December 31, 2003 (Wed.) Mars Hill, NC - We have North Carolina fixed on our minds as a "southern state". It doesn't get cold down south - chilly maybe but not cold. Well it got cold last night - 27 degrees. Mark got up at about 2 am to turn the furnace on and it ran for 2 1/2 hours to bring the temperature up to 68. This was a bit worrisome because we are low on propane and want to wait until we get to Florida to fill the tank.
Bob and Pat founded and volunteer helping to manage Mountain Hopes, a therapeutic horse back riding facility for handicapped (mental or physical) young people. In the late afternoon we went with them to feed the horses. Mark will not soon forget turning to the thunder of hooves and seeing a half dozen horses galloping at full speed down the hill at him. One horse waited until the last minute (it seemed) to veer around and run past. It was his heart stopping experience for the day.
Spending New Year's eve with friends is special. And spending it with new friends makes it even more special. Bob and Pat's church was having a New Year's eve party complete with a pot luck supper and games (Scrabble, Yatzee, etc.) until midnight. They were a wonderful group of people and we had a great time with them. We even made it to midnight though we thought we couldn't.
Q055803 (0 mi) Bob and Pat's driveway
January 1, 2004 (Thu.) Dalton, GA - It got down to 26 degrees last night but we were dressed warmly enough to be comfortable without turning on the furnace. We said good buy to Bob and Pat and were on the road for Chattanooga, Tennessee. The first part of the trip on US 25 was on steep (up and down) winding mountain roads. This was bad enough but half way along we got behind a flat bed truck hauling a large bulldozer (are they still called that?) and crawled along at just above walking speed for many many miles. It was good we were in no hurry.
Once on I-24 Joy took over the driving so that Mark could play with a new toy he got for Christmas, a GPS tracking utility for his computer. What amazing technology! He sat and watched a little green dot move across a map on his computer screen all the way to Chattanooga. As we approached an exit or turn a computer voice would announce that it was coming up and how far away it was. Amazing!
We got to Joy's uncle Bob's in Chattanooga at about 2:00. His new bride is delightful and a welcome addition to the family. We visited until about 7:30 then set off in search of a campsite for the night. We chose the Flying J truck stop parking lot in Dalton, Georgia so that we could get up and through Atlanta before the commuter traffic. Before shutting down for the night we dumped our holding tanks and took on the needed propane.
Q056063 (260mi) flying J truck stop
January 2, 2004 (Fri.) White Springs, FL - Truck stops are brightly lit noisy places to sleep as a rule but last night was an exception. The parking lot was brightly lit but all we heard all night was the muffled rumble of idling diesel truck engines over in their parking area. We've camped at noisier "quiet" campgrounds. We got up at 5:00 and were off by 5:15 and the traffic through Atlanta was quite tolerable. We stopped in a discount mall (closed) parking lot to finish our morning regiment (fix and eat breakfast, etc.) and were back on the road at 8:50 - just as mall employees were beginning to come to work.
9:40 got gas in Macon - $1.31/gal
11:40 - 69 degrees - saw a small steam train pulling two small cars full of with tourists. A kid's ride.
12:00 - lunch in a rest stop
1:50 - Got to the Steven Foster Folk Culture Center (campground) and found it full. They suggested the Suwannee Valley Campground and here we are.
We spent the rest of the afternoon reading, napping and catching up on this journal. It's 88 degrees outside (in the sun) and we've changed into shorts and bare feet.
Q056421 (358) Suwannee Valley Campground #H2 w/e/s $10.90p C+
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