Fort Gaines, Georgia

Fort Gaines, Georgia

Weather: low 70 degrees, high 91 degrees, clear skies until noon, then mostly cloudy, showers in the afternoon

Our excursion today was to explore the little town of Fort Gaines, located about six miles south of where we’re staying. In some ways, we saved the best for last. Fort Gaines was built by the government in the early 1800s to provide protection from the Indians for the early settlers in this area. At that time, this was considered the western frontier of the US. It’s name came from the first commandant of the fort. The fort consisted of a stockade 100 feet by 100 feet, with walls eight feet high. It also had two blockhouses, and overlooked the Chattahoochee River, about 100 feet below.

The town is the headquarters of the Army COE for Walter F. George Lake, the 45,000-acre lake we are staying near. There are many old homes here, ranging from plantation style to federalist. It seems that there is an attempt being made to refurbish many of the old homes. One of them that we looked at is listed for sale at $180,000. If it was located closer to a larger population center, the price would probably be double that.

Fort Gaines is the county seat for Clay County. The courthouse is built of brick painted white, and is about 150 years old. From what I could see, it is still being used.

On our way back to the RV, we stopped at Bagby State Park to check out their RV facilities. To our surprise, they did not have any facilities for RVs or camping. The park is located on Walter F. George Lake, and is centered on a championship golf course. They have a lodge, much like a nice hotel, and cottages for rent. A boat ramp seemed to be busy, and a marina was full of nice boats, including sailboats. This is a little different concept in state parks for us, but it seems to work.

We will be leaving here tomorrow, moving on to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We plan to be there one to two weeks while visiting Terri and Thomas. Then, we plan to go to the mountains of Tennessee, seeking cooler weather. Along with looking for cooler weather, we’ll be checking out the different areas we visit.

More later, be safe.

Today’s Town – Fort Gaines, Georgia: The Home Of Walter F. George Lake

Not all who wander are lost.

Pictures

Fort Gaines, Georgia

Weather: low 70 degrees, high 86 degrees, mostly cloudy skies, light showers

We had some showers with thunder boomies late last night. As a result, the air felt a little cooler this morning when I went for my walk. Early in the afternoon, more light showers passed through, helping the temperature stay a little more bearable.

Here's some pictures from Eufaula, Alabama.

Since we explored the area west of the river yesterday, we decided to go to the east today. We went north on Georgia 39 to US 82 and then east toward Cuthbert. When we arrived in Cuthbert, it felt like we had stepped back into the 1950s. Cuthbert is an old town that has a traffic circle where most of the town’s stores are located. In my mind, I can see the town’s teenagers driving around and around the circle on a Friday night, showing off their vehicles to their friends.

Leaving Cuthbert, we took US 27 south to Blakely, about 30 miles away. The land has a slight hilliness to it, with the land being used for timber and farming. The majority of the farming seems to be peanuts, corn, and cotton. There are not many houses along the way to Blakely until just before getting to town. Blakely was the liveliest town we have found in this area on the Georgia side of the river. They even had a MacDonald’s. Uptown!

We arrived back at the RV in mid-afternoon. The cooler temperatures encouraged me to take care of some chores outside. Carolyn got busy preparing supper, which consisted of frozen black eyed peas that Janie gave us when we were down to see her and Wayne. In addition, we had pork chops, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and corn bread. Ummm, good! By the way, thanks to Wayne and Janie for the tomatoes and peas, and to Carolyn's brother Leland for fresh cucumbers and banana pepper.

More later, be safe.

Today’s Town – Blakely, Georgia: Peanut Proud!

Not all who wander are lost.

Eufaula, Alabama

Fort Gaines, Georgia

Weather: low 73 degrees, high 96 degrees, clear to partly cloudy skies

We surprised ourselves by getting up so early this morning after a day of travel yesterday. We were up and about by 0600 hours. That didn’t mean we went out immediately and started the day’s activities. I went ahead and took my morning walk, but we didn’t leave the RV until after 1000 hours.

We decided to drive north to the little town of Georgetown, about 15 miles away. There was a hope that the town would be big enough to have a decent restaurant or, best of all, a WalMart Mall. Georgetown is a nice old town, but did not have what we were looking for. We decided to continue about three miles west across the Chattahoochee River and lake to Eufaula, Alabama.

Eufaula is a picturesque old town that is loaded with historical buildings, statues, water fountains, and photo opportunities. An obvious attempt is being made to save memories of the past. Many of the newer buildings in the downtown area have been built to resemble the older buildings. The result is a vibrant downtown that is a pleasure to be in. When we have a better cell phone signal, I’ll share some pictures that I took.

When we left Eufaula, we went south on US 431. We stopped along the way and checked a couple more Army Corp Of Engineers campgrounds located on the west side of the lake. If we come back to this area, that is probably where we will stay. There’s nothing wrong with the place we are staying now except for the lack of a cell phone signal.

After checking out the other campgrounds, we were ready to go home and rest. By the time we arrived back at the RV, we had traveled a circle that took us north to Georgetown, then west to Eufaula, then south to Fort Gaines, and back to the north to the campground. One thing that really stood out to us was that the terrain is about the same on both sides of the river, but the Alabama side seems more prosperous. Perhaps the reason why is because the road system seems to be better. The primary road going north and south in Alabama is US 431, and is a four-lane road. In Georgia, the primary road in the area going north and south is Georgia 39, a two-lane road.

More later, be safe.

Today’s Town – Eufaula, Alabama: The Big Bass Capital Of The World

Not all who wander are lost.

