Dec. 11, 2008 – Kingsland, GA.
….A lot of time in the car…
I was growing curious as to whether or not I was losing any weight so I stopped at a truck stop and put a quarter into the scales that seemed to be common place at truck stops throughout the country. I found out that I weighed as much as I did when I started the trip three months ago. I knew that couldn’t be right so I found another truck stop and weighed myself again, only to find out that I lost a lot more weight than expected. Clearly, these scales were all off and I had no reason to trust either of them.
Charlotte
While traveling around like I have, I found myself in some untimely situations. I really wanted to see Charlotte in the daytime and it was now around 9 o’clock, which meant it was obviously dark. If I’m not sleeping in a hotel or have nobody to stay with, I often times had to find ways to pass time. The night before Charlotte was one of those nights. I quit my traveling for the night about 30 minutes north of the city with the idea of getting up at the crack of dawn.
Wasting time with nothing constructive to do is quite a task in itself. I walked around stores, I parked outside of hotels to use wi-fi on my computer, and I searched for a safe place to sleep in my car.
Using the laptop in the car at night was good in the past because I could update the website. I would plug the laptop into an adapter that plugged into the car’s cigarette lighter, voila’, I could update the website.
Things were different at this point than they were at prior spots on the trip. The adapter blew up and I my website folder was corrupted. Without the ability to plug in, the laptop ran out of power within an hour and I had no means to charge it. I had to wait for a coffee shop to open in order to plug in the computer.
After a mediocre night of sleep in my car next to a state trooper car at a rest stop, I got up first thing in the morning and did a little driving around Charlotte and quickly proceeded onward through South Carolina on my way to Atlanta. I wanted to make it near Jacksonville, FL. by the time I pulled over to sleep for the night.
Revolutionary War battle site
I only passed through the small northwestern section of South Carolina, but I found another unexpected history lesson along the way.
I kept seeing signs for Kings Mountain National Military Park. I’m not sure if I would normally stop, but since I had the National Parks Pass and I could get into any park with it, I figured “Why not?”
It turns out that Kings Mountain is considered the first “major patriot ” battle win after the British invaded. I also found out that most battles in South Carolina during the Revolutionary War were fought between Americans loyal to England and those who sought independence. The battle of Kings Mountain was a battle between Americans and their ideals. Luckily, the separatists victories began persuading the Loyalist to switch sides, and the rest of the Revolutionary War is history.
It’s amazing how much history I have learned about America while on this trip.
Kings Mountain wasn’t the most exciting of places to visit, but it was informational.
I made a stop at Clemson University in South Carolina as well. It should also be noted that the cheapest I paid for gas in the contiguous 48 states was in South Carolina at $1.38/gallon.
I checked out the Clemson Tiger’s stadium and headed for Stone Mountain Georgia.
I had no idea that Stone Mountain was a privately funded park. My parks pass didn’t cover the entrance fee.
Once again, the history of America came to life at this stop. Stone Mountain is commemorative carving in the side of the mountain. It is in honor the Confederate Generals and the Confederate President, Jefferson Davis.
There were commemorative plaques on the ground acknowledging the many states secession from the Union. I’m not sure how I feel about such monuments. Sure it’s a work of art and enjoyable to view, but is it a tribute to America’s history or is it a tribute to those who tried to divide our united nation? I’m not sure. I suppose that is a good debate for another time and place. Either way, Stone Mountain is a gorgeous park filled with joggers, bikers, and tourist.
They were in the process of putting together Snow Mountain while I was there too. Artificial snow being blown out of machines to create a small hill for people to ski, play, or whatever the deemed worthy on Snow Mountain.
until next time Atlanta
I made it through Atlanta after stopping to check out the Georgia Dome and Olympic Park.
It was getting dark by this time and Friday rush hour traffic was starting to get in full-swing. I needed to hit the road again.
I made it to Savannah, Ga. just in time to sleep. I drove over 700 miles today and it felt like it.
I wanted to see Savannah during the daytime, but I had to keep going. I’m pretty sure I will pass through Savannah again in the future and I can check it more then.
