GA, FL – Nov 2023

Wow – this write up represents my 100th blog post here on Luv2RV! I published my first post back on Apr 29, 2018, where I introduced this website and indicated I would be journaling and publishing my travels here for friends and family. Well, as I wrap up my 6th year as a full time RV nomad, this blog marks the centennial celebration and culmination of all those published travel journals.  It seems cliche to say that its been one hell of a ride during these past 6 years, but the truth is, that’s exactly what it has been. The vision to retire, sell everything, and move into the RV to travel around the country full time had always been the dream.  I certainly had expectations as to how this lifestyle would play out, but now that I’ve got 6 years under my belt, I can with all honesty say that those expectations have been thoroughly exceeded!  As I look back over the 100 travel blogs I’ve written these past 6 years, I recognize and truly appreciate just how blessed I am to have explored so many amazing and wonderful places.  During this time I’ve driven upwards of 25,000 miles, been through 33 states having made 127 stops along the way, explored 22 national parks, and seen over 720 of the beautiful and quirky sites Roadside America has to offer.  And I’ve had the absolute pleasure to connect and reconnect with lots of friends and family – many of whom I’d not seen in decades. And, I’m certainly not done!  I hope there are another hundred new blog posts in my future. There’s lots more to see and experience, and I’m not yet ready to transition to a stationary lifestyle. In fact, I already have the next 6 years of travel plans and destinations in my head – ready to put them into motion.  So here’s to another 6 years and 100 blog posts yet to come!

Adairsville, GA

As I continue my southerly trek heading to my Florida home base for the winter, I have the opportunity to make a few more stops along the way to catch up with friends, and to explore areas not yet traveled . My first stop in GA takes me to the town of Adairsville – a small and quiet little town about 50 miles northwest of Atlanta.  I was only to be here for two overnights including my travel day, so I really only had one full day to get out and explore.  I did, however, certainly make the best of it.  Started off with a trip just a bit south to the cool town of Cartersville.  There, I met long time friend and IT Security Auditor Mary Gail and her husband Dave for lunch.  MG as she’s often called, used to perform governement directed audits of me and my IT operations back in my working days.  Though she and fellow cohort Thomas were there to find fault in how I ran my IT security practice, they did so in such a professional and reasonable manner that we’ve long since become good friends.  MG is also a loyal follower of my blog for which I’m very grateful.  It was great seeing you again Mary Gail, and also meeting Dave.  Thanks for the get together!  Next, just down the street from the restaurant, was an interesting Roadside attraction.  A very old pharmacy, having opened sometime in 1881, also sports the world’s first and oldest Coca Cola wall sign.  Freshly painted along the pharmacy’s exterior wall is a giant Coca Cola advertising that was first painted back in 1894.  The inside of the pharmacy also has a nice collection of Coke memorabilia as well as more current items for sale.  Really cool Coke site!

My next stop in Cartersville was to visit the Savoy Automobile Museum.  This 37 acre complex houses changing exhibits, a specially curated collection of automobile related art, and several educational programs to foster an appreciation of the beauty and history of automobiles.  One of the special exhibits there during my visit was a collection of monster trucks (at right, top left).  Geez, and I thought I had a “big boy” truck!  These things are gigantic!  There was of course a nice collection of antique and very unique classic cars to include this 1937 Cord Model B12 Beverly Sedan  (at right, bottom left), and this 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk (at right, top right), and finally a 1930 Ramblin’ Wreck Ford Model A (at right, center left) that was custom decorated for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and which has led the team into Bobby Dodd Stadium since 1961 as the official mascot to the university.  They also had a nice display of custom work by Bryan Fuller of Fuller Hot Rods fame, a custom builder with his own legacy, but who also worked for and learned from legend Chip Foose for a couple years.  Among his many works that were featured in this display was this really cool Indian Sled recumbent bike (at right, center right) that was built as a side project but later became quite popular.  This museum was featured in Roadside, mostly for its very large and iconic giant chrome hood ornament that stands out front at the entrance.  Also featured at the entrance was this sign prohibiting weapons in the museum.  I guess a necessary declaration in this otherwise very 2nd amendment friendly state.  A great museum worth visiting if you are in the area.

Next I drove back north, past where my RV was, to the town of Calhoun where I would check out a couple more Roadside attractions.  First up was this crazy tree house.  This abode was built by Sam Edwards, an eccentric who always lived on his own terms.  He’s been a janitor, truck driver, actor, law student, disc jockey, a producer, carpenter and aide to two very famous men – President Jimmy Carter, and Senator John Glenn.  He is also an author having written a book titled “From Outhouse to White House to Treehouse” (which I’ve already found and ordered from eBay).  He reportedly lived in this house, but based on its current condition, that is likely not the case any longer.  Lots of pieces parts went into this construction including an airplane used as a bedroom, a submarine prop from an Elvis movie as the bathroom, and a boat used as a balcony.  There’s also a helicopter, but I’m not sure what that was used for – maybe the kitchen?  Very strange indeed!  Last up, I visited a place simply called the Rock Garden.  Sitting behind the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Calhoun, this amazing garden features over 50 miniature churches, houses, castles, a coliseum, and even Notre Dame Cathedral – all made out of rocks, pebbles, shells, broken glass, and lots more elements.  I can’t even imagine the number of volunteer hours that went into building this incredible artscape featuring such amazing workmanship and levels of detail so fine as to blow your mind away.  Truly amazing and so well done.  An absolute must stop if anywhere in the area.

