03-14-11 Lord, I was bored a ramblin’ man

03-14-11
“Lord, I was bored a ramblin’ man”
Atlanta - Macon - Statesboro - Savannah - Skidaway Island State Park…finally!
315.8 miles
Left Atlanta (Marietta) around 11am. Didn’t “leave” Atlanta for another hour is seemed. Going from the Northwest to the Southeast takes a bit of time. Drove to the town of McDonough to fill up on gas at the Murphy gas station with the Walmart gift card my sister Cindy gave me. And the discount worked! (Apparently it’s just Alabama where they don’t honor it.)
With my tank full, I headed off to my great Allman Brothers pilgramage in Macon.
There was a Welcome Center/Reststop about 5 miles before Macon so I stopped to give Mischa a walk and check to see if they had any info about the Allman Brothers that could prove useful. Lucky that I did. Seems the boys made quite an impression on the town. I got more information than I bargained for. She even called The Big House to see if they were open for tours. (closed till Thursday! Those Rock n’ Rollers!)
I was given great information on the best way to get to the accident scenes for Duane and Berry.
When I got to the first scend; the intersection of Hill view & Bartlett I was a little shocked. I had imagined some downtown scene a town square or something…was just an ordinary street. You’d pass by it without thinking, not ever knowing it’s significance. An empty lot and some houses on the corners. It seemed anti-climatic.
I drove back one street from Bartless to Inverness and drove to the end. A multi -street intersection with some businesses and traffic on it. That was more like it. Still, even it seemed mundane to my imaginings.
Next was to drive by The Big House. They may not be letting people in but I can still take pictures of the outside. This was about a mile from where they had their accidents. I wonder where they had been going to, or coming back from those evenings.
Following the street The Big House was on (Forsythe) into town took me to the apartments of Gregg and the lot that had once housed Butch Trucks and Berry (Raymond Berry Oakley III) Brefore getting to Orange Street that lead to Orange Terrace where the lodgings were you took a bridge across Hwy 16. That bridge was named “Raymond Berry Oakley III Bridge”. As Forsythe became a one way this road just before this crossing just before the bridge, I’m presuming the bridge for the return traffic was named for Duane.
From the boys digs I went further into downtown backtracying to Forsythe. The H&H Diner was just a few blocks from Orange and at that corner it became a 6 way intersection.. Taking the D.W. Moffitt direction about halfway down the block on the left was a warn sign that said “Phil Wal en and Assoc.” The missing letter stolen years before. This was the location of Capricorn Records.. I tried to find the recording studio, but no luck. It was listed as being on Broadway, but I never found that street. I’m guessing it had been renamed Martin Luther King Blvd. because that was what was where I’d expected Broadway to be per the map I had. There was a TV studio where I guessed the recording studio might have been but the numbering was not visible. In driving through this old downtown part of Macon I was surprised and saddened by how many businesses were vacant and what an opportunity to revitalize that area might do for that community. The place was lovely and I really liked the feel of Macon. There is an intimate comfortable feeling. A place to make big dreams come true and still be Home.
Everything about the Allman Brothers lives in Macon seem to take place within just a few miles.
I went up College which is a block parallel to Orange to find the location of the building used on the cover of their first album. I drove right by it. The address is not visible from the street and the building is way back from the street on the property.
Just a block from there and on a side street was Duane’s first apartment. A big orange building. Like the two houses to the left of The Big House, It’s for sale. So, any of you fans in the market for historic housing…have I got a deal for your!!!
Continuing on the street to the corner, you’re back to Orange and turning left it takes you right to the opening of the Rose Hill Cemetery. To be honest, If I hadn’t had a cheat sheet given to me by the Welcome Center, I’d have never found…ANYTHING! As it was I found Elizabeth Reid (2 of them - which one was the song written for?) and Duane & Berry’s resting places. I didn’t find Little Martha. But time was moving on and I still hadn’t gotten my dose of Statesboro Blues yet, with Savannah waited beyond. And so, Like Sherman…I marched on!
Getting to Statesboro was long. It was only about 79 miles from Atlanta to Macon but I still had about 215 mile to go before the day ended and Statesboro was just about 40 -50miles from Savannah . I started getting road weary a few hours in and stopped at a place called Dublin, reminding me that St. Partick’s day was this Thursday and by that time I’d be in Orlando. The thought cheered and depressed me simultaneously. Being ther with friends would be heaven, the drive wouldn’t be.
Upon arriving at Statesboro, I found it to be both charming and cautionary. The old downtown seemed well cared for with lots of thriving businesses of commercial and artistic natures. The town layout was pleasing, people seemed nice. Even the woman cop who eyed me suspiciously from her cruiser as I pulled into a parking space with camera in hand mad me feel like this was a progressive little berg. What was it that made me a bit weary - spidey senses tingling?
Perhaps it was the statue dedicated to war veterans that clearly showed a confederate soldier. Had the statue been “re-purposed”? Is this a nudge, nudge, wink-wink? Look, the statue itself is glorious and probably has a great storied history. It just made me look over my shoulder a bit. Funny story about Stateboro. On Sherman’s march to the sea , a union soldier goes into a bar and says “Do you know where Statesboro is” Bartender says “You’re standing in the center of it”.
They burned the town but left the bar intact. In total they burned 5 buildings.
The day grew long, as long as this post and I was about to hit 300miles and the wall. I drove into Savannah proper and immediately got lost. So I asked locals - got more lost. It took me an hour to drive from Statesboro to Savannah and an hour to drive thru Savannah to Skidaway Island State Park. I guess they’re still sore about Sherman.
Anyway I get the tent set up, find they have internet…but only in, like, a 3 ft radius of the main office.
I’m advised about which of the few available sites I might choose from and preoceed to set up tent …at a site wher I can’t use the electrical hook up. My fault, too tired to think and read clearly…in the dark. After I set the tent up I plug in my computer thinking I’m going to get some writing done. 50 amp. Meant for RV’s. if I’d read or tested…oh well, I’m tired and cranky and throwing stuff around the tent…go to sleep men, go to sleep!! (Okay, Mischa, ok!!)
I wake up at 4 am and get a little writing and phone charging before going back to sleep around 5am.
When the morning comes it’s a bit chill. The new blanket is doing great and I sleep in until 8am (the old 7 am) and the new day begins!