Savannah Bound-- Part 26: Savannah's History

MONDAY, APRIL 8

Next, we walked across the yard to the Savannah History Museum which showcases the city's history from1733 to the present.

It is located in the old Central of Georgia passenger shed whose construction began in the 1850s and was completed in the 1870s.  It is home to more than 10,000artifacts including Johnny Mercer's Oscar and Grammy awards and the bench made famous by Forrest Gump sitting on it in the movie of the same name.

Of course, there is a lot to do with Savannah during the American Revolution and the Battle of Savannah in which the British defeated attacking American/French forces and resulted in the death of Casimir Pulaski.   And, of course, Savannah's role in the Civil War.

Also on the grounds is the rebuilt British fortifications at Spring Hill.

After leaving Savannah, I went with Julie as she made her rounds feeding various feral cat colonies around Pooler.

--RoadDog

Savannah Bound-- Part 25: The Cat and the Trains

Daisy them kitten was doing much better this morning.  Only she didn't look much like a Daisy.  She looked more like something else.  Julie said she looked like one of hose little creatures in the "Star Wars" movie and she sure did look like an Ewok.  That became her new name.

Today was our trip to Savannah to see some of Julie's favorite stuff.  History.  Well, Ed and I liked it anyway.

First stop was the Georgia State Railroad Museum.  It was formerly called the Roundhouse Railroad Museum and still called that by many, including Ed.  It is located at the Central of Georgia Railway site and is the most complete antebellum train site.

Probably the most striking aspect of the place is the partial round house and operating turntable, machine shop as well as all sorts of other railroad related things. Also lots of engines and railroad cars.

--RoadTrain

Savannah Bound-- Part 24: Church, Breakfast, Mansion and Kitten

SUNDAY, APRIL 7

I went with Ed and my sister Julie to their church.  It is one of the new kinds of churches with a rock band backing the choir and quite informal.

Afterwards we went to Henry's for breakfast.

Later in the afternoon, we took a short drive to Bluffton, South Carolina, where my nephew is building quite a home for his family.  Everything in it is first rate.  As such he is in better housing than either of his uncles or even his mom.  He runs his own construction company doing a lot of work around the upscale Bluffton area (not far from Hilton Head, S.C.).

We stopped back by Pooler Paws (or Cat House as Julie and Ed refer to it.)

I found a little kitten who was orphaned and had been put into a cage with another mama cat.  She was cowering and really taking a beating from the other kittens when they were playing.  We ended up taking her back to Julie's house.  That was one happy kitten to be taken out of there.  Her name was Daisy.

Very tempting.

--RoadDog

Savannah Bound-- Part 23: Saying Goodbye to Olaf, Final Four and a Wellness-Check

SATURDAY, APRIL 6

A couple came over and adopted Olaf the kitten which took the temptation away from me.  Sorry Julie.

I sure enjoyed watching the NCAA Men's Final Four games today, but Ed doesn't care about college basketball and Julie only cares about the University of Georgia Bulldogs football.  But, she toughed it out and watched.

The Purdue (who I was pulling for)- NC State game was close in the first half, then a blowout for the Boilermakers.  And, Alabama (who'd have ever figured Alabama in a college basketball Final Four) game with UConn was really close until the last five minutes.  Then UConn blew them out.

During the games I received a phone call from my home town police department saying that my neighbors had requested a well-being check and they had to break my side garage door down.  I was not upset at all.  It is good my neighbors keep an eye on me since I now live alone and because of my age, 72.

--Old RoadDog

Savannah Bound-- Part 22: Julie's Old House and a Low Country Boil

We then drove over to the house Julie lived in with her kids and ex-husband in Richmond Hills.  She lived within a few miles of Fort McAllister but only went there a very few times.  She is not much of a history buff.  It was sitting vacant when an upstairs pipe broke and flooded the whole place and led to a lot of damage, but the new owners are rebuilding it.

The traffic on I-95 was horrible coming back.

We had a Low Country Boil for dinner from a local place, Wood's Seafood.  If you're ever in Georgia or South Carolina and have the opportunity to have one of these, go for it.  It consists of sea food, sausage,  potatoes and corn on the cob.  Good eating.

And, a great price.  It is more than you can eat at one meal so leftovers and costs just $11.

Good Eating in the Neighborhood.  --RoadLowCountry

Savannah Bound-- Part 21: Fort McAllister

SATURDAY, APRIL 6

Olaf (the kitten) somehow ended up sleeping with me.  Went to Julie's Cat House, Pooler Paws, and did some cleanup work.

