Thursday, September 16, 2010
Forsyth, GA - May 1
IBM came through like champs -- we sent our computer in on Mon & it was back on Thurs. Airborne both ways, at their expense, and the whole thing didn't cost us a penny, even though they verified that it was no longer under warranty.
We continued to enjoy our time in MS with Willie's parents and relatives. It was sad to finally head off -- but also exciting to be on to the east coast and new places.
Our first stop was a small AL State Park, Paul M Grist SP, about 15 miles north of Selma. There were only 6 sites for RVs, all next to a lake. The first night there was one other RV, and the second night we had the whole park to ourselves. It was lovely. We went for a short hike, seeing three new birds -- Worm-eating Warbler, Mississippi Kite, and Broad-winged Hawk, and then drove to Selma for sightseeing.
Since the Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March of 1965 is considered one of the most significant demonstrations of the modern civil rights movement, there was a lot of interest in Selma. We took a self-guided walking tour through several important landmarks. There were writings & photos explaining the story of this movement. It was very impressive. We also drove through the historic district in Selma to see the lovely homes. There were many more places to visit than we had time for in only one day.
Our next stop was Franklin D Roosevelt SP in Pine Mountain, GA. FDR actually spent quite a bit of time at the "Little White House" in Warm Springs, GA, very near the park. He was personally involved with the CCC in creating the park and constructing the buildings.
This stop was planned so as to be close enough to Atlanta to visit our friends there, without having to actually tow the trailer in the notoriously bad Atlanta traffic, which worked out quite well. We went to Atlanta for the day on Thursday. We did some "big city" shopping in the afternoon, had a nice dinner at their house, and then attended the Atlanta Symphony with them. This was probably the best orchestra we have seen together, and we enjoyed it very much. They played Haydn Symphony No 48, Mozart Violin Concerto No 3 (with Ilya Gringolts), and Bartok Concerto for Orchestra.
On the weekend, Lucy & Alan came down to visit us, staying at a nearby motel. We hiked in the park on Saturday and visited Callaway Gardens on Sunday. Callaway Gardens has about 14000 acres of lovely gardens, woodlands, lakes and recreation areas. We visited the Day Butterfly Center, home to many lovely butterflies that hover everywhere as you walk through them; and the Sibley Horticultural Center, which had lovely indoor & outdoor gardens and a 22-foot waterfall. We saw our first blooming Lady's Slipper orchid. They had Cymbidium Orchids growing everywhere. We also walked the Rhododendron Trail. Although famous for the lovely Azalea displays, we were too late, but the Rhododendrons were at their peak. The Mountain Laurels, a wild version, was also at its peak, both at the gardens and along the trails at our campground.
Now we are at a small private campground in Forsyth, GA, about 20 miles north of Macon, GA. We spent the day in Macon today, visiting the Ocmulgee Natl Monument and the Macon Museum of Arts & Sciences. Within Ocmulgee are impressive Indian mounds and archeological remains. Creeks, early & late Mississippi farmers & Paleo-Indian, Archaic & Woodland hunters & gatherers are known to have inhabited the area from around 10000 BC thru the early 19th century. The Art Museum had a exhibit of 78 works from the American Impressionists.
We continued to enjoy our time in MS with Willie's parents and relatives. It was sad to finally head off -- but also exciting to be on to the east coast and new places.
Our first stop was a small AL State Park, Paul M Grist SP, about 15 miles north of Selma. There were only 6 sites for RVs, all next to a lake. The first night there was one other RV, and the second night we had the whole park to ourselves. It was lovely. We went for a short hike, seeing three new birds -- Worm-eating Warbler, Mississippi Kite, and Broad-winged Hawk, and then drove to Selma for sightseeing.Since the Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March of 1965 is considered one of the most significant demonstrations of the modern civil rights movement, there was a lot of interest in Selma. We took a self-guided walking tour through several important landmarks. There were writings & photos explaining the story of this movement. It was very impressive. We also drove through the historic district in Selma to see the lovely homes. There were many more places to visit than we had time for in only one day.
Our next stop was Franklin D Roosevelt SP in Pine Mountain, GA. FDR actually spent quite a bit of time at the "Little White House" in Warm Springs, GA, very near the park. He was personally involved with the CCC in creating the park and constructing the buildings.
This stop was planned so as to be close enough to Atlanta to visit our friends there, without having to actually tow the trailer in the notoriously bad Atlanta traffic, which worked out quite well. We went to Atlanta for the day on Thursday. We did some "big city" shopping in the afternoon, had a nice dinner at their house, and then attended the Atlanta Symphony with them. This was probably the best orchestra we have seen together, and we enjoyed it very much. They played Haydn Symphony No 48, Mozart Violin Concerto No 3 (with Ilya Gringolts), and Bartok Concerto for Orchestra.
On the weekend, Lucy & Alan came down to visit us, staying at a nearby motel. We hiked in the park on Saturday and visited Callaway Gardens on Sunday. Callaway Gardens has about 14000 acres of lovely gardens, woodlands, lakes and recreation areas. We visited the Day Butterfly Center, home to many lovely butterflies that hover everywhere as you walk through them; and the Sibley Horticultural Center, which had lovely indoor & outdoor gardens and a 22-foot waterfall. We saw our first blooming Lady's Slipper orchid. They had Cymbidium Orchids growing everywhere. We also walked the Rhododendron Trail. Although famous for the lovely Azalea displays, we were too late, but the Rhododendrons were at their peak. The Mountain Laurels, a wild version, was also at its peak, both at the gardens and along the trails at our campground.Now we are at a small private campground in Forsyth, GA, about 20 miles north of Macon, GA. We spent the day in Macon today, visiting the Ocmulgee Natl Monument and the Macon Museum of Arts & Sciences. Within Ocmulgee are impressive Indian mounds and archeological remains. Creeks, early & late Mississippi farmers & Paleo-Indian, Archaic & Woodland hunters & gatherers are known to have inhabited the area from around 10000 BC thru the early 19th century. The Art Museum had a exhibit of 78 works from the American Impressionists.
# posted by Doug and Willie @ 8:58 PM 
