Cowpens & Peaches

July 5, 2014  
Ivy Acres RV Park
Piedmont, South Carolina





Our luck proved good today when we visited Cowpens National Battlefield.

 

We not only found a good parking space but it was also one of the few days that the park had reenactment groups and additional special programs.













Visiting the site of a major Revolutionary War battle was a change from all the Civil War sites we had been to lately.

On the way back to our campsite we went by this water tower in Gaffney, South Carolina.  When this water tower was first constructed many thought it looked more like a giant mooning the highway instead of a peach.  South Carolina actually grows more peaches than Georiga, but most people consider Georgia the peach capital of the nation. 

Gaffney thought the erection of this water tower would end all the talk about Georgia.  They were right - only the talk turned to the similarity of human posteriors instead of peaches.  The town had to hire an artist to give the tower a more peach-like appearance with the addition of a stem, leaf and various colors.

Happy Birthday America!

July 4, 2014  
Ivy Acres RV Park
Piedmont, South Carolina

Today we left Atlanta along with a lot of other people.  I wonder where everyone was going for the holiday week-end.

We stopped in Athens, GA to see this unusual piece of weaponry. 

The designer was a member of the local Confederate Home Guard and he thought that firing two cannonballs with a chain attached between them would prove to be a formidable weapon against the Yankees.  Unfortunately all did not go as planned and the enemy was not mowed down by this revolutionary cannon.  Instead the chain broke causing each cannon ball to have a rather erratic path resulting in the people behind the cannon being in as must danger as the enemy in front of the cannon.  The cannon was abandoned shortly after is debut.

We are staying just a couple of miles from the town of Greenville, South Carolina.  After we set up the camper we went into town to the 4th of July celebration. There was a street fair and concerts but most of the people were in the park by the river and waterfalls.

The Liberty Bridge is a tall semi-circular pedestrian bridge over the river and falls.

We were walking down this stone path when Dave stumbled and almost fell off the step.  A snake decided to cross the path right in front of him. 

He was so flustered that by the time he composed himself he only got a photo of the last couple of inches as the snake slithered under the bushes.

The Battle Continues

July 2, 2014  
Jim Miller Park
Marietta, GA

Just a few miles north of where we are staying is the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. 

From the top of Kennesaw Mountain the downtown area of Atlanta can be seen if you can make it out through the haze.

While not exceptionally high, this mountain has very steep sides and it is difficult to imagine an army staging an assault against the Confederates strongly entrenched at the top.

We were fortunate to be in Atlanta during the 150th anniversary of the Civil War Battle for Atlanta.  Unfortunately, we missed the reenactment of the battle at Kennesaw Mountain by two days.  Timing was never one of our strong points.

Paintings, Trains & Presidents

July 1, 2014  
Jim Miller Park
Marietta, GA

The Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum was first on our agenda for today.  We were lucky to get a parking space since it is right next door to the Atlanta Zoo and I think all the children from the city were attending the zoo today.

The Cyclorama is a very large cylindrical painting of the Civil War battle for Atlanta.  At the bottom of the painting the images blend into a diorama.  The seating area slowly revolves inside the cylinder as the story of the battle for Atlanta is narrated.  In addition to the Cyclorama was the train named "Texas".  It  was the steam locomotive that presued the train ("General") stolen by the Yankees and driven north before it was captured by the Texas.  The train chase is depicted in the move "The Great Locomotive Chase".  An added bonus was an outdoor concert by the Air Force band.

For a change of pace, we drove over to the President Jimmy Carter Museum and Library. 

 

The grounds of this museum were exceptionally nice.

Stones, Coke & News

June 30, 2014  
Jim Miller Park
Marietta, GA

We are now in the Atlanta area and since there is so much too see we will probably stay until the Forth of July.





Saturday we drove out to Stone Mountain Park.  It is a beautiful park with lots of very nice trails.

Near the end of the day we decided to take the Skyride to the top of Stone Mountain.  It was a very nice ride up and the views were wonderful. 

 While we were at the top, a loudspeaker came on to inform everyone that the Skyride was shut down until the thunderstorm and lightning passed by.  It was not very comforting to know that lightning strikes the tallest thing and we wouldn't be going down anytime soon.

Yesterday we went to see some of the sights in downtown Atlanta. Naturally we couldn't visit Atlanta and not see the World of Coca-Cola.

This downtown park was a very busy place on such a nice day.

On the other side of the park is CNN headquarters.  This very large atrium used to be the site of an ice skating rink.  Now it is stores and a food court.

This escalator (white structure) is eight stories tall and ends inside a very large globe of the world.

I felt like we were in the enemy's camp during the tour.  Do you think we would have been treated as spies if they found out that our daughter works for Fox TV?

POWs & Peanuts

June 26, 2014  
Brickyard Plantation
Americus, Georgia

This morning we drove to Andersonville to view the Civil War prison site.  We were somewhat surprised to find out the visitor center was the site of the National Prisoner of War Museum.  While there was some information on Andersonville, the museum also covered POWs from the Revolutionary War to present.  It is   an excellent museum with very well done exhibits.

This was part of a large memorial dedicated to all POWs.

A small part of the prison has been reconstructed.

After Andersonville we drove over to Plains, GA to visit the Jimmy Carter Historic Site.   This is the "main" street in Plains.  I don't think there were more than about a dozen storefronts in the entire town.

This is the old train depot that served as the Carter campaign headquarters.  This building was used because it was the only available building with an indoor bathroom.  Earlier a small trainload of tourists had arrived in town.  We were in a small store browsing when the owner said she had to step outside for a few minutes.  The train was leaving and all the towns folk went outside to wave good-bye as the tourists departed. 

There were many sites to see here.  The Jimmy Carter Museum was in the old high school.   The Carter farm is where Jimmy Carter grew up in "rural" Plains about 8-10 miles from "town".  We are planning to go to his presidential library when we get to Atlanta.

Billy Carter's Gas Station

Savannah, Rain, Charleston

June 24, 2014  
Red Gate Campground
Savannah, Georgia


 


We arrived in Savannah fairly early yesterday and decided to go down to the historic district before dinner.  The large oak trees in the public squares and the architecture 
of the restored houses were gorgeous.

This is a "Your Choice" police cruiser.  If you have been drinking, you can use the yellow door and for $20 you will receive a ride home.  If you are caught driving under the influence, you use the white door (front seat) and pay an $1800 fine.

At the end of the day we were exploring City Market and looking for an interesting place for dinner when it started to rain - and I mean RAIN.  We got back to the camper as quickly as possible.  Before morning, between 6 3/4" and 10 1/2" fell in Savannah.  Do you have any idea how long a bath towel takes to dry after a shower when you get 10" of rain?  I am desperate enough that I may have to get the hair dryer out tomorrow.



Today we made a side trip to Charleston to see Ft. Sumter.  We visited some other historic sites in the area before starting back to the camper.  About 5 miles from Savannah it started to RAIN and it has continued all through the evening.  I hope the camper doesn't sink into the ground during the night.  Tomorrow we are heading inland and hopefully away from all this humidity.