Tuesday, November 8

Carol took us out to yesterday's ending point and today's starting point. We walked through two very small towns, Axson and Millwood, not much going on in either one. 

Today we saw the best cotton field ever. John and I have become experts on cotton fields. This particular field had cotton that was the same height, very few, if any weeds and bolls full of white cotton, ready for harvest.

The most exciting thing that happened today was a truck pulling a helicopter passed by. On a day like this, when nothing is going on, that is big news.

We got our 12 miles in today and are 12 closer to the Atlantic Ocean. We found a screwdriver, a coin purse, (no coins) and .02 cents. Stay tuned ...

Monday, November 7

Carol took us out this morning and it took nearly an hour to get to the starting point, mile marker 8.

 

This is the next to last week for the Coast to Coast Walk for Habitat for Humanity. Less than 2 weeks to go.

 

Before too long, we came to a house and there were turkeys there. Not the white commercially grown turkey, but a brown/black in the wild turkey. Before I could get my camera out, they had run behind a shed. They probably thought I was from the Turkey Shoot committee.

 

At the 6 mile mark we entered the town of Pearson, Georgia. Not a whole lot going on in Pearson. We stopped at the Four C's Fuel and Lube to use the facilities. In a dimly lit back room, there were some of those "games of skill" machines. Of course, you play for store credit only. At least, that's what the sign said. We did however, indulge in an Eskimo Pie and a nice lady even took our picture.

 

On we walked through more pine trees and cotton fields. Carol was waiting at marker 20 to pick us up. Today we found .11 cents. Stay tuned ...

Sunday, November, 6

This morning we attended services at First Presbyterian Church of Waycross, Georgia.

The pastor, Rev. Trip McKinnon, greeted us just prior to the service and we explained why we were passing through. We talked about the walk and about Habitat. He asked us if it was OK to be recognized from the pulpit. We said sure.

 

Later in the service, when the youth were assembling for the children's sermon, he came down the aisle and asked John and I to join him up front. He told the kids about Habitat and a little about our walk. Then he said that Presbyterians have a old tradition of "laying on of hands". He asked John and I to stand and instructed the youth to lay their hands on us. He said a prayer for our work and safety.

 

John and I were pleasantly surprised by all of this and it made us feel welcome and honored. After the service, Trip invited us to a meeting of the Exchange Club at 12 noon on Thursday. As it happens, we walk by the very spot where the meeting is to be held.

 

We had lunch at Rodeo, a Mexican restaurant, drove back to the state park, rested and then made a Wal-Mart run. Tomorrow we walk. Stay tuned ...

Very early this morning, John took Ruth back to the Atlanta airport. She is flying back to report for grandmother duty. She will be back Wednesday. No walking today.

 

When John got back to the Pines Campground in Tifton, we hooked up our RVs and headed to Laura S. Walker State Park near Waycross, Georgia. With the beautiful weather we are having, the park is almost full. There were 5 empty sites when we arrived. Now there are three, maybe less.

 

Upon arriving, the park rangers always give you a map of the park so you can get around and be informed of what the rules are. The first thing I noticed was "No Swimming - Alligators".

 

Yesterday, on the west side of Willahoochee, we passed by some old buildings. I thought at first it was an old CCC camp, I was wrong. It turned out to be the McCranie Brothers Naval Stores. It was a turpentine still and all that goes with it. The terminology dates back to the wooden sailing ship days. Ship builders used pine tar and pitch to caulk the seams of the ship. Also, turpentine was distilled and in the old days was used as a cure all.

 

The industry started in North Carolina, nicknamed "The Tarheel State" and gradually found its way to Georgia.

Workers would "chip" longleaf pines to start the gum flowing. It was gathers in wooden barrels and then taken to the still to be distilled.

 

The McCranie facility started in 1936 and ceased operations in 1942 due to WWII and a manpower shortage. It is the only original still in its original location in Georgia.

Friday, November 4

Ruth took us out this morning, we had a long way to go. The morning was cloudy and chilly with gusty winds.

We are still walking in cotton fields, peanut fields and hay fields. I long for something different, like an ocean or something.

We came to the sign "Welcome to Willacoochee, Where Good People Count" I guess bad people are "no accounts" . Willacoochee is an Indian name meaning, "home of the wildcat". Just west of town is the McCranie Brothers Naval Stores. I will have more to say about that later.

John said he had investigated the names of famous peope from Willacoochee. He said that Willa and Whochay Coochee, twin sister and brother were from here. Willa went on to fame in another state and Whochay became a famous dance instructor. He even had a dance named after him.

As we passed through town, we noticed something odd. We passed by a Masonic Lodge and in the front yard was a Korean era fighter jet. I can see something like this at a VFW or American Legion Hall, but a jet fighter in front of a Masonic lodge strikes me as a bit strange.

On we walked passed the Willacoochee Social Lounge, a nite club, pool hall and you get your car washed there also. Passed the Famous No Name Bar and in a little bit we were out of town.

Carol and Ruth picked us up at marker 8. Today we didn't find anything, but Ruth saved the day. She found a dime in the washing machine and will donate it to the "money found" fund. Stay tuned ... 

Thurday, November 3

Ruth took us out at 7:30 am this morning. After walking through more cotton fields and passing 2 cotton gins, we came to the town of Enigma, Georgia, population 869. Enigma wasn't always Enigma. It was once called "Gunn and Weston". Then, before it became Enigma, it was called "Lax". Founder and first postmaster, John A. Ball summed it up pretty good when he said, "It was a puzzle what to name it anyway".

 

Before I go on with our walk, I need to share a photo I took a few days ago. It is on the door of the house where Cookie lives. Cookie is the owner of the Pines RV Campground, our home for the past few days. The photo is self explanatory.

