Road Trip 2023 #2 – Savannah and beyond

[Simmons1]

At the end of the Un Ride report a few months ago I stated, “We are still trying to get a longer trip in on the Gold Wing before the end of the year.”

It’s that time.

We had been watching the weather hoping this summer's long hot weather, and hurricane season would finally be winding down. Linda had visited Savannah once and had some unfinished business there so she suggested taking the Wing to Savannah and beyond.


For expediency we would be doing a lot of big roads this trip. Using my old standby route planning tool “roadsideamerica.com”, I threw in things to look at on most days’ rides.


Day 1 Fort Worth to West Monroe, LA 344

Loaded up and got on the road about 7:30am





Stopped in East Texas for gas and a stretch.




Our first phot stop was supposed to be outside of Shreveport to check out one of the old giant muffler men.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muffler_man


Unfortunately, he had expired and was laying on flat bed trailer out back. In respect for him I didn’t take a photo. LOL


On ward to Gibsland, LA for our next stop. We were getting hungry and the only place in town was the Gibsland Grill. We drove right by it and saw no signs for it. We did a U-turn and driving by the second time we could smell something yummy. We got parked and each had the special for $8.95. It even included a nice dessert.



The real reason we stopped here.





The museum was old dirty and had seen better days but the memorabilia and history contained in it was fascinating.








It was then off to the ambush site before heading East again.





It was getting hot and humid for late September, so at lunch we decided West Monroe would be far enough for the day. We had a little time before check-in at the hotel so we so we stopped at the Duck Commander for a quick tour.



The museum was self-guided tour. We actually weren’t expecting much but it was actually pretty fun and informational.











It was a good first day on the road.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 2 West Monroe to Meridian, MS 237

We both slept and got up to really nice morning weather. A quick 100ish miles away was our first stop for the day. The Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg, MS.

“Cedar Hill Cemetery is one of the oldest and largest cemeteries in the United States that is still in use today. It is also the final resting place for the Confederate Soldiers of the Civil War. A section in the Cedar Hill (Vicksburg City ) Cemetery was set aside to provide a fitting burial place for Confederate soldiers who died of sickness or wounds. Known as "Soldier's Rest," the plot in Cedar Hill Cemetery is the final resting place for an estimated 5,000 Confederate soldiers.”
We arrived at the cemetery and headed to “Soldiers Rest”.







We were here to see Douglas the Confederate Camel.

“Douglas the Camel or “Old Douglas” was a domesticated camel used by Company A of the Forty-third Mississippi Infantry, part of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.”






Our next stop was to see an old Iron Clad ship from the Civil War. I thought it was going to be a quick stop, but soon discovered the ship was in the Vicksburg National Military Park.




We had drive through a lot of the park to get to the ship.







The museum was closed but the ship itself was not.

USS Cairo Gunboat and Museum - Vicksburg National Military Park (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

On the way back out of the park.










After a quick fast-food lunch, we had one more stop in Vicksburg.





“A pharmacist named Dr. John S. Pemberton invented the drink known as Coca-Cola in 1866 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Coca-Cola syrup became a popular choice at soda fountains in the south and eventually made its way to Vicksburg. The first Coca-Cola was bottled in the summer of 1894 by Joe Biedenharn in what is now known as the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum located at 1107 Washington Street.”





We had been in Vicksburg a lot longer than I had envisioned. We headed back out of town to get a few more miles in today. We were hot and tired by the time we got to Meridian. We stopped for a Frosty at Wendy’s to cool off and find a hotel for the night.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 3 Meridian to Americus, GA 315

We woke up to another great weather morning. After breakfast in the hotel we headed out. But not before we were checked out these cool cars that were headed to “Cruisin the Coast”.

https://cruisinthecoast.com/about-cruisin/

In Cuba, AL we got off the big road for a while. Our first stop was Selma, AL. Selma became famous for “Bloody Sunday” during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s.









Following the route of the march from Selma to Montgomery, we headed towards Montgomery.

Going back in time again we stopped at the first White House of the Confederacy.

“The First White House of the Confederacy was the initial executive residence of President of the Confederate States of America Jefferson Davis and family while the capital of the Confederate States of America was in Montgomery, Alabama.”













After another quick lunch we stopped at the World’s Largest Brick made of Bricks.

“Was the World's Largest Brick, period, until a company in Texas made one slightly larger in 2007. But the Texas brick is solid, and driven to trade shows on a trailer. This is the World's Largest Immobile Brick.”