Then, Ed and I got away and headed to Richmond Hill, Georgia, which is south of Savannah.

Our aim today was to visit Confederate Fort McAllister which is now under the direction of the Georgia Sate Parks and has a good museum with a very informative short film about the fort.  The fort itself is an earthen fort much like Fort Fisher but much smaller.

Fort McAllister is the southern-most of the forts that guarded Savannah during the war.  It was attacked by Union ships seven different times during the war, with several of the attacks being from Union monitors.  Every time there were minimal casualties and damage done to it.

The fort finally fell when General Sherman arrived culminating his famed March to the sea.

--RoadDog

Just Got Back from Indy

I got back from the Indy 500 race yesterday.  And, of course, found it necessary to take a nap when I got home as all that fun can sure wear an old fart down.  We had our usual good time even though the American Legion Post 500, where we've been staying in the RV since 2014 messed up our reservations.

We found another campground about 7 miles away at another race track.  Fortunately some friends had extra parking tickets close by the Legion so we had a close-in parking spot.

Despite the rain delay on Sunday, this was the best race I've seen sine I first started going to The Greatest Spectacle in Racing in 2012.

I'll start writing about this trip when I finish April's trip to Savannah.

--RoadDog

Savannah Bound-- Part 20: Records, Huc-A-Poos and a Steak

FRIDAY, APRIL 5

Yesterday was Ed and my history day.  Today was our music day.  Like I said, a brother from another mother.  Thanks Julie.

We drove into Savannah, listening to an oldies station and quizzing each other on song names and performers.  First stop was sat a mom and pop style record/CD store called  Rody's.  I bought two CDs, one by Delbert McClinton and one by James Hunter Six.

Then, we drove out to Wilmington Island, near Tybee Island and went to Coastal Records where Ed bought an old Beatles LP.

When I found out we were near Tybee Island, I mentioned it and wanted to know if a great dive diner called Huc-A-Poos was still there and the owner said it sure was and was as good as ever.  Liz and I had finally found it after looking all over Tybee and it was worth the search.  They feature extremely rustic seating and some of the best giant slices of ubique pizza I'd ever had.

Ed had never been there before but will definitely come back.

Returned home and Julie introduced me to a tabby kitten named Olaf who was quite a character.  I believe one of her goals was to get me to go home with a kitten.  Tempted.

They grilled a steak and we watched the Iowa women's basketball game in the Final Four of that tournament and they will go to the championship game against South Carolina.

These days, everywhere you go it's Caitlyn Clarke.

--RoadRecords

Savannah Bound-- Part 19: A Train Club Meeting and Ricky Skaggs

Thursday, April 4

We returned to their place and decided to go to a train club meeting to be held in Savannah at the Round House.  It was a bit of a museum and there were around fifteen people there who are train fanatics.

Julie had also come across two free tickets to see a concert in Savannah in an old theater.  The show was put on by a favorite country singer of mine, but also quite a bluegrass artist, Ricky Skaggs.

He had a whole slew of Top Ten and #1 hits from 1981 to 1989.  That included eleven #1s, two #2s and six Top Tens.  Now, that's some production.

Some of his hits:

"Crying My Heart Out Over You"

"I Don't Care"

"Heartbroke"

"I Wouldn't Change You If I Could"

"Highway 40 Blues"

He has a top notch band backing his as well and featured them singing and playing on some songs.  They were Country Thunder.

Unfortunately, he said this show was billed as a bluegrass show and that was what he only played, none of those great country songs.  But, what a show he put on and sure seemed to be enjoying himself.

Quite a Long Day.  --RoadDog

Savannah Bound-- Part 18: Beaufort and Beaufort National Cemetery

APRIL 4

Next we went to Beaufort, S.C., which is pronounced differently than Beaufort, N.C., though spelled the same way.  South Carolina's  Beaufort is pronounced Bewfort and N.C.'s Bofort.  

One thing I can say is that they have some really narrow streets in the residential.  We drove by the huge house where the movie "The Big Chill"was filmed.  This movie had one of the all-time great soundtracks for folks my age.

Last stop in Beaufort was at the Beaufort National Cemetery.  It has over 24,000 interments.  A large number of them are from the Civil War.  Some 9,000 are Union soldiers (3,607 unknown, 2,800 POWs from the camp at Millen and 1,700 black soldiers).

We visited the Confederate section where 102 are buried.  

There is also a section for members of the USCT including 19 members of the 55th Massachusetts Infantry regiment, the lesser-known sister  regiment of the famed 54th Massachusetts that made the attack on Fort Wagner as shown in the movie "Glory."