Cordele, GA

About 150 miles south of Atlanta along the I-75 corridor is the town of Cordele which was to be my next stop.  There we find this really cool rocket (at right) sitting next to a fast food joint.  This is a Cold War era Titan I missile used to carry nuclear warheads. A total of 163 Titan 1 missiles were built and were operational from 1961 to 1965.  After they were decommissioned, about 33 missiles were saved for museums and displays, of which, about two dozen still survive today.  It was Rotary Club president and missile-lover John Pate who arranged for this 98-foot tall icon to be donated by the US government.  It was dismantled in California, then shipped to Warner Robins AFB here in GA, and then trucked here to Cordele where it has stood since July 1969.

Next I drove about 60 miles north to Robins AFB to visit the Museum of Aviation. What started out in Nov 1984 as 20 aircraft on display in an open field with another 20 aircraft in various states of restoration, has blossomed to over 85 historic US Air Force aircraft, missiles, and cockpits in several large climate controlled hangers, to become the second largest Air Force museum in the U.S. (the largest being the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, OH), and the fourth most visited museum within the DOD.  I’ve certainly been to a lot of air museums in all my travels, and this one definitely rises to be among the best I’ve seen.  Of course they had their share of really cool Air Force aircraft to include the F-15 Eagle, a Predator Drone, the awesome SR-71 Blackbird, and even an F-16 Falcon from the Thunderbirds.  What made this museum unique however, was the use of mannequins at most of the aircraft, dressed in uniform, posed to be performing some task.  It really added a breadth of life into the displays, rather than just simply looking at yet another airplane.  Well done!

My next day of playing tourist would take me about 50 miles to the west to the town of Plains, GA.  You might recognize that town as being the home of our 39th President, Jimmy Carter.  My first stop along the Jimmy Carter tour takes me to his childhood home – now a National Historic Park managed by the NPS.  They have done a terrific job restoring and maintaining the actual home (at right, center right), as well as keeping a collection of various farm animals, and even planting and harvesting some crops.  In the home is your typical turn of the century residence with period correct furnishings and such.  The room that young Jimmy occupied as a boy is prominently featured (at right, bottom right).  Also along the farm in various locations are these audio kiosks (at right, top right) which describes in great detail what you are looking at.  What makes this extra special is the fact that Jimmy Carter himself is narrating all the stories.  How cool is that!

Downtown Plains offered a number of Carter sites to see, but with a population of only 573 as of the 2020 census, there’s little else in this small one horse town.  One of those sites was the Billy Carter Service Station (at left, bottom).  Purchased by Jimmy’s brother Billy in 1972, this location became an all important landmark in 1976 as it was used as a headquarters by journalists following Jimmy’s presidential campaign.  It was later acquired in 2008 by the City of Plains and is now the Billy Carter Museum.  A bit further down the road is the Plains Train Depot (at left, top right), built in 1888, and servicing rail transportation needs through the 1950s.  In 1975, Jimmy Carter made the depot his campaign headquarters.  And just down the road is a nicely done mural that features many of the Carter family historic sites that reside there in Plains.  But perhaps what I found most interesting is the home where President Carter and his wife Rosalynn still reside (at left, center).  The home is easily visible and sits right on route 280 which is essentially Main Street of Plains.  It is fenced in, and has a gatehouse that I presume would be protected by armed Secret Service personnel, so I opted not to drop by to say hello.   (Note: A couple weeks after my visit as I was writing this section of the blog, it was reported that Rosalynn had entered into hospice care in the family home, and sadly just a few days later passed away.  May she rest in eternal peace).

The other place I visited on a cold, cloudy, rainy day was to the Andersonville National Historic Site – home to the National Prisoner of War Museum, Andersonville Prison, and the Andersonville National Cemetery.   The rural town of Andersonville is tiny – only having just over 230 residents, but its historic significance during the Civil War is monumental.  This town was home to Camp Sumter (aka Andersonville Prison) – a confederate prisoner-of-war camp established in 1864 and used to house Union prisoners of war.  The camp was notorious for its horrid conditions and of the 45,000 Union prisoners held there during the war, upwards of 13,000 of them died.  Today, the museum houses exhibits that depict the capture, living conditions, hardships, and experiences of American prisoners from all wars.  A vast cemetery where many of those 13,000 Civil War soldiers now rest occupies much of the historic site.