After another 80 miles we crossed the Chattahoochee River into Columbus, GA to visit Kade the Cow. Kade originally standing at the Kinnet Dairy starting in 1967 was moved to the very lovely Woodruff Riverwalk Park in 2022 after being named a historical landmark.





Our next stop a couple miles away took a little bit to find.






Leaving Columbus we traveled on some very nice country roads on our way to Plains, home of President Jimmy Carter. We had seen on the news last night that with the potential of a government shut down they were having his birthday celebration a day early. We just missed the festivities as we hadn’t originally planned to get to Plains today.















Plains is really small town with no lodging so we headed to Americus for the night. We were bushed and got the last room in the hotel. Saw some pretty diverse historical things today. It was a pretty awesome day.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 4 Americus to Warner Robins, GA 65

Yes, another wonderful weather day. It has been awesome traveling weather so far. Today would be a very short ride day for us. A museum we wanted to visit isn’t open on Sundays so we made some on the fly adjustments to our rough travel plans. Its great to be retired and have the flexibility to do this.

A short ride from Americus was one of the most infamous prison camps of the Civil War, Camp Sumter now known as the Andersonville Prison. It was a very somber experience.

History of the Andersonville Prison - Andersonville National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)

Camp Sumter / Andersonville Prison

www.nps.gov

“Camp Sumter was only in operation for fourteen months, however, during that time 45,000 Union soldiers were imprisoned there, and nearly 13,000 died from disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition, overcrowding, or exposure.”





Photo in the museum.














After Andersonville we headed up to Warner Robins. We ate at this place which is a regional burger chain in the area. The food was really good for fast food.



We were able to check into the hotel early. With time to burn still went to the Movies at the mall to see the Expend4bles. It felt good to have an easier travel day.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 5 Warner Robins to Savannah, GA 173

It would be about a 15 minute ride to our first stop of the day.






“The Museum of Aviation, originally the Southeastern Museum of Aviation, was founded in 1980, after World War I aviator Guy Orlando Stone offered his collection of aviation memorabilia to Robins Air Force Base if the base could build a museum to house it. The Air Force approved the museum in late 1980, and the Southeastern Museum of Aviation Foundation, a non-profit Organization, was incorporated in 1981 with the support of local civilians and base officials.”

The museum had 4 buildings was very well done and jam packed with aircraft and displays. We spent about 3 hours in the museum. It would be easy to spend a full day or more checking things out.











Cool nose art.













The road was calling again and after a quick lunch we were rolling again. Today was the day my finicky back decided to act up. At a gas and stretch break I threw on my back brace for so much needed but not pain free relief. Soon enough we were in the historic section on Savannah.

Hotels are pretty expensive and many have valet parking, which stinks traveling on a bike. After spending a long time looking at places, we found a pretty affordable for Savannah old Best Western with drive up to the room parking. I signed up to Best Westerns Rewards and got a 15% break for staying 3 nights. Parking was supposed to be an extra $30 a night but the check in lady gave us a great break and said we could park for free in any of the yellow striped areas saving us $90.




The site of the hotel was an old bottling works back in the day.





After getting settled in to the room we took off for a short work for super and to stretch out. It was a beautiful late afternoon and pizza sounded good so headed over to Vinnie Van GoGo’s. A nice pizza and a beer on the patio really hit the spot.




We walked around a little more before calling it a day.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 6 Savannah Tourist Day 13

Today would be a pretty easy relaxing day for us taking in some sights of historic Savannah. But first I had an errand to run. A fairly new mask for my travel CPAP developed a tear. We cobbled it together last night with a band aid so that I could get a good night’s sleep. I found an office of the same medical supply place that I use at home about 15 minutes away. I got there when they opened and a very nice lady gave me a replacement mask for free and told me to enjoy my vacation.

One thing Linda didn’t get to do on her last visit was to go to the Maritime Museum so that’s where we headed to first.













The museum was really nice, but because it was kind of dark inside photos don’t do justice to the details of the ships. This website shows them much better.

The Models

Ship Models featured at Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum

www.shipsofthesea.org

After the museum we walked back to our room to have left over pizza for lunch before heading back out. Linda had been here before but really wanted me to see the Prohibition Museum. It was very well done with lots to see and read.











The displays showing how breweries survived the prohibition was really interesting.






