July 2023 GA Fireworks

Welcome to Georgia. You may remember Mike and Marie Colvin from last years visit to Georgia. Mike and I worked together at Chandler PD. They moved to Georgia from California a little over a year ago. A week before July 4th, Mike had called and asked for assistance. He along with his friend Casey were tasked with providing the town’s fireworks display to celebrate Independence Day. They needed an extra hand and he asked if I’d be willing to help out. Of course I would. Mike explained that he and Casey along with 2 others had provided a fireworks display for the Church last year. They were approached by the Town officials and were asked to provide this years display for the entire town as the Church display was better than the town display. Mike and Casey enthusiastically said yes. Casey obtained all the fireworks and they were ready. Teri and I arrived in Claxton, GA on Monday afternoon and set up camp in Mike and Marie’s front yard. On Tuesday, July 4, we all fished in their pond and that night we blew things up. There were bottle rocket launcher tubes set up on a flatbed trailer and were screwed in so they wouldn’t fall. My job was to load the tubes with the fuses visible and Mike and Casey would go down the line lighting the fuses. The goal was to have a constant display of fireworks. Everything worked well, for the most part. I had to be mindful of which fuses had been lit so my hand wasn’t near a lit fuse when it went off. I’m partial to keeping all my fingers. I couldn’t keep up with them so Mike started loading tubes as well. In the end, we had set off 710 bottle rockets for about 15 minutes of continuous fireworks. We were approached by numerous people that evening and days later who professed their thanks and appreciation for a great fireworks display. We experienced heavy rain in the afternoon of each day but it was a pleasant rain that took the heat out of the day. Over the course of a week I took the jeep to Statesboro to have it serviced, we went to Jekyll Island where we hung out on the beach then took a drive to St Simon Island. I joined Mike for his standing Saturday morning breakfast with his pals and we talked about the fireworks and various other goings-on in the area. They each welcomed me back and hoped we’d visit again. The waitress knew what everyone wanted for breakfast, except me. Everyone in the small diner were friendly and it was a very friendly, relaxing atmosphere. I had to call John Baker (John & Son Mobile Camper Repair) again for another RV repair. Last year John had to fix a slide-out motor. John and his wife arrived on Saturday to fix a non-responsive co-pilot chair. Teri likes to ride with the footrest extended for her comfort and this is also where Sarge likes to ride. On our previous stop, the power had quit at the chair so the footrest would not retract. This is a problem because the footrest blocks the entry door. Neither I nor the previous mechanic nor Mike could identify the solution. The problem was that there was no electrical power to the chair. John located a fuse box that I was unaware of, reset the circuit breaker and the chair was fixed. We had a great relaxing week.

The next stop was Helen, GA. We stayed at the Hearthstone Cabins and RV Park. This park was not what we were expecting. It was more of a national forest service campground than an RV park. Our motorhome was a bit big for the park. We arrived from what we later determined was the wrong direction. The road from downtown to the park was a very winding and narrow road. Fortunately we didn’t experience any oncoming traffic as this road was about 1 1/2 lanes wide. I don’t know how we would have maneuvered past any other vehicles. Finally we reached the entrance to the park. The road had a slight downward curve to the right and the turn into the park was less than 90 degrees. The short version is that I blocked the entire road, had to unhook the jeep while blocking the road and had to do a 4 point turn to get the motorhome into the park lane and off the road. Then we had to wait for the owners to show up and guide us in. Liz is one of the owners and she did an amazing job of making sure we were comfortably parked in our spot. This took some maneuvering to get backed into our spot but we got it done. The back 4 ft of the motorhome was hanging off the edge of a bank. When the stabilizer jacks were lowered, they just sank into the ground about a foot. You might remember the same problem last month if you read the previous post. Liz said she would get some rocks to fill the holes and she returned shortly with several buckets full of river rocks to fill the holes. Then we lowered the jacks again and all was well. This park seemed to have a lot of long term campers but everyone we saw were friendly. We spent a week in the area. We visited Unicoi State Park for some mtb riding and hiking and fishing. While riding the South trail I came across a stream that I decided not to cross after looking for an easy crossing. The water was shin deep and I didn’t feel like riding in wet shoes and socks. The north trail was just as scenic but provided some excitement. This day I was the nail and not the hammer. I was cruising along downhill stretch until I wasn’t. The trail was part of a creek bed that was rocky and sandy. As I bounced along, the front tire buried itself into some soft sand and stopped abruptly on a rock. The front wheel and handlebars turned sharply to the right and I was airborne. I landed on my left side. First thing I did was check the bike. If you know, you know. The bike was ok. I had some scrapes on my leg but otherwise I was ok. I finished the ride without further mishap. The next day I found and felt the bruising on the hip and legs. We fished the river running through the park and Teri had some success. We took a drive into Cleveland, GA for groceries and stopped for lunch. There were a lot of fast food joints but few diners.