 

If you have been following this blog, you know that we have been walking amongst pine trees. Very few deciduous trees, but the ones that are here have reached their colorful peak. See photo.

 

On we walked until we reached Alapaha, Georgia. Hernando De Soto is believed to have visited the area. The word alapaha, an Indian word, has been given three meanings, take your pick. Some believe it to be a Creek word for "other side" while others believed it to mean "bear" or "bear lodge".

 

The Alapaha River flows nearby and is a tributary of the Suwanee River. Other notable facts about Alapaha are ... a breed of bulldog, the Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog was developed from the famed Paulk plantation dogs of the area ... a type of blueberry, the Alapaha "rabbiteye" is noted for its high yields and quality fruit ... and finally, "Hogzilla", a 800 lb. wild hog was killed here in Alapaha in 2004.

 

Ruth and Carol were waiting at marker 12. We found a bungee cord, a drill bit, a yellow flag attached to an aluminum pole, a "new in the bag" 12" bolt with nuts and .08 cents. Stay tuned ...

Wednesday, November 2

Ruth took us out this morning, we didn't have far to go. We were soon walking through Tifton, Georgia. We walked along franchise row, McDonald's, Burger King, Shoney's, etc, etc. We crossed under I-75 , it goes north to Atlanta and south to Ft. Lauderdale.

 

We used the facilities at the local Ford dealership. John knew some of the employees since he had his truck serviced there yesterday. They didn't have any donuts. On the east side of Tifton, there was a large peanut processing plant. Parked outside were the specialty wagons that peanuts are hauled in.

 

Just before we got to Brookfield, we saw a man on a tractor cutting the cotton plants that had already been picked. John said it makes it easier to plant next years cotton if this years cotton is cut down.

 

Up ahead, we saw some peanuts that had been turned over. The peanuts were drying in the sun awaiting harvest.

 

At Brookfield, we stopped at a convenience store. There were about 6 video poker machines inside with a player at each one. I didn't think these machines were legal and then I saw a sign that said, "Winners will receive store credit only, no cash paid out". 

 

Carol and Ruth were waiting at marker 18. We are about halfway through Georgia and on schedule. We have 17 more days left.

 

Today we found a Florida Gators license plate and .19 cents. Stay tuned ...

Tuesday November 1

We had a fairly late start this morning, 8:15 am. Same weather as yesterday, only more sunshine today.

 

Before long we came to a field with a crew harvesting something. John said it might be cucumbers. Being a city boy, I didn't have a clue, so I will leave it at cucumbers.

 

A few miles further, we came to several pecan trees. John started gathering as many as he could carry. I picked up about half a dozen, cracked them open and found them to be bad, so stopped my harvest. John gathered about 2 lbs. and the jury is still out as to whether or not they are any good.

 

On head we walked. A strange thing happened. As I was approaching The Soda-Pop-2 convenience store, a lady came outside, did something to the door and then went back inside. I walked up to the door and it was locked.

Locked out. John said she took one look at me and locked the door.

 

We walked on, crossed Ty Ty Creek, entered the town of Ty Ty, passed the Ty Ty post office and finally came to the Ty Ty Peanut Company.

We met Ruth just outside of Tifton, Ga. We walk through Tifton tomorrow. Besides John's pecans, we found a magnetic sign that said, "We're on our way, To watch the Gators play". In Georgia, that can get you in trouble. We also found .02 cents.

 

The mystery of the locked door at the Soda-Pop-2 is solved. I got online to find some information about Ty Ty, Georgia. I didn't find much, but I did find this headline from the Albany Tribune. "Thursday afternoon the Soda-Pop-2 convenience store on Highway 82 east, near Ty Ty, was robbed by an armed man". I wonder if he was wearing orange?

 

Stay tuned ...

Ruth took us out this morning, it was cloudy and cool, but it quickly warmed up. Before long we were walking through Sylvester, Georgia, "The Peanut Capital of the World". The good people have given themselves that name because they can raise more peanuts per acre than anyplace in the world. And if that weren't enough, it is also, "Home of Peter Pan Peanut Butter".

 

We are walking  amongst pine trees, cotton fields and peanuts. Throw in a few cow pastures.

 

There was a big cotton gin in Sylvester turning out seed less cotton. And it had plenty of cotton to gin as there were dozens of huge bales stored outside.

 

We only walked 11 miles today. We had to get back to Albany, eat lunch and move our RV's from Albany RV Resort to Pines Campground in Tifton, Georgia, our home for the next few days.

 

Today we found a bright orange baseball cap imprinted with "Live Oak Plantation", an allen wrench, a pocket knife and .18 cents. Stay tuned ...

John and I walked 12 miles to the east of Albany, Georgia yesterday. We passed by numerous cotton fields. This is harvest time for cotton. Most fields have been picked, but there are still some unpicked.

 

Besides looking at cotton fields for four hours, nothing much happened on Saturday.

 

This morning, Carol and I attended services at First Presbyterian Church of Albany, GA. John drove up to the Atlanta airport to fetch Ruth. She was in the DC area doing grandmother duty.

 

The service at First Pres. was different to say the least. Rev. Garrett J. Andrew is a young dynamic and passionate preacher. He came to this church about 3 years ago when it had less than 50 members and now, although it may still be struggling, it can boast over 200 members. It is an inner city church that struggled when the membership fled to the suburbs. Unfortunately a common story among all churches.

 

Carol and I went to the movies this afternoon and now are waiting for John and Ruth to return so that we can chow down at Golden Corral.

 

On Saturday, we didn't find anything. Stay tuned ...