Savannah to NC Oct 15,2015

Thursday, October 15

Savannah and on to Balloons

58 degrees this morning 7:00.  We continued north along highway 99, which is dubbed the “Culture Corridor.”  Several plantation sites, the main crops being indigo, rice, and cotton.  A mix of modest homes, trailer homes and occasional very nice homes.

The Georgia coast is less than 100 miles and has a very high percentage of salt marsh.  It consists mainly of  barrier islands, inlets, marshes and swamps.  We followed the arrow to Sapelo Island only to reach a dock and discover that the island is only accessible by boat.

Wood storks

 This flock of wood storks was camped out nearby - very tall birds!

 There is a small visitor’s center near the dock, which explains Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary, 16 miles off the coast of Sapelo.  Hog Hammock is a Gullah community on the island that was formed in 1840’s by African americans.  There is a ferry to the Island, providing tours on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

 This fisherman by the dock caught a good sized trout.

We headed into Savannah and found the Visitor Center on MLK Boulevard.  A gentleman named Randy Tatum provided us with a map and suggestions of highlights.  There are many tour groups, but the historic area is only about a square mile, so we decided to walk.

There are 22 “squares” throughout the city, each one offering a small green oasis featuring the everpresent moss-draped live oaks, various fountains, statues, benches, etc.  Lots of people strolling, walking dogs, pushing strollers, playing music, sketching, etc.

   A very relaxed and comfortable vibe. Beautiful homes everywhere. The statues run the gamut from revolutionary war heroes (like these men from Haiti), 

to civil war confederate generals, to community leaders.   

This is Forsyth Fountain, which is at the head of a large park.

Almost every square has a beautiful church on one side.  St. James Church Episcopal peeks through the tree canopy here.

 The Cathedral of St. John Baptist is the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Savannah but was having a service.  

The Luthern Church of the Ascension had some gorgeous stained glass windows and a huge pipe organ.

We toured the Owen-Thomas house, completed in 1819 and the first home in Savannah to use an architect - 24-year old William Jay, from England and coincidentally the brother-in-law of Mr. Owen. 

The home is carefully restored and features all authentic period furnishings.(No photos allowed.)  It was unusual in that it had three large cisterns and quite an elaborate plumbing system!  We walked the halls where the Marquis de Lafayette and his son walked.  The guide shared the fact that Lafayette was very disappointed that slavery still existed after the Revolutionary War, and had to make special arrangements for a black assistant that traveled with him.  Savannah greatly feared slave uprisings, so all slaves and free coloreds were confined during Lafayette’s visit. 

We passed the Juliette Low home, with attached cottage where the first Girl Scout meetings were held.  And we continued  to the river,

 through a busy market place, and back to the Visitor’s Center.  Gorgeous scenery everywhere, and wonderful architecture.  I loved this scene!

Next, we decided to visit St. Bonaventure Cemetary, which was a bit of a drive. It is  a huge cemetery amid live oaks but no tours available today, so we just wandered the grounds for a bit.

And then we began to head north, as we need to be in Statesville, NC tomorrow afternoon.  

The only signs we saw of the recent flooding problems were some standing water and a river or two that looked high.  A few temporary signs on the highways advised not to cross barriers, but the barriers were gone. Stopped at a nice Walmart on the northeast side of Columbia where we had a quiet night.

Friday, October 16

Into North Carolina

Not much to report this day of traveling.  We continued north through Charlotte, North Carolina, where we found another LA Fitness.  This one was quite elaborate, as it used to be another gym and was taken over by LAF.  Three stories, a pool, a track and equipment that we weren’t altogether familiar with.  But we managed a workout and enjoyed the showers before moving on.

We are beginning to see some hints of color in the wooded areas we pass by.

We arrive at Lake Norman State Park around 1:00 and stop by their Visitor’s Center to check in. 

Lake Norman is a huge man-made lake, 8 miles wide and 30+ miles long.  I asked how the rains had affected them and was told they had been in a long drought, so the rain actually brought them back to “normal” levels.

We find our campsite amid the tall trees,

 and then take a drive into nearby Statesville where we will head tomorrow morning for the Carolina Balloon Fest.  We find the site near their small airport and there is a lot of traffic heading for this afternoon’s mass ascension.  We only have tickets for tomorrow, so go back to the campsite and relax.

We hike a bit through the fallen leaves, check out the lake and the many varied mushrooms growing throughout the woods.

32 campsites and they are filled.   Luckily we reserved a spot for two nights and it is a great site,  roomy and very quiet.  Greg builds a wonderful fire and it feels good as the temperature dips toward freezing!

Saturday, October 17

Carolina Balloon Fest

About 5:00 in the morning, I get up and add another blanket to the bed!  It is 34 degrees an hour later when we get up and get rolling to beat the worst of the traffic. Lake Norman Park doesn’t officially open its gates till 7:00AM, but we got the code for the locks on the gates so we can slip out early.

Traffic is light through the countryside, though by the time we reach the parking area 20 minutes later, there is a steady stream. There is frost on everything! We park and talk with some volunteers who tell us the gates officially open at 7:00 but we can go in…. instead we go back to the van, relax and eat some breakfast.

This morning’s event is a flyover, rather than an ascension.  The balloons take off from another location (except for a few like Darth Vader and Obie One ) 

There is a huge white x on the field and the balloonists lob bean bags from their baskets, seeing who can get closest.  There are about 50 balloonists participating and they soon begin to appear over the tree line.Some get very  close, others are carried wide by the winds.  It is a real test for the pilots to try to catch the right winds and the right heights to end up over the target! and fly over the festival site.

tossing a bean bag

After the last beanbag is tossed, we leave the chairs we brought and walk the festival grounds.  We enjoy listening to Albannach – Bareknuckle  Pipes and Drums.

There are many games and rides for kids, 

a few tethered balloons giving rides,  and one balloon you can walk into -  pretty cool.  

The view from inside

We watch them inflate this balloon and then take a few goofy pictures.

There are folks in costume, face painters, jugglers, etc. making for a very festive event! And a beautiful day once it warmed a bit.

Lots of food and arts and crafts and two stages with music.  When we first got here and set up our chairs, Greg went to get some coffee and hot chocolate…and waited in line for over half an hour.  The lines are long for most things, so around lunchtime we go back to the Trek and make some worsts.  Beth takes a bit of a nap while Greg people watches. 

 The mass ascension is supposed to take place around 4:00 but the wind has picked up and they can’t fly if it is too windy.   They are “on hold” for an hour, waiting to see if the winds will die down, but it is not to be.   Many folks are still arriving and the grounds are packed. 

  There will be a “glow” at dusk when several of the balloons fire up but stay on the ground.  We decide to avoid the craziness and head back to camp where we have our own glow around a cozy fire.

We enjoy cheese and crackers and some chicken corn chowder.  Our neighboring campers arrive and it is a Dad with a daughter of about 7.  It is her first time camping and she is so excited.  And Dad is great,  involving her and patiently answering all her questions.  They have brought firewood but Greg lends them our axe and hammer to split some of it for kindling.  

The night is cold and crisp and the stars above the tall trees sparkle.  What a lovely night!