Remnants from the old war camp remain on the property, as does an exhibit that shows how the prisoners fashioned their own shelters, that they called Shebangs (at left, bottom), built from sticks and old army blankets.  There’s a story too that water was scarce in the prison, which contributed to the poor conditions and excessive prisoner deaths.  During a rainstorm in Aug 1964, a spring suddenly gushed from the hillside providing endless streams of fresh water which later became known as Providence Spring.  Some men claim to have seen lightning strike the spot, while others contend it was Devine intervention.  Whatever the source, it provided a source of water for the prisoners, and it continues to flow to this day.

My final stop in this area would take me to Leslie, GA to the Georgia Rural Telephone Museum.  This would be the second telephone museum that I’ve toured – the other one I visited back in Sep 2022 in Albuquerque, NM.  While the ABQ museum seemed to focus more on the telephone itself, this museum seemed more focused on the back end of the business – the operators, linemen, and the like.  Sitting in a building from the 1920s that used to be a cotton warehouse, is an extensive collection of telephone memorabilia.  In fact, it claims to be the world’s largest such collection.  There are over 1,500 actual phones on display in the museum along with lots of switches and operator consoles.  One console in particular is displayed along with Jimmy Carter as it was the actual switchboard used by then candidate Carter during his presidential campaign.  It was said President Carter was the guest of honor during the museum’s opening in 1995.  This was a very cool museum, and I’ve read that there are many others like it all throughout the country.  I look forward to seeing more of them in my future travels.

Ocala, FL

My final stop before my return to home base, and my entry back into the warm state of Florida takes me to Ocala.  This was the same campground I had stopped in from my 2022 adventure, but it would seem when I was here then, I didn’t venture off to do much sightseeing.  But this time, I stumbled upon a couple of interesting Roadside items that were not too far away so I figured I’d check them out.  First up was this monument dedicated to Molly – a rescue dog who became the face of the Marion County Animal Abuser Registery, known as Molly’s Law.  She died in Feb of 2023, and four months later, this marble statue of her was unveiled.  The plaque reads “Ambassador Molly of Molly’s Law.  Molly’s Law is designed to keep animal abusers away from innocent animal victims.”  Certainly sounds like a great cause to me!  Last up at a local Sunoco gas station is this speedway roof complete with five NASCAR race cars sitting on top of it.  Kinda cool, but not much more to report about this one.

Lake Wales, FL

My last official act before pulling into my Lake Wales winter hangout was to have new tires put onto the RV.  Though overall the tires are in good shape, they are approaching 7 years old, and I’m just not ready to temp fate any longer.  I had researched tire centers in the Lake Wales area looking for one that carried the particular brand of tire I was looking for, and had favorable ingress and egress access so I could just pull in with the RV attached.  I didn’t want to get home, back into my spot, get settled, then leave shortly thereafter to have the tires installed.  It just made sense to setup an appointment for the day I was scheduled to arrive back in Lake Wales, and get the new tires put on just as I arrived back home.  That way, come next spring, I can just hook up and take off with my spanking new tires ready for a new adventure.  Well, that all seemed like a great idea.  Tire Kingdom on Rt 27 in Lake Wales sold the tires I was looking for, and had easy access in and out of their facility for my Big boy truck and accompanying RV.  What could go wrong?  So I ordered the tires, and setup an appointment for mid morning on my scheduled arrival day. Well, it turns out these knuckleheads did not have a portable jack of sufficient capacity to lift the side of the RV in order to get the tires off.  How can a tire shop not have a big enough jack?  We tried several different options, and nothing was working.  I finally gave up and drove away.  I had not given them any deposit or anything, so other than my time and a bit of frustration, I wasn’t out anything.  Not my problem if they end up getting stuck with those tires!  But now that I think of it, this certainly raises the question of how I would change a tire on the side of the road myself?  Hmmm – I think I’m gonna have to ask Santa to bring me a 10-ton jack! 😁

Final Thoughts

Well, it’s certainly great to be back home!  The weather is delightful (albeit a bit rainy for my first several days back here), and it’s wonderful to take a pause in my travels, regroup and refresh, and settle back in to hunker down for the winter season.  I was fortunate to have wonderful and reliable folks to take care of my lawn service this year, as I returned to a well manicured and well kept yard (not like last year when I got back to knee high grass and a fully overgrown landscape).  So I’ll spend the next several weeks getting things back in order.  I’ll empty out the shed and restore my landscape ornaments to their winter positions, get my chairs and other accessories back in place to enjoy the fire pit, jump back into the community events and my duties within the Tech and Sound Committees, and I’ll tackle the long list of stationary maintenance projects that have been accumulating on my to-do list.  There are also several new local restaurants and other business entities that have newly opened during my absence that need to be patronized, along with the many Lake Wales holiday events that will be forthcoming.  So needless to say, I’ll be keeping pretty busy over the next month and will report on those activities sometime in late Dec.  Til then, happy trails and safe travels.

I only show a sampling of my adventure pictures here in the blog, and do so mostly in collage format for brevity and ease of reading. If you want to view an album containing individual full fidelity and hi-res images of all my travel pictures related to this specific blog, click the image below. Enjoy!