I have probably mentioned it before, but we continue to workout while we are traveling. We do 2 days of strength work per week and one of those days we have a Zoom workout with Kevin. We setup the iPad on a stand and he can see the entire front interior area of the motorhome. That is where we set up our workout mats, weights, TRX straps, Bosu Ball, Stability Ball and elastic bands. He is a slave driver. He makes sure we get the reps but also critiques our form. Kevin is great for providing positive reinforcement which helps keep us motivated.

We took several day trips while in the area as well as some fishing trips. Anna Ruby Falls is an amazing site. There is a 1/2 mile hike on paved trail to the falls, with some steep inclines but the views are worth the effort. Watching the water cascading off the cliffs was spell binding. There are actually 2 rivers that make up the falls and converge into a single river. On one of our day trips we kept seeing signs for Brasstown Bald. We had no idea what this was. As we approached the turnoff, we made a hasty decision to check it out. Hang on as we made a quick turn. As we drove we started climbing a steep grade and above us, on the top of the mountain, we could see a large round structure. We found out this is the top of a mountain in which you can see 4 states (GA, TN, NC, SC). The top of the mountain is the highest point in Georgia at just under 4800 ft. The round structure is a fire watch tower. We did not have the opportunity to climb up into the tower.

Helen, GA is a small, tourist attraction town with a strong Bavarian heritage. The shops are tourist souvenir style where you can buy almost anything with Helen printed on it. We did stop for lunch and the Bavarian pretzel and beer were delicious. For a bit of history, we stopped in at Nora Mills. This was a grain grinding mill that was water and wheel powered. Here they would grind up the grain to make cornmeal, grits and whole grains. In the store you had the opportunity to buy much of this. Betty’s Country store is a must see. A log cabin style grocery store is the primary grocery store in Helen. Down the road was the Fly shop. We stopped in to find out the best places to fish and the best type of flies to use. Several times we fished the Chattahoochee River near the RV park with varying success. One day I’d catch some, the next day Teri would. We couldn’t seem to walk away with both of us winning on any particular day. Our last day trip was to Murphy, NC to the Piney Knob Trails for a bike ride and hike.

As we left Helen, we wondered how many more countries we would visit without leaving the U.S. So far we have been to Switzerland (Ouray, CO, the Switzerland of America), Holland with the Dutch Heritage in Orange City, IA and now Germany in Helen. Next month you’ll learn of another German stop in Frankenmuth, MI.

As we continued moving northward our next stop was Heiskill, TN north of Knoxville. This stop had some drama to it. One morning we let Sarge out of the motorhome around 7am like we do almost every day. It surprised us that we hadn’t seen him by noon as he normally checks in around 9 or 10am for a snack. We tried to call him to no avail. His tracker was not connecting to Teri’s phone indicating he was out of bluetooth range and had not connected to any other type of wifi or bluetooth device. The campground is surrounded by heavy woods and undergrowth. We figured he was hunkered down as it had been raining with thunder and lightning all morning. We went out into the woods on a trail and called for him with no luck. That night we didn’t sleep well. I hadn’t realized how attached I am to him. We tried to console each other and discussed the various options. The next morning he was still missing. We walked the trail that surrounds the camp calling for him without success. I bushwacked my way through the forest and undergrowth until I came to several homes. I saw a couple in their back yard and approached. I explained why I was bothering them and they couldn’t have been more friendly. They were Ed and Donna Paris. We talked for bit and they said they would keep an eye out for Sarge. Teri had created a missing cat flyer so we drove into Knoxville to have several copies made and laminated. We mentioned to several of our neighbors that he had gone on a walkabout and hadn’t returned. That evening as we were sitting at the dining table about 7pm (Sarge has been gone for 36 hours) I checked Teri’s Find My phone app. It showed Sarge had connected to a wifi an hour earlier. He was about 1 mile away as the crow flies but it was more like 2 miles as he had to climb and descend the ridge. The tracker had connected at a house on the other side of Bullrun Ridge. We excitedly jumped into the Jeep and drove around the ridge to the house. There are no trails, paths, roads, etc over the ridge. We pulled into the driveway and walked up to the front door. Les and Meg answered my knocking on the door. I apologized for bothering them so late but said we were looking for our lost cat. Before I could say another word she asked if it was a white and black cat. I said yes and she said they had seen one in the morning out near their vehicles. They grabbed jackets and we went looking. As soon as we got near their Jeep while calling for Sarge, he started to announce his presence. We were ecstatic. Sarge was excited to see us and buried his face in the small bowl of food I put down for him. Les and Meg Lockhart explained they had seem him that morning near their garage but didn’t check him close as they believed he probably belonged to one of the neighbors. They don’t have a neighbor within sight of their house. We chatted for a bit and were amazed at the amount of country he had traveled. We all slept better that night.