Hopefully this is readable.










After the museum we walked down to the water for a bit to take in the sights. High end hotels and a street full of shops and places to get a beer along with some art.









We walked back to the hotel for a quick rest before our last fun of the day. Our old next door neighbor Kelsey that Linda used to watch when she was little is all grown up now. She is currently in Brunswick, GA at the NCIS training academy and should graduate and become an NCIS Agent in early December. Boy, are we getting old. LOL We were so thrilled to see her that we didn’t take any pictures but had a great dinner and visit with her here. Kelsey best described Savannah to us as a clean New Orleans. It is great description.



With full bellies we said goodbye to Kelsey and turned in for the night.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 7 Savannah Tourist Day 0

Linda got up not feeling great this morning but we already had tickets for a Trolley tour of Historic Savannah. Linda being a trooper, we headed off to take the tour since it was already paid for. The tour lasted almost a couple hours and took in the best of Savannah. It was tough taking pictures so we only took a couple.







This is the trolley tour we took.

Best Savannah Trolley Tours | Old Savannah Tours

Old Savannah Tours are the longest-running trolleys in Savannah, GA. We've been voted best trolley tour every year since 2003!

oldsavannahtours.com

After the tour we got lunch and headed back to the room to relax and for Linda to hopefully get feeling better.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 8 Savannah to Umatilla, FL 284

We got up bright and early. Today was going to be a travel day and I was little worried about how Linda would be feeling. Though not 100% Linda said she was ready to hit the road again.

It would be a long day with taking a trip around the globe first thing.




This is Kelly, the giant cow in front of Keller's Flea Market in Savannah, Ga. Kelly was originally at Roberds Diary. Roberds was a local dairy in Savannah for decades. They were one of the last dairies in Savannah to use glass milk bottles.



The next stop is highly controversial. Who actually made the first pot of Brunswick Stew?

“The stew's specific origin is unknown. Brunswick County, Virginia, and the city of Brunswick, Georgia, both named after the German Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, then home to the House of Hanover which ruled the British throne, claim to have created it.

A plaque on an old iron pot in Brunswick, Georgia, says the first Brunswick stew was made in it on July 2, 1898, on nearby St. Simons Island. A competing story claims a Virginia state legislator's chef invented the recipe in 1828 on a hunting expedition. Neither claim traces to the origin of those regions.”





Our next stop was interesting to get to. It was at the North bound Georgia Welcome Center. Which meant we head to ride in to Florida take exit 1 and then back track into Georgia. For those counting, this is the first time the Wing has been ridden in Florida.

Any old timers getting a Dr Strangelove vibe?



It was getting close to lunch time but we had on more stop before lunch. A special stop for Lynyrd Skynyrd fans.







After lunch we motored on to Green Cove Springs our next strange stop. Anyone know what this roadside oddity is?




If you guessed a Space Shuttle external fuel tank you would be correct.

“The tank -- built in 1977 and used for loading and stress analysis tests -- sits on its original transporter. It's 154 feet long and weighs 39 tons empty. Since the external tanks that were used in launches burned up on reentry, this unused survivor is very rare.”

“This tank was initially intended for display at an aerospace park in Clay County, Florida. The size of the tank and transporter requires utility lines, traffic lights, trees, and signs to be raised or moved during the trip to the park. No one is willing to fund the move.”

Looks like today is Torpedo Day. Our next stop is in Palatka.




“This striking memorial consists of a WWII torpedo positioned horizontally on a brick base. Dedicated by the Basil Pearce Chapter of U.S. Submarine Veterans of WW2, this site pays tribute to the U.S.S.Tang, Ensign Basil C. Pearce, Jr. of Palatka, and those submariners “Still on Patrol.” Ensign Pearce died on October 24, 1944, when the Tang sank after being struck by one of her own torpedos. Described as the most successful submarine of WWII with thirty-three kills, only nine of her crew survived the sinking. Basil C. Pearce Sr. served Florida as a State Senator.”






We continued on through the Ocala National Forest until we got to our friend’s house in Umatilla. We hadn’t seen Donna and Mike in over 20 years. They had recently retired and moved to Umatilla from Syracuse, NY. We were so excited to see them we forgot to take any pictures of us together. Shame on me.