--RoadDog

Savannah Bound-- Part 17: Fort Fremont

THURSDAY, APRIL 4

From 1891 to 1895, a drydock was built was built at the naval station; the only one along the Atlantic coast south of Norfolk.  The base grew in importance.  Twenty naval ships visited the base, including the USS Maine which picked up provisions before continuing on to her date with history in Havana Harbor.

Fort Fremont was built on Saint Helena Island in 1899 by the Army Corps of Engineers across the Beaufort River from the Naval Station.

The main weapons in the fort consisted of three 10-inch breech-loaded disappearing cannons in Battery Jessup and two 4.7-inch rapid fire gins at Battery Fornance.  (Disappearing cannons could be lowered behind the fort's walls after firing and reloaded.)

It was a part of the U.S. Endicott System of forts.

It was deactivated in 1912 and offered for sale in 1921.  After that it was left to the elements and became overgrown.

But now, a group has begun work to bring it back.

--RoadDog

Savannah Bound-- Part 16: Fort Fremont

After leaving Parris Island, we commenced a long drive over narrow roads to Fort Fremont.  Much of the way the road was lined with trees just dripping Spanish moss and all were blowing in the wind.  A real gone with the wind thing if you know what I mean.

Did I mention it was extremely windy today plus that wind blew cold right through you.

As we neared Fort Fremont, the roads got almost to one lane with trees and bushes right up next to it.  Then it was as if we were in someone's driveway and I'm looking at Ed.

We finally got to Fort Fremont which was an 1898 Endicott U.S. fortification built around the time of the Spanish-American War to protect the U.S. Naval Station at Port Royal which is one of the largest deep-water harbors on the Atlantic Coast.

During the Civil War the Union's South Atlantic Blockading Squadron established a massive base here.  From 1891 to 1895, a  dry dock was built here, the only one south of Norfolk, Virginia.

--RoadDog

Savannah Bound-- Part 15: Parris Island Museum and Traditions

We parked and went into the Parris Island Museum.  Of course, there was a lot of Marine4 Corps stuff in there as well as the making of the Parris Island Recruit Training facility.  I especially enjoyed the rooms and exhibits on the site's past and particularly the Civil War, of course.

The Battle of Port Royal took place there.  It was one of the United States' first amphibious operations, involving the U.S. Navy and Army and happened on November 7, 1861.  The entrance to the sound was guarded by two Confederate forts, Fort Walker on Hilton Head Island and Fort Beauregard on Phillips Island.

The fall of the forts led to the Union occupation of Beaufort, South Carolina, which became a major base for the U.S. Navy for operations in the area between Charleston and Savannah for the duration of the war.

We stopped and had the buffet lunch at the former officers club, now a restaurant called Traditions.  The place was full of families and the new Marines.  Quite a few had tee shirts with the picture of their son or daughter on them.

A Proud Day, No Doubt.  ----RoadMarine

Savannah Bound-- Part 14: A Brother From Another Mother

THURSDAY, APRIL 4

Julie's boyfriend Ed is like a brother from another mother to me.  Everything I like, he likes.  And that includes history and music.  He even was a deejay for a long time, just as I was.  He also goes big-time heavy into collecting stuff.  His downfall revolves around model trains and weapons.

We spent a lot of time together over these next few days.  And, today was definitely one of those.

First, we drove to Parris Island, the home of a USMC training base that I have often heard of, but never seen.  Ed used to go there often to deejay events.  So, he knew his way around.  Parris Island is located a short distance from where Julie lives, just over the Georgia-South Carolina border by Hilton Head and Beaufort, S.C..

Parris Island is a lot bigger that I thought it was.  We had to have the vehicle checked before entering the base which was very crowded with families of recruits who had just finished training.  They were having graduation tomorrow.

To say there were a lot of proud parents and family members there would be an understatement.

RoadDog

Savannah Bound-- Part 13: Why Do the Gates Have to Be So Far Apart?

WEDNESDAY, APRIL3

Well, I figure the number 13 is a fitting way to end my day of flying.  If something could go wrong it did.  However, Delta did the best the could do and I intend to start flying more often (even if I have to go through Atlanta).

One more thing I'd like to mention is that today the gates could not have been any farther apart.  I would walk past gate after gate, all empty.  And, hey were always at the very FAR end of the terminal. And, of course, there were the two terminals in Atlanta.

I sure got my walking exercise in today.

I will be flying again, though.

Actually, the trip home went smoothly.

--RoadTired