One afternoon as we pulled into our camp, a vehicle pulled up behind us. The driver asked if we were from AZ. I said yes and he said they were too. They were from the “Dirty T” as he put it. He asked if I was Law Enforcement as he had seen my Thin Blue Line flag and Public Safety license plate. I told him I was retired out of Chandler. He said he had retired from Rural Metro in Tucson and they had moved to TN to try something new. They were Eli and Deb. After chatting for a bit they moved on. They are currently living in their RV while looking for a piece of property to install a manufactured home. We wish you luck.

We spent several days fishing in the area. Some mornings were beyond words. The mist coming off the water just made everything seem so surreal. Additionally we scouted several other streams and found some beautiful sights.

There is no way you can drive your home down the highways without minor issues, as you’ve previously read. Well this stop was no different. When we arrived I attempted to extend the awning and noticed it wasn’t extending properly. Without boring you with all the details, there was a tension cord that had become caught on a bracket that hindered the awning extension. I was able to unhook the cord and the awning extended properly. However I found that the tension cord keeps a rod in place, centered on the awning. That rod was no longer centered. Without correcting this problem, the awning would not close properly and we couldn’t have that. I tried for over an hour to figure out how to re-center the rod. A gentleman from another camp stopped over and offered his assistance. He said he didn’t know anything about it, but was willing to help. He did some internet searching while I was fiddling with various options. Neither of us could figure anything out. Later that day, he and his wife moved on in their travels. I certainly appreciated the offer of assistance. I ended up calling Travis, the owner of Lively Mobile RV Repair. He agreed to stop out and work on it once the weather cooperated. A couple days later, he was at the park as agreed and spent an hour working on the awning and had it repaired. I would highly recommend his services if you are in need of mobile repair work.

As part of my workout program I spend time on the bike trainer. I have a smart trainer which replaces the rear wheel of the gravel bike. This allows me to keep spinning my wheels without getting anywhere (pun intended). This allows me to ride at a defined pace or power or I can do a virtual ride in which the power and speed will change upon the change of the virtual geography. I always wanted to ride the Tour De France without actually traveling there. On one of my ‘rides’ one of the other campers approached and asked about the trainer. He had never seen this type. His name was Will. He and his wife Lona were staying in the park for the summer. They are bluegrass musicians and song writers. They spend their time traveling to bluegrass festivals where they compete and participate in the events. Over the course of our stay we visited several times.

One of our side trips was the Museum of Appalachia. This is a replica of a small town that could have been situated in the Appalachian Mountains. Several cabins of historic nature have been relocated to this park along with a hall of memories and the history of the music of the area. We saw 2 woodchucks and we had to ask what they were as we had never seen a woodchuck. How much wood can a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? I still don’t know. This one was munching on a nut that had fallen out of the tree. Teri had to say hi to the miniature horses and donkeys before we left. There was a motorcycle on display in one of the buildings. Imagine my surprise as I read that it had been carved out of wood with a pocket knife. Amazing.

After arriving in the Georgetown, KY area we took a walk through the historic downtown area. Our initial reaction was not a positive one. We stood on the corner of an uncontrolled intersection with a marked crosswalk. The traffic was steady but not one driver acknowledged we were waiting to cross and it took 5 minutes before we could find a break in traffic. This was not the level of courtesy we had experienced further south. The weather was hot and humid with 86 degree temps 65% humidity that the weather app said felt like 91. There were few trees compared to the Knoxville area. We popped into a small gift shop and while Teri walked through the shop, the young man behind the counter started a polite conversation. As he asked about our travels he commented that he doesn’t drive yet so he couldn’t fully understand some of the nuances of our trip. For being such a young man, I would guess 15ish, he asked very intelligent questions and provided us with some suggestions as to sites to see. It was very refreshing. There was a small orchard store near the campground that we stopped at. It was staffed by 2 middle-aged men. The first was sitting on the porch and didn’t even acknowledge our presence as we approached. As we walked through the store, the second was behind the counter and didn’t say a word until I said hi. We were quite surprised by this as we had experienced a very different level of friendliness in GA and TN.

We had stopped in this area to tour Lexington. There were a lot of amazing historical buildings and historical markers all over. We dropped into the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Park and walked the battle lines seeing the hillside as the armies would have seen it during the Civil War. There were interpretive signs identifying the view and we found a cannon set on a hillside. There were 2 memorial markers on site. One was a memorial to the Confederate Soldiers of which many are buried in a mass grave on the site. The other was for the Union soldiers.