Georgia On Our Minds

Fort Gaines, Georgia

Weather: low 73 degrees in Ocala, Florida, high 94 degrees in Fort Gaines, Georgia, clear skies

We left Ocala shortly after 0800 hours this morning. After a great visit, it was time to start moving north in an attempt to find cooler weather within the next two weeks.

When we went to Florida about eight days ago, the worst part of the trip was going through four towns in Alabama. We decided we would take a different route back to Alabama, which found us here in Fort Gaines, Georgia tonight. We will be here until Monday, when we will leave for Tuscaloosa, Alabama and a visit of one to two weeks with Terri and Thomas. Then it’s on to the north and Tennessee.

We are staying in an Army Corp of Engineers park on William F. George Lake, a lake of 45,000 acres on the Georgia/Alabama state lines. Damming of the Chattahoochee River created the lake. This is probably the most isolated COE park we have ever stayed at. The closest town of any size is about 30 miles away, and cell phone signals are almost non-existent. The park has about 100 sites, and our site backs up to the lake. Some of the people around us have their boats tied up to the shore, so they can leave their RVs and jump in the boats, ready to go fishing in minutes.

I was outside when our next door neighbors came back from a cookout. They had a gallon bag of catfish fillets that were still warm from the fire, and asked me if I would like some fish. Well, of course I said yes. They gave me the whole bag. There's going to be some good eating tonight, tomorrow, the next day....

Since the cell phone signal is so weak, I have to leave our site and go to a different part of the park to check on calls and post the blog. If anyone needs to get in touch with us, leave a message on the cell phone and we’ll call back as soon as possible.

More later, be safe.

Today’s Town – Bainbridge, Georgia: Georgia’s First Inland Port

Not all who wander are lost.

Preparations To Travel

Ocala, Florida

Weather: low 72 degrees, high 96 degrees, mostly clear skies, humid

Our original plans were to leave here today, heading back to Alabama for about a week, then to Tennessee in search of cooler weather. Lately, it seems like most of our plans are written in sand because they seem to get changed a lot. Another change took place this morning when we decided to stay here one more day. That gave us a chance to rest a little before hitting the road, and gave Carolyn another chance to see her mother. She spent about half the day visiting while I was taking care of chores. The rest of the day was spent resting and getting ready to leave in the morning.

This has been a very good visit for us. We saw almost everyone we wanted to, and were busy every day. This is the kind of visit that makes you want to return. I hope it's cooler next time.

Over the past few months, we have been hearing about Five Guys Burgers and Fries, a new hamburger chain. Tonight, we went to the one in Ocala. Frankly, I don't know what the fuss is all about. We didn't think the hamburgers were anything special, and the french fries were forgettable. On top of that, we thought the price was a little high. Our favorite is still Backyard Burgers, but it seems like all of the stores in that chain have been closed when we're near them. They must be having financial problems. We hope they get straightened out.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Apopka, Florida: Indoor Foliage Capital Of The World

Not all who wander are lost.

Family Cookout

Ocala, Florida

Weather: low 72 degrees, high 95 degrees, mostly clear skies

The normal June weather was back today. Hot, no rain, no cooling breezes, high humidity. Just what I remember from years past.

Earlier during our stay, I had contacted my relatives here to find out when we could see them. Over the course of several telephone calls, it was planned that everyone would meet at my brother Roger and his wife Willa's house for a cookout today. My cousin Pat lives here in Ocala, so she didn't have far to drive. My cousin Fay and her husband Cut (it's a nickname) live in Jacksonville, so they had to drive down this morning. My cousin Barbara and her husband Bill live in Pinellas Park, and they drove up this morning. Barbara retired less than two weeks ago, while Bill retired late last year.

It was great seeing everyone again, and we caught up with what has been happening before going outside to start cooking steak, hamburgers, and hot dogs. I should say the men went outside to cook. After all, grilling is a manly activity, and I must say we did an outstanding job. Once the meat had been properly seared and scorched, we sat down to a great meal, complete with all the trimmings and great conversation.

After eating, we sat around moaning and wishing we had a hammock to help our meals digest. All too soon, everyone had to start getting ready to go home. We agreed that we'll do this again the next time we're here.

Late in the afternoon, Roger, Willa, and Stephanie, their daughter, came over to see our new home. They were surprised at how nice the RVs of today are. They are like most people who live in houses - they don't think they could live in something this small.

I'm wore out after all the visiting today. I think I'll cut tonight's post short.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Bartow, Florida: The City Of Oaks and Azaleas

Not all who wander are lost.

Nose To The Grindstone

Ocala, Florida

Weather: low 70 degrees, high 91 degrees, partly cloudy skies

Carolyn spent most of the day visiting with her mother. She took her mother and her sister Teresa to lunch at Sonny's Bar-b-que in Silver Springs. They were very disappointed in the meal. The meat was tough, the beans could not be eaten, the french fires were not cooked properly, and the bread was tough. In other words, all of it was forgettable. Carolyn says she will not be going to that particular restaurant again because it was a waste of money.

While Carolyn was spending the day with her mother, I kept my nose to the grindstone. I washed the laundry and put it away, cleaned the bugs off the front of the RV so they will have a nice clean RV to hit when we leave on Wednesday, and finished a couple of other small chores. When I went back to pick up Carolyn, she was having a good time with her mother and three of her brothers remembering stories that occurred when they were growing up.

After I brought Carolyn home, she got busy doing some housework she wanted to get done. I went over to my brother Roger's house to visit with him and his wife Willa. They are having a cookout for us tomorrow, and three of my cousins with their spouses will also be there. It should be a good time, and we're looking forward to it.

At this time, our plans are to leave here on Wednesday headed north. We're about ready for a downtime day.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Micanopy, Florida: Florida’s Oldest Inland City

Not all who wander are lost.