. Dazey loves the beach and after staring off at the ocean, at the birds, and at our sandwiches, she was ready for a run along the water and up to Fort Moultrie, a civil war fort right on the water.
Back at Caras' that evening, she took a nap while I got myself organized and ready for another leg of my trip. I uploaded pictures from my camera, filled my i-pod with new songs, charged all my batteries, and wrote some more pages of writing, then started cooking. I made turkey and cheese quasidillas for us for dinner, and at the same time cooked a big pot of chili so we could eat it the next day, with plenty left over for her to eat all week. Cara drank an entire bottle of wine, and I finished the 6 pack of Blue Moon from lunch. Her neighbors were having a party, so we poked our heads in there and made some conversation with some of the party goers. I met this guy who has had the "Free Agent" attitude for years now and said he didn't know it had a name but was happy to learn about it.
Monday, March 30 – 8am – Cara and I get up. She's headed in for classes, I drive to North Charleston to have Patrick's Vet Office look at Dazey's leg. The verdict – She is healing amazingly fast, with barely a noticeably crack in her bone on the x-ray after only ten days. Cara and I had lunch at Jim and Nick's BBQ and I had my first taste of "real southern BBQ." Sweet tea, BBQ pork, Fresh cut fries and some of the best Barbeque sauce I've ever had, a delicious meal paid for by the generous Cara Wideman. Orgasmicly good food followed by a 30 minute nap while Cara had another class meeting to go to.
I was looking at all of Caras' books and asked if she wanted to trade something with me so I could bring something to read. I told her that I started with a National geographic, and traded it to Danielle in Baltimore because it featured an article on Egypt, which incidently she was doing a project on. Danielle gave me an art magazine and also an article on Russia that she ripped from the National Geo, saying, "Someone is going to want to learn about Russia." Turns out Cara is a Russia minor, and she was really happy to have the article. Funny how things work out. I wonder if someone down the road will want to read Anthem, the book I traded to Cara.
Later that night we went to a "Mellow Mushroom," which is a really groovy pizza chain in these parts that feature a really unique hippy stoner atmosphere. Really dank and delicious pizzas and over 100 types of beers. We were there with about 10 other students for a celebration for their completion of a volunteer week. The delicious meal was on them. It was interesting to be seated in the middle of a meeting of an organization you don't belong to with a bunch of strangers you never have seen before.
On the walk back to Caras' place, she got a phone call from her roommate. Dazey was out! We were only a few blocks away, so I ran ahead to see if I could find her before she got too far. I thought, "I'm happy she has her tags with my phone number on it." My phone rang a block from Caras' house, "Hi, Do you have a dog named Dazey?"
Luckily, I got her back fast and without any hitches this time. I'm so scared that something is going to happen to her or that she is going to disappear. I'm going to put myself onto the task of researching and training her how to stay with me, and be more aware and careful of her. On my last night in Charleston, I relaxed and walked around a little alone to clear my head. I left Dazey with Cara while they both slept and sat in the park thinking.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 – Bright and early I was up and getting ready to head out of South Carolina. At 7:30, I was showered, packed and ready to say goodbye to Cara. I headed to FollyIsland to pick up a guy who I found on craigslist who needed a ride to Atlanta. I was headed this way, had no one to ride with but Dazey, and he offered to pay for the gas. Why not pick up a virtual hitch-hiker. Tim was a really nice guy. I would guess 35-40 years old, who was going back to Atlanta to see his ten year old daughter and pick up his '89 convertible. For $30, I enjoyed his company and the 5 hour drive didn't seem very long at all. Before long we hit downtown Atlanta.
I let Tim off at the first train station so he could catch a quick ride up north and was about to head to the airport to pick up Tyne when I got a call. 10 inches in Minneapolis and the flight isn't going out! She wont be able to meet up with me until either Sunday/Monday in Savannah, or that week ahead in Atlanta. No worries, everything happens for a reason, I thought.
Pulling into a city park in the shadow of the city, I noticed a picnic shelter ahead crowded with a dozen homeless people trying to stay out of the scattered passing sprinkles. I passed another homeless man with no teeth (crackhead?) who asked what happened to Dazey. He said his sister's dog broke its leg and it cost her $700. He said that she had to break her vase filled with $100 bills to pay for it.I completed a loop around the park, Dazey and I both used the bathroom, and we were off to find Logan's town northwest of Atlanta.
As I was leaving the city, I passed Varsity's Restaurant. A burger joint to the extreme, featuring a drive-in, a two story parking garage, and 12 check out lines. Dan from the Best Western back in Syracuse told me I had to go there, so I pulled in. A Chili Cheese dog, fresh cut onion rings, and a "FO" or "frozen orange," which turned out to be a tasty sherbet orange drink. After 30 minutes in traffic headed out of the city, I wasn't feeling too good. The greasy food was making me tired and I didn't want to drive anymore. I pulled over behind a Residence Inn and took an hour nap.
Waking up at 6pm, I felt like a million dollars as I headed into the backcountry of Georgia. Rolling hills and scattered towns were replaced by pointy top mountains and small villages. The scenery was beautiful and I was happy to be in a very different landscape. Miles behind me, it was starting to get late, and Logan wasn't answering his phone. It was starting to get late so I pulled into a Family Dollar in Ranger, GA, to buy a wet naps and a rawhide bone and ask the guy working if he knew anywhere to car camp for a few hours. "There is a rest stop on the interstate," he said, "The cops will nap you if you try to stop anywhere around here."
I trucked on to Chatsworth, GA – Logans' town. There was a big mountain range to the east, a national forest. In the last light of the day I drove up 3000+ feet of elevation on a tiny winding scenic highway. The state park on the top was closing, and it cost $12 to camp, so I drove another mile and pulled in off the up up to a radio tower/power station. Dazey and I took a run to the top of the mountain just a quarter mile away, then I fed her, set up the car for the night (curtains, cleaned up clothes and stuff), set up my lawn chair outside of the car tied Dazey to her chain, and wrote my log here tonight.
In the dark windy night, I can feel Spring coming in. Although its only 45 degrees up on this mountain, the season is ready to turn. I am ready to turn another page in my journey as well. Today, Wednesday and Thursday here in Chatsworth, then Friday/Saturday in Macon and Sunday/Monday in Savannah. Georgia, here I come!! Right before turning in, Logan called back. He was happy to hear Tyne wasn't coming. He wanted to see her, but his girlfriend thought they had something going on, so everything worked out for the best. We made plans to meet when he got out of work around one PM.
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