When we pulled into the driveway Mike came out to great us with big hugs. A few seconds later another blast of the past appeared from the garage. Paul another one of my drinking buddies from my youth came out to greet us. Turns out Paul lives nearby in Eustis. I hadn’t seen Paul in 35 years. Donna arrived a few minutes later from the grocery store with provisions including cold beer for old friends. It was a long overdue reunion.

After a couple beers Paul shook his head and said, “Its amazing that all three of us are here together and none of us are in jail or dead”. LOL Yes, we did some crazy stuff when we where kids.

We went out for a nice dinner together and called it day. A fantastic day.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 9 Umatilla Day with old Friends 0

After a good night’s sleep and nice breakfast, we had no real plans for the day except for hanging out together. Mike thought it would be fun to go for ride in the car to some of the local country side.

First stop was Ma Barker’s Hideaway Bar in Ocklawaha, FL the town where Ma Barker and her son Fred were killed by the FBI in a big shoot out at a nearby house.

“She was a gang leader, a Public Enemy No. 1, her hideout was nearby, and supposedly she was a good customer. The bar features a genuine 1930s tommy gun for outlaw visitor poses.”








After a beer and some time spent with the very entertaining bar tender it was time to drive to a pretty neat new place for lunch.



This place had a real cool aviation vibe regarding the old Flying Boat aircraft. While we were eating a couple older retired military guys came in for lunch. It was pretty cool seeing them there.







We had invited Paul and his girlfriend Lisa over for steaks on the grill for supper. First, we needed to have some steaks. We found this place at random on our way back to the house. The steaks Linda bought for supper wound up being fantastic.



Before the evening was over, we finally remembered to take a photo of old friends having a beer(s).

 

[Tigerkf]

This picture is udderly confusing!

 

[Simmons1]

Day 10 Umatilla to Bushnell, FL 64

Forgot to mention the weather is continuing to be awesome every day. The road was calling again but not very hard as it was only 64 miles over to Bushnell.

We rode a whopping 2.5 miles to our first stop to see they Cadwell Park Animal Trees. They were fantastic and pictures don’t do justice to the art.



















We were then off to Mount Dora to check out a Spider Bug.




A short time later we were in Bushnell and when we pulled up into the driveway Linda’s sister Theresa was opening the gate to let us in. Theresa made a fabulous meal. After eating we just hung out together catching up.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 11 and 12 Bushnell with Family 0

We started out with a nice home cooked breakfast. Linda helped Theresa tends to her egg laying chickens and I kept dogs and cats occupied.

Linda and Theresa decided to go to the movies to see “The Blind” a movie about Phil Robertson of “Duck Dynasty” fame. Linda said the movie told a much less flattering story about Phil’s early years than the tour in West Monroe did.

While they were at the movies I gave the Wing a thorough inspection, and relaxed watching NFL football.

Perfect weather again today on day 12. Spent the morning hanging out together. Theresa and Danny have some pretty cool old vehicles.











Lastly, Theresa’s work truck that recently had an engine rebuild.





Theresa suggested we go to tour the “Gypsy Gold Horse Farm” that she does volunteer work for. The farm breeds Gypsy Vanner horses.

America’s First Gypsy Vanner Horses - Gypsy Gold Horse Farm

Visit our farm Horses & History Tour This 2 hour tour includes a 1 hour overview of the history of the Gypsy Vanner and the colorful culture that created it given by Dennis Thompson. The story is followed by a guided tour of the farm where you'll meet the stallions, mares, foals and various other

gypsygold.com

“The Gypsy Vanner Horse is a beautiful breed envisioned by the Gypsies of Great Britain. This horse was selectively bred for over half a century from a vision to create the perfect horse to pull the Gypsy caravan. In 1996 the first Gypsy Vanner Horses came to North America and the Gypsy Vanner Horse Society was established as a registry for the breed. At that time the breed did not have a name, and the name Gypsy Vanner Horse was chosen, because the breed was a Gypsy’s “vanner horse”, bred to pull the colorful caraVAN.”

The horses are a beautiful breed. Learning about the history of the breed.














Our one regret was not being able to spend time with Theresa’s husband Danny this trip. Danny was on a hunting trip when we passed through.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 13 Bushnell to Crestview, FL 396

Our time in Bushnell was over and it was time to started heading back towards home. We had a couple day 500-mile leg planned to get to Foley, AL. After all the great weather we have had our luck was about to change. The forecast for the second day of this leg looked really bad all the way across the gulf coast. We made the decision to put in a big day leaving Bushnell.