The biking and hiking in this area was disappointing. The roads are very narrow without any shoulder so I felt very uncomfortable just thinking about riding on the road. Teri wouldn’t even consider walking along the road. I did find 1 mountain biking area. I made a mistake at the entrance and found myself on an equestrian trail. About 15 minutes into the ride I was disgusted. The trail was steep, muddy and marked up by horse hoofs. I called Teri and said I quit because the trails are so unmaintained and damaged it wasn’t worth the effort. As I took a side trail to get out of the park, I found a trail that criss-crossed the one I was on. That looked more like a mtb trail. I took a left and continued riding. I’m glad I did. I called Teri and said, I had been on the wrong trail but now I had found the right one. It made all the difference. This trail was well built and maintained and was a lot of fun.

We were disappointed in our visit. We had expected there to be plenty of riding and hiking areas as well as the history. It just didn’t meet our expectations. The weather was hot and humid and we suffered through a rain downpour. This was not one of our favorite stops. The campground, Whispering Hills RV Park, was a nice one and one we would stay at again if we were to visit the area again. We decided to leave a couple days earlier than we had planned due to the lack of interest in the area. As we pulled out of our site and were exiting the park, we drove over a small speed bump. The back end of the coach bounced more than usual and just didn’t feel right. We stopped at the park exit and I got out and walked around the coach. It become obvious right away that the rear airbags had not inflated. After doing some quick checking and not being able to correct it, we pulled back into our camp spot to regroup. One of the camp hosts guided us as we backed into the camp site. I got out of the coach to check to make sure we were situated in the space properly and I noticed that the bags had inflated. I thanked the camp host for backing us in and for correcting the airbag issue and we pulled out and were back on the road. As of this writing, we’ve had no further issues and I don’t know what had caused the problem.

We then zoomed into Wapakoneta, OH. This is the home town of Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. We toured the Armstrong Museum which we found fascinating. The roads had changed in that there was now a shoulder that would support bike riding. There were no mtb trails in the area. Each day I rode past the fields of corn and soy beans and marveled at how much farm land there was in the area. On one of my rides I rolled through the center of town. A police officer was parked near the town park with his window rolled down. I pulled up and asked if he had a few minutes. The officer was Joe Welker. We then began to chat about his work in this small town compared to my career. I noticed he was a K9 and we chatted about his dog, Fox. He opened the kennel door which allowed Fox to poke his head into the drivers area. Fox poked his head forward and laid it on Joe’s shoulder. It was obvious this young, large german shepherd loved Joe. Joe let Fox out of the car and Fox eagerly walked up to me to get some attention. Joe displays his dog at various school and community functions on a regular basis. Seeing Fox’s disposition I can see why he would be a great asset for developing community support for the PD. I wouldn’t want to meet Fox in a dark alley however. Joe suggested we stop and see the Temple of Tolerance in downtown before we left the area. We said our goodbye’s and I rode home. About an hour after getting home, there was a knock on the door. It was Joe. He brought over a Wapokoneta PD shoulder patch, cloth badge and some stickers for trading. Of course we had to take another photo. The park owner drove through while we were talking and fearfully asked if everything was ok. He said they don’t see the police in the park very often. We explained we were just comparing stories. The owner invited Joe and other officers to visit anytime. We also stumbled upon a county fair and took a walk through admiring the animals and the food trucks. On one of my morning rides, I couldn’t believe the view of the sun as it rose into the sky.

While we were in the area we visited the Bicycle Museum of America. This is a private collection of bicycles spanning the decades. Some of the bikes were the predecessor of e-bikes and shaft drive bikes. PeeWee Herman’s bike was on display as well. Teri entered her very first bicycle race while touring the museum. A machine in which you spin a handle to make the bicycle go around in a circle was on display. There are 2 handles so 2 people can race their bicycle against each other. The Museum was next door to the Canal Lock 1 of the Miami-Erie canal. Boats would reach this lock and would be turned around to head back down the river/canal. One afternoon we found the Temple of Tolerance. A man had turned his enormous back yard into a world of stone art. He had dedicated his “garden” to giving troubled souls a place to decompress and to find solace. His career is that of an archeologist and he has a number a newspaper clippings posted that explain his mission of peace. The path through the yard was lined with stone walls and a tunnel of vegetation. There were artifacts from around the world. The Temple was a mound of rocks that had been piled up about 15 feet high. It was a very relaxing stroll. One of the things I noticed both last year and this year is that the streets of Ohio towns are lined with banners of military service people. The street light poles throughout the towns fly banners commemorating the service men and women from the town and from the area.