Don't Scream

 

Hello from Georgia.

We are slowly making our way to New York.  We are taking a whole month to get there.  There are places to see, trails to ride, music to enjoy, and experiences to.... experience. 

Like whitwater rafting for the first time.

Even at 72, I learn new stuff all the time.

In Columbus, Georgia, we went white water rafting on the Chatahootchee River right by downtown Columbus.  We decided to do it when we were biking the River Walk trail and saw others doing it... (I made a video) and it was 90 degrees so it sounded like a really good idea.

Shortly after we got in the boat with our guide, "Dynamite", we went over our first falls.

I screamed.  I got a mouth, nose and air passage full of the Chatahoochee.   The water looks clean, but still. We went over bigger falls, wetter falls, but I kept my mouth shut! This old broad can still learn.

So far, no intestinal repercussions. Whew, I was a bit worried about that!

The ride was a lot of fun.  Steve says next time we will do the more challenging route.  I think this one was plenty exciting for me.  And this was during a drought!

Last I wrote we were still preparing to leave Florida.  We set our first nights destination for not very far so we can take our time getting the final stuff packed and the house closed up for the season.

We have the bikes on the back of the trailer, the trikes in the truck bed, and the kayaks on top of the truck.   Yup, we actually left a toy or two in Florida.  Steve is very good at securing everything with the right equipment.

I put Big Blue in the garage with a bin of kitty litter inside the cab to try to keep it from getting moldy smelling.  It took a while to figure out how to pop the hood.  I only do it once a year.  Big Blue still starts every time.  What's not to love? We got the trickle charger hooked up to protect the battery.

It is love bug season in Florida.  For two weeks in the spring and fall, adult love bugs have sex while flying around, sometimes in swarms.  Their guts are so acidic the paint on cars peels off.  So we had to wash them off the truck and trailer once we arrived at our destination campsite in Crawfordville, FL.  To learn more about these amorous bugs, watch this video.

Our first campsite is on a trail that runs along hwy 98 and connects to the St. MARKS Trail.

The first evening we rode into St.Marks Preserve.  It is massive and beautiful with 43 miles of coastline.   

One day we road the St.Marks trail to Tallahassee.  

We went through some areas with signs you don't normally see.  Well, I don't anyway.

We kayaked up a beautiful river too.

And visited a funky riverside restaurant in St. Mark's.  It had live music and the band was very good.  But their name wasn't announced or written anywhere.  So we probably will never find them again.  If you are in a band, post your name on stage or have business cards by the tip jar!

After St Marks we camped up by Columbus, GA.  We stayed in the Camp David RV campground which is near Fort Benning.  

From the Camp David Campground we were able to bike right to the Chatahoochee River Walk Trail.  It was a beautiful shaded trail that took us along the river and past historic sites and down town Columbus.

Coca Cola started in Columbus.  Wine was the base until prohibition.  Then the sugary syrup was introduced.

We visited the Science Museum that was all about Nasa projects.  Some school groups were there.  The greeter showed us one of their projects, they have the kids make a rocket. Then they show them how to use an air compressor to shoot their rockets across the lawn.

It was 90 degrees...

We went to the Naval Civil War Museum and got to see the iron-clad boat, Jackson.  The huge iron clad ship was sunk 4 months after it launched.

This picture is of a cross section of a reconstruction.  The iron was to block the canon ball, the angle deflect, and the wood absorb the shock.

In the 1960s a group worked to pull up the remains from the bottom of the river.  Just the lower 1/3 remained. It was on display also.   Amazing, the work to bring it up and put it on display.  I didn't get a good picture.

Now we are by Rockmart, Georgia.  We are enjoying the Silver Comet Rail Trail.  It has a cement surface done so well that the stress relief cracks don't make us go bump when we ride over them.

There are lots of nice signs on the trail.  Steve discovered one had a QR code that takes you to an audio about some history on the trail.  Will Scott, a 14 year old Eagle Scout did it as a project.  They were well done and I couldnt help but wonder what other wonderful things that boy will do in his lifetime.  He made the recordings in 2024.  He is only 16 now.

I didn't plan ahead to see my granddaughter.   She is my only blood granddaughter and she lives outside of Atlanta. I texted Abby after we arrived here and I realized we were only about an hour drive from her town.  I was thrilled to have her excited to see me.  We arranged to meet for dinner.  We think the last time we saw each other in person was the year after George passed.

She got to meet Steve and I got to meet Payton who she has been with for about the same amount of time I have been with Steve!  Three and a half years we have been together as a couple.

I read a text from my sister as we were riding home in the dark.  The day was May 20th, she reminded me, eight years since George passed.  Others experience the heavy grief of  their loved ones on that anniversary date.  I don't even remember it is a special day.  Everyone's journey and response is different. 

She sent me a picture.  When we were in Amsterdam last year I sent her some bulbs.  

It is time to go riding again.  Steve has the bikes ready.  It may rain this afternoon, so the time to ride (and live) is now.

Best wishes to you for a fabulous day.