Frist stop was In Live Oak, at the Suwanee Springs Bridge (The Bridge to Nowhere).

“Suwanee Springs Bridge was built in 1931 by the Austin Brothers Bridge Company of Dallas, Texas. The design is a Parker through truss with riveted connections and a long series of concrete t-beams; it spans 160 feet over the river. The bridge was bypassed by a new bridge in 1971, and is one of two abandoned bridges in the area that remain open for foot and bike traffic.

What makes Suwanee Springs Bridge–also referred to by locals as The Bridge to Nowhere–unique is that over the past decade or so, it has become an ever-changing canvas for graffiti.”











Our next stop for the day was in Greenville childhood home of the great Ray Charles.





Then on to Tallahassee to see “Whales in the Yard”.





We grabbed a quick lunch and Linda suggested we try to make it Crestview before calling it quits. The last 100 miles was tough with my back talking to me and Linda getting tired sore as well.

We walked over to Cracker Barrel for supper. On the table was an advertisement to buy one of several small left over size meals for $6 bucks. We each bought one thinking if the weather was really bad tomorrow we had some chow in the room.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 14 Crestview Rain Delay 0

When we got up, we were surprised the weather didn’t look too bad out. The local forecast on TV was still calling for it to be nasty so we decided to stay put for the day.

It wasn’t really raining much where we were but it was windy with heavy rain the direction we were headed. At lunch time it was only sprinkling so we grabbed the umbrella’s and walked to Whataburger for lunch, saving our Cracker Barrel leftovers for supper.

Our view for the day from our hotel room. The front was supposed to pass by over night so we were hoping for better weather in the morning.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 15 Crestview to Foley, AL

We woke up to cool temps and a damp fog but no more rain. It’s time to ride again. We had short day planned to get to our friends house in Foley, AL for a visit.

To anyone that travels I-10 regularly this should be a familiar sight. Nothing like a Blue Angel at a rest area.



Our next stop was to check out another famous road side aviation attraction but first we had to get to it. I made a slight blunder in route planning and figured our next stop would be a quick photo and gone. Very wrong on my part. It became obvious that this stop was going to take a while since the we needed to go on to Naval Air Station Pensacola to get see my planned stop. The requirements to get on base on a motorcycle were as follows.

“Motorcyclists:

NAS Pensacola regulations require the use of an approved D.O.T. helmet, proper reflective outer wear (double sided reflective vest worn over back packs), long sleeves, eye protection (shatter proof), pants, gloves and hard soled shoes to operate a motorcycle on base.”

We were good except for the double sided reflective vest part. We road up to the gate showed our ID’s and said we wanted to go to the museum. We were waved on and away we went. So much for being nervous about getting on base.

Before we got to our planned stop, we made a bonus stop at the Pensacola Lighthouse which is on the base.







The old light house museum was full of interesting history about the area and the lighthouse itself. It is 177 steps to the top and with being in full gear and almost 100% humidity we passed on going to the top.









Just a little way up on the left was where we would find the “roadside” stop.



The museum is a lot different than the museum at Warner Robins which had lots of displays and not just aircraft. NAS Pensacola was all about the aircraft. Scrolling through the WIKI link below will show the vast number of aircraft in the museum.

National Naval Aviation Museum - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I worked in aviation most of my adult life. I spent quite a few years working at an electrical accessories business that has had many names and owners since it began in 1946 at the infancy of the jet age. One of the main products was turbine engine ignition systems. On the engine in the foreground was an exciter that came from the company I worked for when it was young.

“General Laboratory Associates (GLA) was founded in 1946 in Guilford New York. In 1947 GLA was incorporated and within a year, the company moved from Guilford to Norwich.

By the 1950s, the company had quickly grown to 200 employees and developed the first high energy ignition system design, for a US Navy application of a Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Engine. The system developed into a strong foundation of ignition systems, that would eventually support advancements in air and space travel that continue today.”







And one more.









Finally, my actual stop. Any one remember President Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” speech in 2003 from the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln. This is the aircraft he flew in on.












Lastly the props from the movie “Devotion”

"“Devotion,” recounts the landmark career of Ensign Jesse L. Brown, the son of a Mississippi sharecropper who became the U.S. Navy’s first Black aviator in 1948, and, two years later, its first Black officer to die in the Korean War."



How many of you know that George Barber the man behind world famous Barber Motorsports Museum was also a lover of arts? Our next stops were at the Barber Marina property.

