Week1

On the morning of departure it drizzled and the early tree blossoms looked like pink haze through the mist. Shortly, however, the rain stopped and the air was clear and fresh, if one doesn’t consider the Diesel exhaust of the truck trains heading somewhere, both ways, on Interstate 81. The Appalachians were still quite gray and winterish looking and greenery in Asheville, NC was no further along than in Columbia.
I had a nice visit with lovely daughter Stefanie and nice husband Brantley who live in a small and beautifully self-restored house in the liberal artist enclave of Asheville. We took a challenging hike on a wonderful day on the Boogerman Trail in the Smokey Mtns. We saw clean streams and the remnants of a homestead on a high plateau where a family once eaked out a living, manually clearing the field of large boulders and building an impressive stone wall near their log home. This in contrast to the unsustainable, oversized homes being built nearly everywhere on steep slopes with views by the nouveau riche class created by lower taxes on the upper income brackets. These homes generally sit above valleys of poverty.
In Georgia I was graced by the invitation to experience a small town weekend by in-laws George and Charlene Milligan. George, a city councilman of his community of 2200 showed me the good and the bad. The good was a real sense of community including all races eating at the downtown restaurant after church. Church there, as in most other places of worship, was a segregated event. The Baptist Pastor was exceptional for such a small community. The community suffered from the same affliction as most other small ones: flight to the cities since the 60’s. Many once beautiful houses are abandoned and have become a problem for the community. Prices for beautiful homes on large lots are available for under 100K with fixer uppers available for a small fraction thereof. Talk about affordable housing! We need to provide incentives to move people back to the country.
A late afternoon arrival in lovely Plains, GA made for a brief visit to former President Jimmy Carter’s home and visitor center. Just as with the Milligans, the Carters also feel a strong sense of community and have stayed or returned their roots.
As the trip progressed through Georgia I spotted the first palm trees, many beef herds of all colors grazing sometimes along with goats, many pecan groves and most often pine forest farms. The secondary roads were in great shape and largely empty and the 55 mph speed limit made for relaxing driving and great mileage, 54 mpg.