“Bamahenge is a full-scale fiberglass replica of England's prehistoric Stonehenge monument, located on the grounds of Barber Marina near Josephine, Alabama. It was designed and built by artist Mark Cline, at the request of marina owner George W. Barber.”






“At the marina you'll find Cline's most recent addition to the property: a 50-foot fiberglass woman floating in the water with only her head and knees showing. Though her official name is "Country Girl Skinny Dipping," the world has come to know her simply as everyone "Lady in the Lake." Keep in mind that she's not always on display, so call ahead if you have your heart set on seeing her.”







20 minutes later we would arrive at Karen and Dave’s house. They are longtime friends from back East. The last time we saw them was when they stopped in last April in their way back home from a bike ride to Las Vegas.



Dave is a fantastic cook and after a wonderful meal Karen suggested we go play Music Bingo in the community center at the retirement community they live in for some laughs. Laugh we did. It was a hoot.


Karen is on the left. We share the same birthday. Kids in school used to love it when both our mom’s sent goodies to school on our birthday.








Even Elvis showed up. Linda won the last pot of the night and we joked that we now had enough gas money to get back to Texas.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 16 Foley tourist day 0

After another nice breakfast we headed down to Gulf Shores for the 50th Annual National Shrimp Festival. We had a couple roadside oddities to check out on the way there.





It’s a huge festival. We were lucky to be there on Friday instead of over the weekend. Great food, great Music, and a ton of vendors selling everything under the sun.
















A good time was had by all.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 17 Foley to Waveland, MS

After some emotional goodbyes we were on the road again to see my old partner in crime from work. But first we had to get there.

First stop was in Daphne, AL at Frank and Stein: Junk Art Man and Dog.



Then on to Athletes Made of Junk also in Daphne. This art was really cool to stop and see.













Our next stop was is in Mobile at USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park. Another quick stop gone wrong. LOL





This stop was fantastic. The battleship, a submarine, and lots of aircraft including an A12 precursor to the SR71 Blackbird. On top of that a special presentation from a bunch of people that were part of the A12/SR71 program back in the day. The guests included the pilot that set the record for fastest flight across the United States.

“ Coast-to-Coast in 64 Minutes

Ed Yeilding and his RSO, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Vida, flew a SR-71 from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds. While on this flight across the United States, it broke four flight time records, including St. Louis to Cincinnati in 8 minutes at 32 seconds.”













On to the USS Drum.

“USS Drum (SS-228) is a Gato-class submarine of the United States Navy, the first Navy ship named after the drum, a type of fish. Drum is a museum ship in Mobile, Alabama, at Battleship Memorial Park.

Drum was the twelfth of the Gato class but was the first completed and the first to enter combat in World War II. She is the oldest of her class still in existence.”

I had never been in a sub before. It was pretty darn neat walking through the sub. That said, they look they are built for short people. I only banged my head three times squeezing through bulk heads.












And finally, the USS Alabama. I had never been on a battleship before either. It was huge. We could have spent all day going through the ship but did not plan for a full day here. Maybe another time.

“USS Alabama (BB-60) is a retired battleship. She was the fourth and final member of the South Dakota class of fast battleships built for the United States Navy in the 1940s. The first American battleships designed after the Washington treaty system began to break down in the mid-1930s, they took advantage of an escalator clause that allowed increasing the main battery to 16-inch (406 mm) guns, but Congressional refusal to authorize larger battleships kept their displacement close to the Washington limit of 35,000 long tons (36,000 t).”











And a B52 to end our visit.



Before getting back on the road we let my buddy Don know we were running late and would eat on the road. I had a place in mind that we saw on a TV show called “The Southern Weekend”. It was right off the highway and a perfect stop for lunch.

The Shed Story | theshedbbq

www.theshedbbq.com

It was more of a compound than a little roadside barbeque joint.











We decided to split the large 2 meat combo of ribs and brisket for an extra $4. We should have got the regular size as we were stuffed after splitting the Ribs alone.










Bellies full we headed for Waveland, ground zero for Hurricane Katrina.





“The museum’s home – the historic Waveland Elementary School – is actually an exhibit itself. The only building left standing on Coleman Avenue after the unprecedented rage of Hurricane Katrina, it has been artfully restored to the highest historic standards.”

We got settled in and ordered pizza for dinner and after visiting for awhile hit the hay early after another busy travel day.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 18 Waveland screwing off day 0

My buddy Don bought a bunch of small lots one block over from the museum and built a house as a weekend getaway for his family and as a place to live in retirement.





The area in these pictures used to look like a jungle littered with debris from Katrina. Don and his family worked crazy hard to clear the jungle and get grass to take off.



Don’s son in law is a big baseball fan and built a fantastic whiffle ball field out back.





They all love it there so much there that the family is working on building a house next store for his granddaughter.

We also checked out this stretch golf cart that Don bought in kind of rough shape and refurbished over 8 months for cruising down to the beach 3 blocks away. We took it for a fun spin around the neighborhood.



Linda made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and we had a wonderful dinner with Don and his family. We called it an early night again as tomorrow was a travel day.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 19 Waveland to Natchitoches, LA 307

We got up bright and early to the coolest morning of the trip. After breakfast we loaded up the Wing and dressed as best as we could for the weather. After saying our goodbyes, we aimed the Wing towards home.

Neither one of us typically get bad get home itis but after 3 weeks traveling but we both were thinking there is no place like home. I must have been getting burnt out creating our routes as I only had a couple stops planned for today.

We tried to eat lunch in Opelousas, Louisiana at this place that looked pretty interesting to us. The building was big but there was no seating so moved on. We tried three other places in town with no luck and got back on the highway stopping for some actually pretty tasty gas station chicken.





It was still chilly but with a bright blue sky it was beautiful day for riding. We were both ready for another stretch and stopped to check out Swamp Daddy's Giant Crawfish in Alexandria.





Back on the road it would be a hop skip and a jump to our destination for the day. Before heading to the hotel for the night we checked out the house made famous by Linda’s favorite Julia Roberts movie.





After getting settled in our room we walked over to a Wendy's for supper on our last night on the road.

 

[Simmons1]

Day 20 Natchitoches to Home Sweet Home 295

It’s a chilly 37 degrees this morning. I don’t believe we have seen it this cool since March. The hotel had a pretty nice hot breakfast. We geared up and hit the road planning to get home in good season today.

The first stretch up I-49 was pretty chilly but the Wing’s heated seat and grips did their best to keep us comfortable. Soon enough we were getting off the big road and heading East on Route 84 to our only roadside stop on the last leg home.

I have ridden through Mansfield, LA a few times but I have never stopped at the Civil War Battlefield site. Today would be no different. Would like to visit it on a future ride.

In Logansport, LA we turned North East to visit the “International Boundary Marker”. I have stopped here in the past but Linda had never seen it.

“The International Boundary Marker, also known as the Republic of Texas Granite Marker, is a boundary marker located on the Louisiana-Texas border near the junction of Texas FM 31 and Louisiana Highway 765, southeast of Deadwood, Texas. The marker was created in 1840 and placed in 1841 to mark the international border between the United States and the Republic of Texas.”













We made a couple more stops for stretches, gas and a snack arriving home just after 2pm.














This was a very different trip for us. Lots of shorter days with lots of stops visiting friends and family. After two and half years I think I am finally getting the hang of being retired. LOL

Now Approaching 90K miles the Wing didn’t miss a beat. Returning home, the bike needed an oil change (already completed) and will need a new rear dark side tire before too long.

Next trip is to Big Bend in a couple weeks to do some dual sport riding.

Talking about doing a similar take our time ride to Yellowstone in 2024.

All photos are available here.

2023 Savannah and Beyond - simmons1962

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[julimike54]

Very well done Sir!

 

[Simmons1]

Very well done Sir!

Thank you!

 

[Duke]

Rich you were right by me when you were in Green Cove at the external fuel tank. Well 10 minutes away.

Excellent ride report, you've given me some nuggets to go check out that I didn't know were here. Savanah and Charleston are our favorite weekend getaways that we've found since moving over here. You certainly saw a lot!

 

[Simmons1]

Rich you were right by me when you were in Green Cove at the external fuel tank. Well 10 minutes away.

Excellent ride report, you've given me some nuggets to go check out that I didn't know were here. Savanah and Charleston are our favorite weekend getaways that we've found since moving over here. You certainly saw a lot!

Hope you are doing well! Thanks for the compliment. Its been a long time since I have seen you.

I'll never forget the infamous first and best East Texas Dual Sport ride that you were a big part of making happen.

 

[RJ2]

Good reading!